The Dance Dance Re-VOLT-ution Project
For the Dance Dance Re-VOLT-ution project, we were split up into teams of either three or four, (I was in a group of three with Talahni Turpin and Danny Lamarque). In this group, we had to create four Dance Dance Revolution pads. We first had to prototype the pads to see how we could set up the electricity components in a way so that when people stepped on our dance pads (played Dance Dance Revolution with them) the bulbs wouldn't break. We also had to make the pads have a switch, meaning that only when the pads were stepped on, they would light up. For our final dance pads, we used cardboard as our base and covered it in colored foam to make it look more appealing. For the inside, we used springs and foam to create our switch inside of our dance pads
How Electricity Works
The first thing we needed to learn in order to create our dance pads, was how a circuit works. In a series circuit, the energy flows from the battery in a circle through the light bulb and back through the battery. A good example of a series circuit is a strand of Christmas Lights. The other kind of circuit we learned about is a parallel circuit. In a parallel circuit, the energy flows from the battery but then has two options on directions it can go before going back to the battery. A good example of a parallel circuit is any string of lights where if one goes out, the rest will all stay on. The next thing we needed to learn about was the difference between conductors and insulators. A conductor is any metal object that you can put into a circuit to close the circuit. So, you could use a penny as opposed to a wire in a circuit. An insulator, is basically anything else. It will not close the circuit and therefore the energy will not flow. Some examples of insulators are wood, paper, and plastic. To create the switch in our dance pad, we covered the bottom of the pad in tin foil, and attached a spring to the top of the pad. By doing this, the spring touches the tin foil when the pad is stepped on therefore closing the switch. This works, because we have two wires attached from the battery pack; one also attached to the spring, and the other attached to the bulb. We also have a wire attached from the bulb to the tin foil. Basically, when the spring touches the tin foil, it completes the circle, allowing the lightbulb to turn on.
Update
The competition went very well for our group! All four dance pads worked and our teacher did the dance moves perfectly. We didn't win the competition, but we did get an honorable mention. The honorable mention we got was "Best Use of All Four Dance Pads".