Project
| # | Title | Team Members | TA | Documents | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | Accentuating Glass Artwork in the ECEB Lobby |
Ansel Higgs Fadi Al Zuabi Lance Pan |
Evan Widloski | design_document0.pdf final_paper0.pdf photo0.jpg presentation0.pdf proposal0.pdf video video |
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| # Problem The glass sculpture in the ECEB lobby does not stand out enough. Many glass tubes are colored similar to the wall and there is no lighting to accentuate the piece. After talking with professors Arijit Banerjee and George Gross, we discovered that previous attempts have been made to illuminate the art, but the light they used was not focussed enough and spread to the wall behind the piece. This resulted in little improvement over the original setup. # Solution Our project aims to draw attention to the sculpture by using the diffusive properties of glass to illuminate only the artwork and not the wall behind it. This will not only bring out the individual glass pieces, but will preserve the overall flow of the art by not changing the overall appearance of the piece. To achieve this, we will route fiber optic lighting cables into the top of the glass tubes. The other end of the cables will connect to a series of LEDs. Each of the seven sections of the piece (look at a picture of the artwork to visualize this) will have its own LED set and microcontroller. # Solution Components ## Fiber Optic Subsystem We will need to determine the proper size of cable to use and lense to connect the LEDs to the cable. Additionally, we need to experiment to find the best method of getting light from the cables to properly diffuse along the tubes (a diverging lense or side glow fiber optic cable could be placed in the top of the tubes.) The cables will need to be selected to match with existing parts of the artwork and route cleanly along side the existing wire hangers for the tubes. ## Lighting Subsystem We will need to design a PCB for the LEDs and LED drivers. Consideration needs to be taken into account as to how many tubes will be lit per section of the piece. Depending on the power draw and efficiency, heat sinks may need to be installed. Also, the color of the LEDs needs to closely match that of the glass tubes it diffuses into as to not alter the aesthetic of the artwork. ## Control Subsystem Depending on the conditions of the room (intensity of natural light from windows, room occupancy, etc) different lighting regimes may be desired. A microcontroller, such as the ATmega, will be used to control the LED drivers and take input from sensors (if applicable). As per our consultation with professors Banerjee and Gross, the primary objective for this semester is for the hardware to be established with a static control setup for one of the seven sections. If time permits, we will look into adding ambient light or room occupancy sensors to the control system, integration capability with other sections, and wireless control. ## Power Subsystem Selection of an appropriate system voltage and size of power supply will need to be made. The weight and size of components needs to be considered if they are to be mounted above the artwork. # Criteria for Success Our project must illuminate the artwork and help it to attract more attention. It will also need to mount properly above the existing wall mount setup. # Team members * Ansel Higgs | ahiggs@illinois.edu * Lance Pan | lhpan2@illinois.edu * Fadi Al Zubai | alzubai2@illinois.edu * Web board link: https://courses.engr.illinois.edu/ece445/pace/view-topic.asp?id=27340 * Picture of artwork: https://imgur.com/a/UycZeE0 |
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