Published March 8, 2024

Smart Desk 5000

A lap desk with enhanced functionality including room control, live sensor updates and active lifestyle encouragement reminders.

BeginnerShowcase (no instructions)2,435

Things used in this project

Hardware components

DFRobot Gravity:Digital Push Button (Yellow)

SparkFun RedBot Sensor - Wheel Encoder

Seeed Studio Grove - OLED Display 1.12'' V2

LED Strip, NeoPixel Digital RGB

SparkFun Atmospheric Sensor Breakout - BME280

Breadboard (generic)

Software apps and online services

Microsoft VS Code

Hand tools and fabrication machines

Laser cutter (generic)

Miter Saw

3D Printer (generic)

Hot glue gun (generic)

Drill / Driver, Cordless

Story

The story of the Smart Desk 5000 begins with a community college class called Internet of Things and Rapid Prototyping.

Our assigned desks can grow in height or shrink depending on your needs, but my desk was still too short at it's highest point. While most people might have made a stack of books or something to raise their laptops, I decided to make a lap desk that had legs in order to bridge the gap. Given the things we were learning in class, it only seemed appropriate to incorporate the midterm assignment into my standing desk. Thus the Smart Desk was born.

I knew I wanted a larger surface, at least two feet wide. I settled on 24 inches wide and 18 inches long. The legs, when fully extended, add just under 10 inches to the height of the desk. The larger surface allows for use of a mouse.

The surface of the desk is a polycarbonate acrylic that I laser-engraved a dragonfly onto. By also being able to look down into the wiring, it lends to an image of sophisticated technology, while the simple wooden frame hearkens to past eras of furniture.

I originally 3D printed hinges, which I feared would be overbuilt as they were nearly six inches long. However, by mounting them in the middle of the 18inch sides rails, they worked as designed until a crack developed at the hinge and they collapsed. They will be replaced with metal hinges for security.

As far as functionality, there is an encoder that can turn a light on and off, and adjust brightness. There are 4 buttons. One toggles the light to turn different colors. Another button controls a smart power adapter nearby. A strip of neo pixels illuminates based on how long you've been seated, reminding people to stretch and avoid being sedentary. A third button resets the pixels and timer, allowing the user to return to focus on their tasks. A fourth button is strictly for tapping, clicking, fidgeting or smashing, as it hold no electronic purpose, Rather it holds a purely psychological purpose, giving only the satisfaction of pressing mechanical buttons repeatedly.

A atmospheric sensor reads the room and displays the relative humidity, atmospheric pressure and current temperature on a small OLED screen attached to the underside of the acrylic panel.

Schematics

Code

Midterm Lap Desk

/* 
 * Project SMART LAP DESK-- MIDTERM
 * Description: A lap desk that can control the room, and has a timer function
 * to encourage breaks
 * Author: Chris Cade
 * Date: March 1st 2024
 * For comprehensive documentation and examples, please visit:
 * https://docs.particle.io/firmware/best-practices/firmware-template/
 */


#include "Particle.h"
#include "Adafruit_GFX.h"
#include "Adafruit_SSD1306.h"
#include "IoTClassroom_CNM.h"
#include "hue.h"
#include "Encoder.h"
#include "application.h"
#include "colors.h"
#include "neopixel.h"
#include "Adafruit_BME280.h"
#include "Button.h"
#include "IoTTimer.h"

SYSTEM_MODE(MANUAL);
//DECLARE


//Declare the timer and Pixelfill function
IoTTimer timerOn;
void pixelFill(int first, int last, int color);

//Declare my neopixel strip
Adafruit_NeoPixel pixels (30, SPI1, WS2812B);
const int LEDs = 30;
int pixelBright;
int i;
int z;

//declare my wemo
const int myWemo=5;

//Hue Bulb
const int BULB=2; 
int color;

Encoder myEncoder(D18,D19);
//  Hue variables
int brightness; // need a variable for mapping
int position;
int newPosition;

//declare my (encoder) button
int buttonpin = D11;
Button button(buttonpin);
bool buttonPinState;
int switchState;

//declare my second button
int buttonTwo = D12;
Button buttonDos(buttonTwo);
int buttonDosState;

//declare my third button
int buttonThree = D13;
Button buttonTres(buttonThree);
bool buttonTresState;
int switchTresState;

