Electronic Notebooks and the Internet of Things: Capstone

I recently shared my electronic, internet-connected, physical story book at Marlboro College.  The video below tells the story of my process.  

Special thanks go to Lucie deLaBruere, David Cole, Natalie Freed, Jie Qi, Silvia Libow Martinez, and Gary Stager for their inspiration and/ or encouragement.

My First Wifi-Connected Book is Complete!

Hello World!  

Electronic, Internet-enabled, Physical Story Book

To learn more about this book, visit my Instructable.

My First Wifi-connected Book 

Hand-bound, wifi-connected journal...prototype one.

Prep the covers & lay the copper leads between the holes in the spine

I twisted copper wire around the pads of the Photon & Lily Simple Power,
but I switched to stranded wire in a later iteration!

Solder the wire to the copper leads

Use a multimeter on continuity mode to identify shorts

Solder conductive fabric tape (adhesive up) to the copper leads

Sew signatures, adhering conductive fabric leads as you go

Insulate the conductive fabric on the spine using clear nail polish

Apply thin Velcro to back of battery; consider insulating back cover

Complete circuits & program Photon functions to tell your story

Add artwork & text

ATtiny85 Resources

TinyAVR Programmer and Arduino Uno with ATtiny85

I originally started writing about my experiences programming the ATtiny85 on another blog, but it has been brought to my attention that some of you may have been looking for that documentation here.

As a result, I'm cross-posting to help those interested find the information they are seeking, particularly those of you I may have chatted with during Lucie's Making with Code:  Let's Get Physical workshop at Vermont Fest on 6 November.

I've also been asked where to purchase the chips, as well as the method that I prefer when programming the ATtiny85. While I use a TinyAVR programmer for programming circuit sticker microprocessors, I prefer using an Arduino Uno with my ATtiny85's for the following reasons.

1)  It's easier to remove the chip without accidentally bending the legs.

2)  You can set up a breadboard with LEDs to immediately test the code on your ATtiny85.

3)  A lot of people have Arduino boards kicking around (but don't know what to use them for).

Some time early next year I hope to teach another workshop or two geared towards educators and students, as a large number of you expressed disappointment that you were unable to attend the Notebook Hacking session at Vermont Fest.

Maple Leaf Book

Maple Leaf Book

Brainstorming

Paper Circuit Embedded into Book Cover

After experimenting with some Arduino sample code, I ended up creating a circuit that resembles a leaf when it's in action.

I'd originally set out to create something a bit more abstract, but a maple leaf emerged from the mess of solder and copper tape.





For the cover boards, I painted 2-ply Bristol with Jacquard Lumiere paints.

Keith A. Smith's "Broken H's" binding

Magnetic Flap to Hide Battery