endTable {ALPHA}

concept an end table holds things. they usually physically match. they hold lamps at times and clocks as well as other bedroom/livingroom stuff. endTable is a networked piece of furniture that warmly responds when something is placed on it's surface. endTable also responds to '6' when chatting with it and will give a loving quick glow in response. endTable is a online piece of furniture. it is designed to function is series of two, where one endTable mimics the other endTable via the network. this can be extended to having matching pieces in physically seperate locations as well.

context Make a piece of furniture that can converse in a text chat (for example, AOL IM chats, iChat, etc.). Your furniture should sense physical activity in the space surrounding it, and send messages to a chatroom based on what it senses. Ideally, the messages and the sensing will be related to the piece of furniture's prime function. For example, a chair might send messages on whether it's occupied, its occupant's shifting, etc. A door might send information on when it's opened or closed, whether someone entered or left, who that person is, a window might say whether the blinds are being opened or closed, and so forth. Your furniture should be polite in conversation. It shouldn't hog the chat space by sending constant messages. It should only send when there is a significant enough event to comment on. Ideally, it should listen too, and take commands if necessary. Your furniture may be a remotely controlled device that responds to certain chat commands. For example, you might give it a "silent mode" in which the device stops sending messages if someone sends it a message to "be silent." Another example: might make a window that only tells you the outside temperature if you ask it.

status / issues 3.5.05 items we are still working on: - application flowchart - circuit schema - PIC code posted online 3.4.05 well we are now having some PWM issues. seems it has decided to breakdown on its own after we did extensive testing and everything was working consistently. just have to attach all the walls together this morning and get everything placed inside. will most likely take a look at trouble shooting the PWM with new PIC chips. Here is the status as of 1:30AM this morning: we have everything cut up and ready to go, just have to throw the corner brackets in and test a few times to get the placement of our LED grid right. 3.4.05 finally got the circuitry running today! just in time. we also started on the cardboard fabrication side: we have everything cut up and ready to go, just have to throw the corner brackets in and test a few times to get the placement of our LED grid right. 3.3.05 we had to make some adjustments to the design of our top: we wanted to have 2 hotspots on the table. but due to lack of implementation time and testing , we had to move on and just use 1 cell. this will be addressed for our BETA launch. our photocell is mounted like this: our only concern is whether the photocell will cause a shadow on itself. we addressed this with LED placement and reexaminiing the PIC code as well.