Making Studio

I’m bad at sports betting so I made a Magic 8-Ball to recommend bets for me. For all the ink that has been spilled over how to lock in a sure-fire bet, the fact of the matter is that even the most successful sports bettors in the world only hit on 60% of their bets. When we can’t trust our gut and we can’t trust logic, we might as well outsource these decisions to machines and let the fates decide.

Here’s how it is intended to work: With an integrated vibration sensor, the device detects when a person is shaking the object and queries ChatGPT through an API Key with a prompt that asks ChatGPT to scour the daily betting markets and identify inefficiencies in the market that can be exploited. This takes into account betting markets, performance trends, opponent analysis, and similar game scenarios to identify one bet at a time. I was able to complete a prototype that surfaces a random bet, because I had trouble with OpenAI’s terms of service. With more experimentation with the prompt, I believe this would work as designed. My goal for this project was to immerse myself in AI tools so that I can begin to understand how they can be best integrated into devices.

Improvements:

I decided to add a Draftkings Sportsbook vinyl sticker to make the 8-ball look more legitimate. Going forward, I would probably use a more sensitive vibration switch because the medium-strength switch requires a very firm shake.

Instructables Link

Video Storyboard

Timing is really important for this video to pick up views. I am going to film and post this during Sunday NFL Football and the video will be submitted before Dec 17th.

Sample Social Media Post to IG/Reddit:

“buddy cracked the code. magic 8-ball that tells you what bets to place @draftkings @houseofhighlights @barstoolsports”

Well I did it!!

Honestly I thought this would be a somewhat manageable project, however I was very very wrong. This project caused me so much frustration and took almost double the amount of time I had anticpated.

Okay now that I’ve gotten that out of the way let me introduce you to Acceptus!

Idk why this photo always look so low quality when uploading to the internet…

Introducing the Acceptus wall sconce—an organic, sculptural lighting solution designed to transform your home’s ambiance. This innovative sconce mounts seamlessly on any wall, creating an instant welcome as you enter a room. Perfect for those weary from long workdays, especially during the dark and cold winter months when returning home can feel uninspiring.

The Acceptus features intelligent motion-sensing technology that brings warmth and comfort to your living space. As you open the door or walk by, the sconce detects your presence, gently fading on to create a soft, inviting glow. No more harsh overhead lights or dark, unwelcoming entryways—just a subtle, comforting illumination that greets you and instantly makes your space feel more welcoming.

Here is the link to my Instructable:

https://www.instructables.com/Organic-Motion-Sensor-Wall-Sconce-Light

Here is the short video ad I made for my project:

Social Media Messaging Samples:

Slogans/Taglines

Where intelligent motion sensing meets sculptural minimalism.

Illumination that understands the art of welcome.

Caption

Precision meets poetry in our latest architectural lighting solution. More than a mere fixture, Acceptus represents a sophisticated intersection of technology and design.

Intelligent motion-sensing technology crafts an environment that anticipates and adapts.

Final Remarks:

This project could not have been possible without a few key people…

• Becky (obviously): Thank you for helping me finalize my code and troubleshooting! But basically thank you for your support throughout the entire project.
• Kyle: Thank you for training me on the CNC machine plus answering all of my circuit related questions!
• Tashea: Thank you for giving me your extra nano board after killing mine! And I’m sorry I killed that one the next morning 🙂
• My sister: Thank you for letting me take my frustrations out on you throughout this process and talking me off the ledge multiple times.

This was one of the most challenging projects I have done yet!

The Moon Phase Lamp Video

Link to My Instructables Project

Link to the Instructable Preview

The Idea

I wanted to make a moon cycle lamp that shows you the cycle/phase of the current moon.

How it works

A light is placed in the middle of the box and a dome spins around it casting a shadow on the moon. This allows you to see the current cycle of the motor.

The Process

The Box

I built a wooden box in the VFL, it was quite challenging because I wanted the box to be seamless and had to miter the edges to achieve that look.

3D Printing

I designed and 3d printed the domes, both the outer dome, which is the moon, and the inner dome that casts the shadow.

I had to design the inner dome a few times because of balance issues.

The Circuit

I have a stepper motor, a motor breakout board, an Arduino Nano, an LED light, and a 100-ohm resistor. I soldered the Arduino nano and the motor breakout board to the “solderable” breadboard and soldered wires to connect everything together.

The Code

I had a really hard time coding this.

I researched a lot about the moon phases and even tried to create a function that calculates the moon. In the end, I downloaded a library in Arduino called “Moonphase” by Cellie. Then I used an example from their GitHub.

