[overview]
With time going by, I love my PCOMP class more and more. At the very beginning of the semester, I thought PCOMP is more about learning technical skills. Actually, lots of Tom's critic in the class is from the design thinking perspective. For example, he kept asking about how people suppose the device would work without the creators' description. We need to think about how to guide/indicate people to interact with the device in the right way. I really enjoy both design part and technical part of the class. Thanks Tom!
[Notes from the videos]
Sensors
Light sensors: photocell, dust, pulse, distance ranger, passive infrared detector （红外传感器）
Mechanical sensors: switches, potentiometers, rotary encoder (旋转编码器)
Force/stretch/bend sensors: carbon material ➤ resistance change.
Strain gauge: thickness of the material ➤ resistance change.
MEMS sensors: accelerometer(x,y,z), gyrometer(agular acceleration)
Datasheet
care about: description, pinout, electrical/chemical characteristics, conversion graph
Sensor interfacing
Analog
Pulse width (PWM): convert analog into high/low signal.
Serial communication: send data (not voltage) to another controller.