ELECTRONICS
The main electronic components used are: an Arduino Diecimila board, a couple of cheap stereo speakers, an audio board with 4 audio outputs and flat cable for the connections.
Arduino was connected to MUBU by this special plug.
Arduino board is the brain of all the MUBU. Basically its function is to send a signal to the computer each time it receives an impulse to its digital input. Impulses come from the mouths of the MUBU where, when right food is in, an electronic circuit is closed.
To make it easier, one can imagine the circuit like a box with 4 speakers and 8 switches, 2 switches for each speaker. Whenever a switch is turned on (right food in mouth) the relative speaker starts to make a sound. When it is turned off (food falls down/ no food / wrong food) the sound is stopped.
Back side view of the MUBU.
Inside each MUBU there is a speaker’s cone while the amplifier and the cases remain hidden behind the structure and connected directly to the audio board.
Flat cables and a couple of plugs.
Speakers and food connections are wired to the Arduino by flat cables. Those cables allowed us to to have booth a quite strong connection to the structure and to send signal to the computer.