Description

The stribe prototype consists of 8 layers of parts sandwiched together into a single slab.



note: before the touchstrips are adhered to the plexi surface, tape it in place to keep it from moving around. I suggest testing the LEDs without the plexi, THEN use thin strips of transparent, long-lasting packing tape to hold it in place - it makes for a nicer finished product than this scotch tape. The scotch tape, however, allows you to easily remove it to shuffle the LED bargraphs around. After repeated on and off it will get a little gunky - use alchohol and a cotton swab to clean it off. The flexible sheet approach will become translucent after a while but still works. It's a matter of taste and the durability of the softpot material will prove itself over time. Another option is to adhere them to a sheet that is already sort of translucent like the tape. Translucent is kinda sexy-looking and it works, I just prefer the transparent cause I'm a geek.

From the top down:

1) 8 adhesive-backed 170 mm touch-strip sensors

2) a thin sheet of transparent or translucent plastic, to which the sensors adhere

3) 112 10-segment LED bar-graph arrays

4) 112 IC sockets, which hold the bar-graph arrays

5) a 2-sided LED circuit board, which routes the LED connections to the edge

6) a female header that runs all around the edge of the LED board

7) a matching male header that runs around the edge of the DRIVER board

8) a 4-sided DRIVER circuit board, which serves several purposes:

a. it holds the 16 MAX7221's and supporting circuitry
b. provides sockets for the Arduino MINI uC and Arduino USB stamp
c. provides (8) 3-pin connectors for the sensors

9) 4 rubber feet stick to the bottom of the circuit board. A hole at each corner of the circuit board allows it to be screwed to a piece of wood for a more solid base, or it can be bolted from underneath into a cover plate to hold everything tightly together and prevent shifting, perhaps a bevel to hold the LED/perspex sheet combo.