Ben and I have been hard at work getting the annoytron up and running. We've solved a number of problems with our circuit such that the only challenge we now face is one of miniaturization. With the help of one our idea lab colleagues, Ben found something called a thyristor that allows us to turn our circuit on, but not turn it off. This means that users will not be able to turn the device off using the main power switch. This solves perhaps the biggest problem associated with our project. Now we don't have to worry about hiding the power switch or introducing some sort of software solution -- we have a single component that allows us to control the way users interact with the on switch. We've got a very basic working prototype contained in a cardboard tube. Check out some pictures below.
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| Annoytron with guts shoved inside. |
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| Annoytron with guts hanging out |
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| On/off switch. We'll be changing this out later. Using this switch feels great. |
In addition to the switch problem, we were having trouble figuring out how we would charge the battery. Looking around online, I found some nice looking breakout boards that allow one to charge the battery while plugged in, but they looked too large for our purposes. We ultimately settled on a simple circuit that will charge the battery as long as the battery isn't being used by the Arduino. We think this is a reasonable decision, as Ben and I assume that users won't be using the dildo while it's plugged in.
The power regulator we're using has a "shutdown" pin, which cuts power when pulled to ground. This allows us to automatically turn of the device after the user brings it to completion. I hooked up a transistor to the shutdown pin I think my colleagues in the Idea Lab will appreciate this, as the piezo is really obnoxious.
Moving forward, Ben and I need to print another, larger dildo (so we can fit all the electronics inside) that doesn't have any internal structure. I'm anxious to get this device put together so we can start annoying Allen.