Then I researched how to make a stepper motor move and created a function to make the motor move from The Arduino Website.

Currently, the motor moves, but the moon phase location is not working as I want.

#include <WiFi.h>
#include <moonPhase.h>
#include <Wire.h>
#include <RTClib.h>

const char * wifissid = "WiFi Name";
const char * wifipsk  = "Password";

moonPhase moonPhase;
RTC_DS1307 RTC;

struct tm timeinfo = {0};

// Define motor pins
#define A_OUT_1 9
#define A_OUT_2 10
#define B_OUT_1 11
#define B_OUT_2 12

// Define the delay between steps in milliseconds
const int STEP_DELAY = 100; // Adjust for speed
int stepsMoved = 0;

// Define the step sequence for a bipolar stepper motor
const int stepSequence[4][4] = {
  {HIGH, LOW, HIGH, LOW},  // Step 1
  {LOW, HIGH, HIGH, LOW},  // Step 2
  {LOW, HIGH, LOW, HIGH},  // Step 3
  {HIGH, LOW, LOW, HIGH}   // Step 4
};


void setup() {
  pinMode(2, OUTPUT);
  // put your setup code here, to run once:
    Wire.begin();

  // Set motor pins as outputs
  pinMode(A_OUT_1, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(A_OUT_2, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(B_OUT_1, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(B_OUT_2, OUTPUT);

  //Moon Angle
  //Serial.begin(115200);
  //Serial.println();
  //Serial.println();
  //Serial.println( "moonPhase esp32-sntp example." );
  //Serial.print( "Connecting to " );
  //Serial.println( wifissid );
  //WiFi.begin( wifissid, wifipsk );
  //while ( !WiFi.isConnected() )
  //  delay(100);
  //Serial.println();

  //Serial.println( "Connected. Getting time..." );
  //configTzTime( "CET-1CEST-2,M3.5.0/02:00:00,M10.5.0/03:00:00", "0.pool.ntp.org" ); // Timezone: Amsterdam, Netherlands

  //while ( !getLocalTime( &timeinfo, 0 ) )
  //  vTaskDelay( 10 / portTICK_PERIOD_MS );
}

void loop() {
  //getLocalTime( &timeinfo );
  //Serial.print( asctime( &timeinfo ) );
  digitalWrite(2, HIGH);
  stepsMoved = moveSteps(20);

  moonData_t moon = moonPhase.getPhase();

  Serial.print( "Moon phase angle: " );
  Serial.print( moon.angle );                       // angle is a integer between 0-360
  Serial.print( " degrees. Moon surface lit: " );
  Serial.printf( "%f%%\n", moon.percentLit * 100 ); // percentLit is a real between 0-1
  Serial.println();
  delay(30000);
}

// Function to move the motor a specific number of steps
int moveSteps(int steps) {
  int stepCount = abs(steps);          // Get the absolute number of steps
  int direction = (steps > 0) ? 1 : -1; // Determine direction (1 = forward, -1 = backward)

  int currentStep = 0; // Track current step in the sequence

  for (int i = 0; i < stepCount; i++) {
    // Calculate the next step index
    currentStep = (currentStep + direction + 4) % 4;

    // Set the motor coils according to the step sequence
    digitalWrite(A_OUT_1, stepSequence[currentStep][0]);
    digitalWrite(A_OUT_2, stepSequence[currentStep][1]);
    digitalWrite(B_OUT_1, stepSequence[currentStep][2]);
    digitalWrite(B_OUT_2, stepSequence[currentStep][3]);

    // Delay to control the speed
    delay(STEP_DELAY);
  }

  // Turn off all coils after motion
  releaseMotor();
  return stepCount; // Return the number of steps moved
}

// Function to release the motor (turn off all coils)
void releaseMotor() {
  digitalWrite(A_OUT_1, LOW);
  digitalWrite(A_OUT_2, LOW);
  digitalWrite(B_OUT_1, LOW);
  digitalWrite(B_OUT_2, LOW);
}

//Moving the Motor in phase with the real moon
// Function that changes position from % to step location f.e. 180° = 100 steps
  // Function (angle) --> (position)
  

// For Loop that moves the motor
  // position = 0;
  // newPosition = 0;
  // for ...
    // if newPosition == position - 1
    // move motor (1)
    // position = newPosition
//

Link to the Google Doc draft tutorial

Link to the Google Doc

Future Constructions

There are many things that I need to fix and do differently in the future.

• I need to fix the moon angle code so it works properly
• Change the blue LED to a white LED light
• Switch out the current motor for a quieter one