Responsive Arts Final Project Proposal

For my final project I will be making a Bike Speedometer. Since my main transportation is either walking, the CTA train, or usually on my bike. I want to make something that I will be using on a daily basis. This speedometer will allow me to see how fast I go, this will be informative to to have an exact measurement of my speed. For my past projects, I was making wearables. The such projects were prototypes and could be a start of successful wearable. I did want to stick on the functional projects that including lighting. For the speedometer, I wanted to complete a functional project that I could use daily. This will should my skill of using the Arduino, building the physical model, and the use of a switch. I believe this will be a challenge to accomplish, since it is not the LEDs I have been using. The other challenge I will be facing is to make sure the speedometer will be stable on the bike and won’t fall off as I hit a bump. 

The process of building this speedometer is in need of multiple materials and parts. I would need an Arduino, which I already have. A Magnetic Reed Switch, which will help calculate the speed by one magnet on the spoke of the wheel and the other end on the metal frame of the bike. One 10K Ohm resistor, 9 volt batter hooked to snap connectors, a PC board, a backlit LCD, and a toggle switch. I will then have to construct a wood box, that will hide the wires and the Arduino. This will also showcase the backlight and show the data of how fast you are going. The box will have to be able to open so that I can change the battery if I would need to change it. Also this will allow me to fix any problems if any occur, rather than securing it with glue and make it permanent. 

Brad Guthrie