Week 5

In Class

• Group presentations of object-centered ethnographies:

  • Pairs pitch their chosen object and sensor — what did you pick and why?

• Francesco introduces TESI.

• Technical setup – two steps:

  1. Upload code: view, edit, and upload the Starter Sketch (or your own code), open the Serial Monitor, confirm values are moving and stable
  2. Stream data: confirm data arrives in Max or Plugdata via serial communication, then go wireless (connect to Wi-Fi, send OSC to your laptop)

Troubleshoot together — bring your hardware.

The Setup

Your ESP32 reads a sensor and sends data to your laptop through Serial or Wireless communication. Sound is generated and designed in Max or Plugdata. Ableton Live is an optional sound-design partner, driven by MIDI or OSC from your patch.

ESP32 + sensor → Serial Monitor   (verify, fallback)
ESP32 + sensor → Wi-Fi → OSC → Max / Plugdata → sound

Key Tools

• ESP32 — the microcontroller platform for this course
• Max — visual programming environment for sound and interaction
• Plugdata — free alternative to Max
• Ableton Live — optional DAW for sound design
• OSC — sending sensor data to Max/Plugdata
• Arduino IDE — programming your microcontroller
• Starter Sketch — starting point for your sensor sketch
• Serial Monitor — verify sensor data before going wireless
• Wireless — Wi-Fi setup and practical tips
• Troubleshooting — common problems and fixes

Homework — Pairs

Your sensor should be sending data to Max or Plugdata reliably before Week 6:

1. Test your connection at home — does it work outside the classroom?
2. Check the range of your sensor values — minimum, maximum, typical value in use
3. Note any instability or dropout — you will need a stable signal before you can design with it