Voltage Slammer
Orchestrating Circuitry
This section introduces two interfaces which each control multiple electronic devices: The
Voltage Slammer and OneToFour. The Voltage Slammer is an experimental circuit bending
probe, and sequencer, which is used both to circuit bend electronic devices as well as to control
those devices in a manner analogous to a musical sequencer. OneToFour allows a pair of SNES
controllers to concurrently control four SNES consoles in order to explore divergence between
the video game consoles as they play copies of the same game. Both of these interfaces allow a
single user to control multiple external electronic devices which would otherwise require several
people to operate.
The Voltage Slammer is not only a mechanism for controlling circuit bent electronics but is
additionally a platform for assisting in the activity of circuit bending. This project is part of an
ongoing exploration in controlling circuit bent toys, video game consoles, and instruments with
Arduino powered interfaces.
The Voltage Slammer is conceived to provide centralized control over a variety of circuit
bent battery powered toys. The project originated from frustrations when circuit bending
ensembles of toys with the goal of musical performance. As the number of bent devices
increases, it became cumbersome to control dozens of circuit bent toys which each have their
own set of local knobs, switches, and dials to conduct their behavior. Additionally, many of the
bend devices featured different bends with conflicting controls and it was difficult to keep track
of how to operate each individual device. The Voltage Slammer provides a solution to that
dilemma by providing a uniformed interface in which to interface with all the varied devices.
Unfortunately, not every circuit bent device can be plugged into The Voltage Slammer and work
its way into the system, devices have to be initially bent with the device.
The first eight out its thirteen output channels produce Pulse Wave Modulation (PWM):
a type of digital signal which allows the user to adjust the duty cycle of the underlying digital
signal. Each of these channels have a corresponding potentiometer and switch. The
potentiometer is used to modulate the pulse width of the outgoing signal, affectively producing
higher current and voltage to the client device. The switch cuts off the connection to the client
device entirely. Small LEDs are positioned above the switches which light up along with the
output signal to provide immediate feedback to the user. These outputs are affected by the
master delay pot stationed in the upper left corner of the interface. The
master delay inserts a period of dead time into the signal temporarily turning the signal off. This
can be effective for simulating button presses on some devices and can even be necessary for
getting many instruments to reach a state of incantation.
The remaining five outputs are
kindred to the first eight but have no feedback LEDs, no on/off switches and are physically
arranged on the interface in a separate group. These secondary outputs are used to control
motors drivers or any other bend requiring constant voltage or current. The rear of the Voltage
Slammer provides the output for both the primary and secondary output channels through
the system ground, which is shared by The Voltage Slammer and all battery powered devices,
while the pins carry the control signal which originates from the Arduino. A RCA connection
with both the ring and pin connected to ground is included in the outputs to allow for easier
probing and bending but serves no function when the interface is used as a sequencer.
Lastly, the Voltage Slammer has an ultrasonic rangefinder which allows the interface to
be aware of the presence of gallery viewers in the case of installation. This proves especially
beneficial when the interface is used in an installation setting, making it easier for the installation
to exhibit traits of intelligence with a crude sense of spacial awareness.
The second version of the controller boasts sixteen rotary encoders which each feature built-in
push-buttons and RGB LEDs. The encoders provide an intuitive interaction experience to
interactees when the interface is used for installations due to their ability to provide both visual
feedback through the LED and by allowing for continuous rotation. When used to control
circuit bent toys in a gallery setting the system resets the encoder states in-between each visitor,
ensuring each interactee is yielded the same starting system state. This is a vast improvement
over the potentiometers used in the first version which only rotate 270 degrees and have no
mechanism to reset their values in-between users, causing each interactee to be left with
whatever state the user before them put the unit into. Because the encoder shafts support
continuous motion, users are not stuck having to reset the controls back to a starting state
themselves as everything can be handled in software. To alert the new user that the unit has reset
itself each of the encoder LEDs will turn green to indicate the values have been reset. As the
user turns an encoder it will the LED will mirror the behavior of the output, pulsing when the
unit is sending out a signal with green, yellow, and red corresponding to a low, medium, and
high signal level. This instant feedback proves useful to offset the unpredictable nature of circuit
bent instruments. In the circumstance where a puppet device is not responding to The Voltage
Slammer, the feedback from the LEDs provides reassuring feedback which affirms the
controller is working properly and that the user’s actions do indeed have affect . The pushbutton
on the encoder allows its user to manually reset the encoder state: turning the LED green and
resetting the value.
The second version of The Voltage Slammer replaced the SPST33 toggle switches with
eight higher quality metal pushbuttons with LED rings. The new buttons are used in the same
manner as the switches in the first version of the interface by connecting, or disconnecting, the
output jack from the Arduino for its corresponding channel. The buttons are latching,
functioning just as a SPST switch does. The LED rings provide instantaneous feedback about
the status of each of the buttons, making it easier to tell the states of the outputs with a quick
glance. The inclusion of the LED rings in the button housings additionally eliminate the need
for adding discrete LEDs, to provide the valuable visual feedback, reducing the number of
components used over the first version of the interface.
An additional upgrade added in the second version of The Voltage Slammer allows the
interface to be powered with rechargeable batteries instead of a USB cable - which the interface
still supports. As the devices that the controller is sequencing are almost always battery powered
as well, this feature allows the entire system to easily be mobilized for performance, or
installation, allowing for use in locations without access to a power grid.
The ultrasonic rangefinder in the front of the first version of The Voltage Slammer
proved useful for detecting the presence of folks directly in front of the device, but was of little
use when interfacing with the controller. The second version of the interface decided to increase
the number of sensors. The added sensors give the interface a heightened sense of spacial awareness
over the single front facing sensor in the first interface while also providing more options when
mapping the interface for performance.
Related Works and Writings
This interface is designed to control an ensemble of ciruit bent instruments. To read my writing concerning
circuit bending and hardware hacking, check out this page HERE.
Furthermore, if you are interested in reading my reading concerning sonic installation art, check out the
page HERE.