Premis

  • the wind chime center weight swings and knocks the tubes
  • sensors pick up knocks and trigger the led's
  • led's quick on, then fade off
  • led's brightness determined by knock value


Setup

  • LED's are mounted in the bottom of the tubes (i drilled a hole through from the top)
  • knocks on the tubes are picked up by
    • (a) piezo sensors mounted on the tubes,
    • (b) tilt-switches mounted on the tubes,
    • (c) corresponding copper strips on both the center weight and the tubes (connecting to make circuit),
    • (d) piezo strip mounted around the center weight (triggered by collision with tubes),
    • (e) accelerometer chips mounted on the tubes.


Testing

  • Sensors tested
    • piezo,
    • tilt-switch,
    • copper strips (connecting with center weight)
  • Sensors NOT tested (more expensive)
    • piezo strip with weight,
    • accelerometer chip