//declare my fourth button
int buttonFour = D14;
Button buttonCuatro (buttonFour);
bool buttonCuatroState;
int switchCuatroState;

//Declare the BME
Adafruit_BME280 bme;  // the I2C device that measures

float tempC;
float tempF;
float pascals;
float humidRH;
float mercury; 
const char degree = 0xF8;
int status; 


//declare the OLED
const int OLED_RESET =-1;
Adafruit_SSD1306 display(OLED_RESET);








void setup() {

// Initialize the bme
status = bme.begin(0x76);
  if (status == false) {
    Serial.printf("BME at address 0x%02X failed to start",0x76);
  }

  Serial.begin(9600);
  waitFor(Serial.isConnected,15000);

  WiFi.on();
  WiFi.clearCredentials();
  WiFi.setCredentials("IoTNetwork");
  
  WiFi.connect();
  while(WiFi.connecting()) {
    Serial.printf(".");
  }
  Serial.printf("\n\n");

//initialize the OLED
display.begin(SSD1306_SWITCHCAPVCC,0x3C);
    display.clearDisplay();

display.setTextSize(1);
display.setTextColor(WHITE);
display.setCursor(0,0);

    display.clearDisplay();


// //initialize the pixels and timer function
pixels.begin();
pixels.setBrightness(8);
pixels.clear();
pixels.show();

 timerOn.startTimer(5000);

}







void loop() {
 
  //use bme to read all values
tempC = bme.readTemperature();
pascals = bme.readPressure();
humidRH = bme.readHumidity();
//map the values
tempF = map(int(tempC),0,100,32,212);
mercury = pascals*0.0003; 

//set display parameters for OLED
display.clearDisplay();
display.setTextSize(1);
display.setTextColor(WHITE);
display.setCursor(0,0);  
display.printf ("The temperature is %0.1f %c\n",tempF,degree);
display.printf("The humidity is %0.1f\n", humidRH);
display.printf("The pressure is %0.1f\n", mercury);
display.display();

//print to monitor
Serial.printf ("The temperature is %0.1f %c\n",tempF,degree);
Serial.printf("The humidity is %f\n", humidRH);
Serial.printf("The pressure is %f\n", mercury); 

//second button changes colors
if (buttonDos.isClicked()) {
    (color++);
}
  Serial.printf("Setting color of bulb %i to color %06i\n",BULB,HueRainbow[color%7]);
  
//ENCODER BUTTON DATA
// Encoder switch turns lights on and off, knob increase brightness.
buttonPinState = digitalRead(buttonpin);
//if button is clicked, turn on/off and switch states.
if (button.isClicked()) {
  switchState = !switchState;
  Serial.println("Encoder button is clicked");
}
  
   //ENCODER KNOB
position = myEncoder.read();
   Serial.printf("Encoder is %d\n", position);
  
 // bound the inputs
  if (position> 95) {
    myEncoder.write(95);
    position = 95;
  }

  if (position <0) {
    myEncoder.write(0);
    position = 0;
  }

//map the encoder to the brightness of the bulb
brightness = map(position,0,95,0,255); 

setHue(BULB,switchState,HueRainbow[color%7],brightness,255);


//BUTTON TO CONTROL WEMO   
//if button three is clicked, turn on and switch states.
if (buttonTres.isClicked()) {
  buttonTresState = !buttonTresState;
}
   
if (buttonTresState)   {
  wemoWrite (5,HIGH);
    Serial.printf("Turning on Wemo# %i\n",myWemo);
}
else {
  Serial.printf("Turning off Wemo# %i\n",myWemo);
    wemoWrite(5,LOW);
}

// //TIMER CONTROL
// //timer controls, 5 seconds to active
if (timerOn.isTimerReady()) {
  pixelFill(0,29,violet);
  pixels.setBrightness(8);
}

// //BUTTON FOUR RESETS THE TIMER
if (buttonCuatro.isClicked()) {
pixels.clear();
pixels.show();
  timerOn.startTimer(5000);
}
}



//FUNCTIONS
// FUNCTIONS
void  pixelFill (int first, int last, int color) {
   int i;
   for (i = first; i<= last; i++) {
      pixels.setPixelColor(i,color);
      pixels.show();
   }
}