Geek!

A big part of the FLG operations is conducted by the Geeks. They're responsible for creating all the groovy sound & lighting effects and fire effects triggers and sequences. Basically they do electronics and programming.

Monday nights at 7.30 is the Geek meeting. Members of the Geeks get together and discuss things like whether to use an R232 or R245 Bus. But they do also get involved in the arty side of things. For Xylophage they're responsible for the sound and light mushrooms.

These components are stand alone 14' high mushrooms that have sound activated lighting.

Lance began the meeting by demonstrating his prototype sound-to-lighting splitter that he had worked up using an arduino microcontroller. The sound signal is split into frequencies. Each frequency is linked to a light with a threshold setting to turn the light on or off eg. when the bass sounds, the red light flashes.

Lance's sound & light splitter

There has also been talk of making tactile switches such that when they are touched they cause light or sound to trigger. Tracey has been developing felted conductive fibre switches.

Prototype felt switch

Robin Hood and Beth have been working on paint effects for the underside of the mushroom. Since the mushrooms will have some UV light they are looking at incorporating glow-in-the-dark paint (without making it look like a sideshow Ghost Train!)

Trialling UV-responsive paint

There are a lot of switches to be made for Xylophage so I was enlisted and shown how to solder.

Trial soldering on a PCB

Eventually I graduated to loading and soldering a control board.

Completed Control Board

One day, this board will go to form part of the fire controllers.

Fire controller board (lower left) connected to power supply and cables to solenoid valves