mindfulness vibrating bracelet with random time

Wearable electronics: boards, conductive materials, and projects from Adafruit!

Moderators: adafruit_support_bill, adafruit

Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.
User avatar
adafruit_support_bill
 
Posts: 88037
Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:11 am

Re: mindfulness vibrating bracelet with random time

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

We have resistors here: https://www.adafruit.com/?q=resistor&sort=BestMatch
Anything in the 220 ohm to 1K Ohm range will work. Since you are running from battery the 1K Ohm will be slightly more energy efficient.

I'm not sure if the coin-cell will be sufficient to power this. They are not very good at high-current loads like motors. I think you would have much better luck with the 100mAh LiPo cell used in the original project. They are pretty small too:

https://www.adafruit.com/product/1570
Image

User avatar
bozzaglia
 
Posts: 131
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2022 6:14 am

Re: mindfulness vibrating bracelet with random time

Post by bozzaglia »

Perfect! Actually I did go for the Lipo and got a 150 mAh from a broken rc helicopter :-)
I could find most of your components from a reseller in Italy where I live.
Thanks a lot for your help and patience. Now I’ll work a little more on the code while I wait for the components to ship. And I think I’ll also practice my soldering skills ...

User avatar
bozzaglia
 
Posts: 131
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2022 6:14 am

Re: mindfulness vibrating bracelet with random time

Post by bozzaglia »

So, since you guys are so helpful and patient, I am going to ask for another little bit of advise with my project:
1) I am planning to stick the whole system (Gemma, vibrating motor, transistor, diode, battery, etc) inside a small self-built wooden case to go on a bracelet. Since the components will be pretty crammed in there, how do I make sure there won’t be any shorting? I was thinking to try and coat all exposed wires with heat shrinking sleeve but that would make it almost impossible to reach the wires if I have to fix some problems. Any other solution?
2) I am considering to add a push button for future upgrade (have the Gemma record my feedback when the bracelet buzzes). I’ve found a diagram on your site (picture attached). Is that the right way to connect it? Would any spring loaded push button work or I need a particular kind?
Attachments
47D147DF-2556-4848-A71F-C2EB0A253288.jpeg
47D147DF-2556-4848-A71F-C2EB0A253288.jpeg (265.5 KiB) Viewed 229 times

User avatar
adafruit_support_bill
 
Posts: 88037
Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:11 am

Re: mindfulness vibrating bracelet with random time

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Heat-shrink makes the wires bulkier and harder to pack into tight spaces. I'd make all your connections to the Gemma, then tape over the front and/or back of the Gemma so that other components can't short out against it. Tape is pretty easy to remove if you need to make changes later. I'm not a fan of the vinyl 'electrical tape' since the adhesive tends to leave a gummy residue. Blue painters tape works OK. Kapton/polyamide tape is ideal because it is thin & tough as well as transparent: https://www.adafruit.com/product/3057

For your feedback, most any 'momentary' pushbutton or switch should work. They come in many different sizes and form-factors.

User avatar
bozzaglia
 
Posts: 131
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2022 6:14 am

Re: mindfulness vibrating bracelet with random time

Post by bozzaglia »

Sounds great, I’ll get the kapton tape! I’m just wondering if I can use it also on the other components (transistor, diode, resistor) whose pins could come into contact and short.

User avatar
adafruit_support_bill
 
Posts: 88037
Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:11 am

Re: mindfulness vibrating bracelet with random time

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

There are a lot of different strategies for insulating. When trying to pack things into a tight space sometimes you need to get creative.

Looking at the circuit for the mindfulness bracelet I'd probably do a layered approach:

1) Solder the resistor, the collector pin of the transistor and the striped end of the diode to the Gemma pins as shown in the diagram.
2) Apply Kapton tape to the back of the Gemma - making sure that all metal pads and solder joints are completely covered.
3) Fold those three components over the back of the Gemma
4) Arrange and trim the leads so that you can make your remaining connections with as few crossed wires as possible.
5) Solder the rest of your connections
6) If there are any crossed wires, put a piece of Kapton tape over the bottom wire where they cross
7) Put a layer of tape over everything else so it doesn't move.

Note that the Kapton tape we carry is 1cm wide so you would need several strips to cover the Gemma. If you look around on-line you can find wider rolls also.

User avatar
bozzaglia
 
Posts: 131
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2022 6:14 am

Re: mindfulness vibrating bracelet with random time

Post by bozzaglia »

Perfect, great tip! I’ll do that! My components should arrive next week :-)

User avatar
bozzaglia
 
Posts: 131
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2022 6:14 am

Re: mindfulness vibrating bracelet with random time

Post by bozzaglia »

Question about my circuitpython code: I am writing the code to log my feedback through the button. I want to log “yes” for single click and “no” for double-click.
But I am having a hard time finding how to define a double-click of the button. It looks like a specific function exists in micropython but maybe not in circuitpython?

User avatar
adafruit_support_bill
 
Posts: 88037
Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:11 am

Re: mindfulness vibrating bracelet with random time

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

I don't know of any double-click feature. But I'm not a CircuitPython expert. Probably best to post this question in this forum where all the CircuitPython experts hang out:
viewforum.php?f=60

User avatar
bozzaglia
 
Posts: 131
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2022 6:14 am

Re: mindfulness vibrating bracelet with random time

Post by bozzaglia »

Done, thanks!

User avatar
bozzaglia
 
Posts: 131
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2022 6:14 am

Re: mindfulness vibrating bracelet with random time

Post by bozzaglia »

So I am planning to assemble the circuit today. I am only missing the battery, which hasn’t shipped yet.
Can I still test the circuit and the code by powering the Gemma from my pc through the micro usb?

User avatar
adafruit_support_bill
 
Posts: 88037
Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:11 am

Re: mindfulness vibrating bracelet with random time

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Yes. You should be able to test it powered via USB.

User avatar
bozzaglia
 
Posts: 131
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2022 6:14 am

Re: mindfulness vibrating bracelet with random time

Post by bozzaglia »

Ok thanks for the answer about powering via usb! Another thing: today, after soldering all the components (see picture), I connected the Gemma to my windows 11 pc for the first time and the pc didn’t see it at all. I tried multiple times. I downloaded and installed the Gemma driver but nothing changed. The only thing that happens is the board led comes on and blinks with the following sequence:

Amber-yellow-green
Flashing yellow - flashing blue - steady green - steady yellow (this sequence repeats continuously)

I tried hooking it up to an older windows 7 pc but same thing.

I looked on your website for the led color coding but got confused with all the different issues associated to circuitpython...

Any suggestions?

User avatar
adafruit_support_bill
 
Posts: 88037
Joined: Sat Feb 07, 2009 10:11 am

Re: mindfulness vibrating bracelet with random time

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Try double-clicking the reset button. If the LED turns red, it is probably a problem with your cable. Make sure you are not using a 'power only' cable.

User avatar
bozzaglia
 
Posts: 131
Joined: Mon Aug 01, 2022 6:14 am

Re: mindfulness vibrating bracelet with random time

Post by bozzaglia »

ok, it was the cable! I didn't even know there were "power only" usb cables :-)
Now it's working. Thanks a lot!
I need some code-related clarifications about how to store a file logging my button pressions. I've found this section on your website (https://learn.adafruit.com/circuitpytho ... on-storage) but I'm not sure I understand everything.
Should I ask on the circuitpython blog?

Locked
Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.

Return to “Wearables”