(Dis)connect

"Sometimes we need to downgrade our technology to upgrade our connections." >

(Dis)connect is an interactive installation created for a 5-week passion project. It uses two vintage rotary phones to facilitate a private, 2-minute conversation between two strangers in separate spaces.

Read the full process on my blog →

The Concept

This installation aims to break the "smartphone bubble" by using obsolete technology to facilitate meaningful micro-interactions.

• The Interaction:
  Two rotary phones are placed in different locations.

• The Trigger:
  When a user dials a number on either phone, the other phone begins to ring.

• The Connection:
  Once picked up, a voice-over icebreaker introduces a prompt, allowing two strangers to share a private, unrecorded 2-minute moment.

Directories

• arduino: Hardware source code. Organized into iterative scripts that showcase the project's evolution and various prototyping stages.
• blog: Source files for the project documentation website.

Tech Stack

• Hardware:
  • 2 Vintage Rotary Phones
  • Arduino
• Software:
  • C++ (Arduino)
  • HTML/CSS (Blog)

Branches

• main: stable, exhibition-ready code
• dev: active experimentation
• arduino: the process of my arduino code
• blog: the process of my blog

Planning

Week 1 (5 - 11 jan)

How does the telephone work? Create a basis setup.

• Are the phones working
• How can I call with it
• Are the bells working
• Can I connect the two phones
• Can I send music from an arduino to the phone(s)

Week 2 (12 - 18 jan)

Make the final hardware setup

• Create a user flow. -> Tuesday
• Sound & talking circuit -> Tuesday
  • Is the whole sound circuit working?
  • Check what's wrong if two sounds are playing at the same time.
  • Where is the noise coming from during the talking status?
• Check if the phone is off hook. -> Tuesday/Wednesday
• Voice mails -> Wednesday
  • Can I make a voice mail?
  • Can I play a voice mail?
• The dail -> Thursday
  • How does it work?
  • Detect which number is dialed
• The bells -> Friday
  • Connect them to the circuit
  • Let the bells ring at the right moments

Week 3 (19 - 25 jan)

Write the software

• calculate the voltages, voltages spikes, and current in the whole circuit
• write the whole arduino logic (Pro micro)
• write the basic python code
• add the dial to the circuit
• detect on/off hook
• connect the bells
• write code to record a voice mail
• find a workflow between the pi, and the code

Week 4 (26 - 1 feb)

Scenografie + test the installation

• wirte the whole python logic (Monday)

• debug the python logic (Tuesday)

  • test if its working on the Pi
  • create detailed scripts
  • send instructions to the arduino to open & close the relais at the right moments

• add relais for the bell to the circuit

  • write extra arduino code -change sound system to the usbcards (instead of the arduino) (Wednesday)

• Make a nice scenografie

• Test the installation

• Solder everything together

• add extra's

  • setup system
    • add option to record new questions
    • language?
    • ...

Week 5 (2 - 8 feb)

Create presentation + final touches

• Create a presentation
• Final touches

Week 6 (9 - 15 feb)

Presentation

• Create a presentation