For this assignment, I originally used Spectra Symbol’s linear potentiometer. Though I was able to complete the assignment, it was a frustrating re-entry into phys comp ridden with silly problems that made me feel like I had taken three giant steps backwards over the break. I also managed to screw up my sensor before I was able to take any screen shots. So in an effort to clear the air and give a better start to my work this semester, I decided redo it on a better day with a flex sensor and ended up having a much more satisfying experience.
This was actually my first time using a flex sensor so it was great to work through some incorrect assumptions I had about the way they work. I thought that the flex was measured when the sensor was sort of bent in half, but rather it’s when you stablize the base and the bend it just above the base.
The other assumption that I had was that it worked when bend in either direction, which is completely untrue. When bend the wrong way, values simply jump to zero.
My data was surprisingly clean, so for my Pic code, I just sent it straight to serial out without having to eliminate noise. For the Processing end, I just did a basic variation of Tom’s Datalogger code.
The first graph illustrates bend the flex sensor in the right direction- slowly at first and then several quick bends. The second shows the value drop when you bend it in the wrong direction.
