Quiet [S] Area

I'm a student at HKU: University of the Arts in The Netherlands. I study Game Art and I recently had a project called "If This Then That". Basically we were instructed to use an Arduino to do *anything* we wanted. This was my first tech project.

A tip we got was to think from a problem. What is an issue you often run into and would like to solve using some fancy gadget? I love Reading on the train, but I absolutely can't read when I overhear people talking. Which is why I always select the 'quiet area', a special compartment where you can travel in silence. As you probably guessed; this doesn't work very well. I often sit next business men on their phones and people that know they're in a quiet area but "just don't care".

Anyway. This instructable is for a small device that can make a sign turn 180 degrees.

Step 1: Step 1: the Code

Note: The following tutorial was made for an automatic device, it doesn't work with any sensors and serves as a first draft/prototype.

This is the code that I've used. (Shoutout to K. Bennett for providing me with helpful tips online).

When you copy-paste it, you will let your servo turn from one position to another at a 180 degrees angle. When it moves to its final position, it will wait before returning to it's default position. Giving it time to show a clever message.

#include

Servo myservo; // To create servo object to control a servo

void setup() { myservo.attach(9); // Attaches the servo on pin 9 to the servo object

}

void loop() { myservo.attach(9); // Attaches the servo on pin 9 to the servo object

delay(15); myservo.write(1); // Sets the servo-position to the scaled value

delay(1000); // Waits for it to get to the position. Change this to make the sign stay put longer.

myservo.detach();

delay(1000);

myservo.attach(9); // Attaches the servo on pin 9 to the servo object

delay(15); myservo.write(179); // Sets the servo-position according to the scaled value

delay(1000); // Waits for it to get to the position. Change this to make the sign stay put longer.

myservo.detach();

delay(1000);

Step 2: Step 2: What Do You Need

Material:

- Arduino UNO

- Servo 9G

Software:

- Arduino Programming Environment

Step 3: Step 3: Making the Casing

Here we will start making the "casing" consisting of a sign and platform.

You will need something transparant to make the actual sign, but for the platform you could use almost any material.

For the sign, make sure you find something (or make something) where you can slide pieces of paper in. Also make sure you don't make the sign much bigger than what you can see in the image above, or it may become too heavy for your servo.

You want to make the platform to stabilize the servo. Cut a hole in the middle, the size of your Servo, so it can fit in snugly.

After both the sign and platform are finished, you need super glue. Use it to glue the wings of your servo to the bottom of the sign. Leave it for a day or so (depending on what kind of glue you use).

Step 4: Step 4: You Now Own a Sign

You now have a small sign that can turn at 180 degrees. Feel free to use it to make any kind of sign or messages you like. :)