Getting stuff together

I think that I'm at the point where I can start doing more with the results I've got. A good reason is that I think that I can't get any further with both the electronics and the programming to sort out the fine issues that I still have. These issues, as far as I can say, are latency and the fact that despite all my ignorant efforts to damp the signal from the piezo transducer in order to get only one signal spike, I'm still getting more than one.

Putting this aside, I got some pushbuttons from a scrap board that I found in the London Hack Space. I desoldered then and am using these recycled buttons to prototype.

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In the end, what I'm doing now is having the piezo and 2 buttons connected to the arduino being read by pure data outputting to FM8. Just to test! And it works!

So, being more specific, the buttons only have a 2.2kohm resistor between output and circuit ground. The piezo however, has a 5.1v Zener diode, two Schottky diodes (bat85), and an RC (1M.4n7).

In pure data I switch to input the pins where the buttons are connected and to analog the piezo input.

To start simple, you can straight away look at the values coming out when you tap the piezo or push the buttons.

In this case I have the patch in a more advanced state, so I'm using the buttons to change the notes given by the piezo.

Also, yesterday I made the polystyrene bases for the pads on the handlebar of the bike. However, I had forgotten that planned on bedding the pad cases to attenuate more of the bike's input to the e piezos. This means that I have a gap between the pads and the case and therefore will be forced to make the bedding anyway. It is a bit annoying from the point of view of testing, but in the end the results are going to be much better.

I'm mounting this on a breadboard, but the intention is to make a PCB when the testing stage ends. This will make it much more reliable, small and easy to fit on the bike as I can design the PCB however I want and feel appropriate for its function.