Version 3 Development: External Physical Build

Currently waiting on: Longer wires to arrive from oomlaut

Two larger teddy bears have been purchased for this project. They are both different, but this was to give users a choice between them to see if they have any preference as well as to illustrate how the form could be changeable.

Pictures of the two bears are below. they are 3x as big as the original bears and will comfortably hold the wiring.

The arms are about 15cm long, but i think it would be a good idea to have wires long enough for the arduino to sit outside the bear whilst functionality is confirmed (so that i'm not going in blind and wondering where a wire has fallen out if something goes wrong which it has done in the past).

Permanent Build: It would be great if i could make a PCB, as in this tutorial http://www.theparsley.com/arduino/diy/ to stop the wires falling out but another option is to use stripboard which is far simpler http://www.hobbytronics.co.uk/stripboard-95-127 I believe i will use this option for the final prototype.

I have to move the 'i'm missing you' file on the SD card to slot 1 as the music is currently being played to debug. The delay time will be matched to the exact duration of the track that is recorded. It is multi-purpose; users would be able to record any message they want (it is customisable).

Still to do for this prototype:

Wait for longer wires
Work out which contacts to use in the palms of the hands i.e. metal buttons
Create an instruction manual for review
Develop a few informative web pages for review (will bring to users-it could be used to host the advert/video, an instruction manual if it is lost and contact information)

UPDATE 22/04

Metal buttons have been purchased from a local haberdashery. They will have wires attached to the inside (usually where they are sewn on), and the round smooth top of the button will be exposed in the hands of the bears to be pushed together. There is a good surface area for conductivity, but extra solder will be added to the inside. I will have to test the resistance across the circuit as they are designed for clothing and may not be very conductive as they are not designed for electronics usage. I may have to reduce the resistance of the resistor in series with it to compensate.