Safety Switch

Concept:

For this assignment, I wanted to take the chance to get used to using Arduino, circuits, and everything we learned in class. At first, I was intimidated by the kit we had because I did not know what anything was or how it worked.

It was not easy to get an idea for this assignment mainly because I do not know yet the many things I can do with Arduino. For this assignment, I wanted to do something useful especially when it comes to kids.  As scissors can cause damage when kids touch them, I decided to create a switch that turns on when the scissors are opened or touched. It is a simple idea and the main concept behind it is to learn more about Arduino.

Highlight:

IMAssignment

I always start with research. I personally can start doing something if I am not sure if I fully understand its different components and how it really works.  As you can see in the file attached all the things I learned while doing this small project.

SwitchAssignment

I began by trying to put the project together and see if it would work. I initially used foil to put things together in a circuit. A problem was that I did not use the solderless board and it was not neat, but at least it worked. Then I decided to make it make more sense by using the solderless board and copper tape instead of foil. It was confusing at the beginning but once I understood it it made sense. The code is very simple too. It is a small conditional to indicate when the light will be on and when it will be off.

const int scissor = 3;   // Pin connected to the scissors
const int led = 2;       // Pin connected to the LED

void setup() {
  pinMode(scissor, INPUT);
  pinMode(led, OUTPUT);
}

void loop() {
  int scissorState = digitalRead(scissor);

  if (scissorState == HIGH) {
    digitalWrite(led, HIGH);  // Turn on the LED when scissor is opened
    delay(50);  
  } else {
    digitalWrite(led, LOW);   // Turn off the LED when scissor is closed
    delay(50);  
  }
}

 

Reflection and ideas for future work or improvements:

In these assignments, I learned a lot, and I broke the fear of using the kit we have. I know that the scissors are not the most creative thing so for future work I would try to make it a switch for a safe or a drawer where someone puts valuable things in.