Stupid Pet Trick

I've been invested in choose your own adventure-style games lately, where someone has to pick between two options. I've also been interested in working with light of some sort for quite some time now. I'd originally wanted to do something with programmable LED's (so I could have the full spectrum at my disposal), but I figure with a turn around of two weeks, I don't exactly have enough time to work out all the details of what I want to do with the colors.

While making the code, I had to consider how I was going to make it more condensed, especially since morse code involves a lot of dashes and dots, which creates a lot of delays. I had to use a Boolean function, and I also had to create my own functions to represent each letter, which ended up being pretty understandable after the 4th letter or so. The last problem I ran into was the fact that the ring light I was using had a multi-function control switch (the power was made of one button) to turn it on after it plugged in, which meant every time the relay turned off, the light was also off unless I pressed the button. This meant that I had to use my roommate's lamp instead.

bool running; bool sprinting; //I needed a second boolean to be able to use the second button and I couldn't think of anything else int longBlink = 600; int shortBlink = 200; int pause = 800; void setup() { Serial.begin(9600); //light pinMode(9, OUTPUT); //button pinMode(12, INPUT); digitalWrite(12, HIGH); pinMode(13, INPUT); digitalWrite(13, HIGH); } void loop() { //button 1 if (digitalRead(13) == 0) { running = true; } Serial.println(running); if (running) { //sequence here letterL(9); letterO(9); letterV(9); letterE(9); space(9); letterY(9); letterO(9); letterU(9); running = false; } //button 2 if (digitalRead(12) == 0) { sprinting = true; } Serial.println(sprinting); if (sprinting) { //sequence here letterF(9); letterU(9); letterC(9); letterK(9); space(9); letterY(9); letterO(9); letterU(9); sprinting = false; } } void letterC(int pin) { digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(longBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(longBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(longBlink); } void letterE(int pin) { digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(longBlink); } void letterF(int pin) { digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(longBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(longBlink); } void letterK(int pin) { digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(longBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(longBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(longBlink); } void letterL(int pin) { digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(longBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(longBlink); } void letterO(int pin) { digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(longBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(longBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(longBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(longBlink); } void letterS(int pin) { digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(longBlink); } void letterU(int pin) { digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(longBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(longBlink); } void letterV(int pin) { digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(longBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(longBlink); } void letterY(int pin) { digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(longBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(longBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(shortBlink); digitalWrite(pin, HIGH); delay(longBlink); digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(longBlink); } void space(int pin) { digitalWrite(pin, LOW); delay(pause); }


In an official gallery setting, I would probably build a box or stand for the light to sit on, with holes for the buttons to sit in and different holes to hook up the wiring underneath it. I made a mock up of what it would look like.
 

Something I didn't consider until later was the fact that morse code isn't understood by everyone, which also means that the messages would also be unclear to most people. Taking this into consideration, I would probably also pin up a sign (most likely on the front of the plinth) with the morse code alphabet and a cheat sheet of how the timing works.