The Ink Machine
The concept that intrigued this project was the flow of ink in water. We origonally wanted to use organic substances (such as lemons or potatos) to create self powered, ink dripping boats. This failed because motors with a slow enough RPM to do what we need require 9 to 12 volts, whereas we could only get 4 volts out of a lemon.
After discovering this, the concept shifted to creating a music visualizer with ink in water. Idealy, the ink would represent the pitch and frequency of the music, and create a related image in the tank. Without an amplifier, this proved difficult to measure and test the pitch of a noise. In the future, this will be expanded on to create a more immersive experience. As of now, the Arduino measures volume and proximity of the music and usese these calculations to create a visualisation.
The greatest challange in this project was creating a water-tight tank. This is because a tall, thin tank ideal for displaying ink, builds up large amounts of water preasure around the base. Alternative to water and ink, oil and water were presented as an option to create a different effect. Red, Blue, and Yellow water bubbles would float throughout the tank. When the bubbles collied and ther surface tension broke, the colors would mix. This is another possible idea.
This project has alot of room for expansion, including adding a water pump to make a water fall, and a filter. Using these the ink tank could be come a self contained system. The syringes would be replaced by valves and IV bags to hold more colored fluid, and dispense it more acuratly.
Schematics and pictures can be seen on the images section.