technologycraft-blog

[technologycraft-blog]

Step Seven: Comparing Telegraph #1 and Telegraph #2

To test the effectiveness of the two telegraphs, we decided to use both devices to send the same morse code message (a single five-letter word). This would allow us to see if there is a difference in using light versus sound, and if there is, to what degree. 

(Image: https://medium.com/@timboucher/learning-morse-code-35e1f4d285f6) 

As a control, we ensured the receiver of the message was not told whether or not their guess was right. This was done so they weren’t able to guess the same message for the other version of the telegraph just by their guess from the first version. However, we decided that if they got the message right on the first try, we would choose another five-letter word for the second telegraph.

1. Sending a Message Using Sound 

(Trying to send a message through sound)

(Our first guess)

Right off the bat, using our first version of the telegraph did not yield the correct word. We found that it was difficult to discern whether or not a dash or three dots were being transmitted—which led to an inaccurate end result. Hitting the glass fast enough (using the turning mechanism we created) was a little bit more difficult than we predicted, as the foam block made it harder it twist the chopstick very fast. 

2. Sending a Message Using Light

(Trying to send a message through light)

(Our second guess)

This time, we were able to transmit the message with complete accuracy. 

As you can see, the “B” and “S” in our first guess had similar morse code signals to the letters they were supposed to be (”M” and “A” respectively). Using just sound to transmit the message, especially when the mechanism was slightly difficult to use, proved to be less effective than using light. When we used light, it was much easier to see (and also hear, as the switch was able to make quick clicks that mimicked dashes and dots) the correct letter. 

And so, although our first design was much simpler, and easier to build, our second design was much more effective. 

[technologycraft-blog]

Step Six: Building Telegraph #2

1. Gathering the Materials 

From our blueprint, we purchased/collected the materials we would need to build our second telegraph. As planned, we got the small lightbulb, wire, and battery. However, based on what the hardware store had in-stock, we opted to change our switch from a paperclip/paper fastener contraption, to a door-bell-like button. This would ensure that the switch (which is the most important part of the design), would be fully functional. One of our group members also had a wooden board that was in the shape of Canada at his home. We used this for two reasons, the first being that we needed a platform to put all the wires and other materials on so we could easily transport it without damaging it (as we were working at different places during this project). The second reason we wanted to use this board, was to send a subtle message. We wanted it to depict a message travelling from East Canada to West Canada. With the transmitter towards the west, and the receiver towards the east, the board acted as a map to show how far real telegraphs could transmit messages. We hoped in using these new materials, the design would not only be more functional, but more meaningful. 

2. Putting it Together 

To build our second telegraph, we used the simple circuit diagram in the last post as a reference to help us get started. Here’s the steps we took to build the telegraph. 

i. We connected the wire from the switch to the lightbulb. The wire was screwed into the bottom of the switch and connected to a metal part on the lightbulb holder.

ii.  We then connected the wire from the battery to the lightbulb. 

iii. The wire was wrapped around the top of the 9 volt battery and connected to the lightbulb holder.

iv. Lastly, we connected the wire from the battery to the switch. The wire was again screwed into the bottom of the switch than connected to the 9 volt battery. This completed thee circuit, thus making the power able to travel.

3. Testing Telegraph #2

After everything was put together, we tested our telegraph to see whether or not the light would turn on. Thankfully, it did work, and also was also able to light up last enough to mimic the dashes and dots we would use to send our message. 

[technologycraft-blog]

Step Five: Planning Again

Our plans for building our second version of our telegraph began with the realization that the telegraph is essentially a simple circuit. All we needed to do was connect a light to a power source (battery), and use a switch to control when the light would turn off and on (to mimic the dots and dash signals of morse code). 

(Image: https://www.quora.com/What-is-electric-circuits)

We needed to build/get…

1. A Transmitter: Which would act as the switch in the simple circuit. It would close and open the circuit to allow the current to run through/stop the current from running through which would then allow the receiver on the other end to signal the message.

2. A Receiver: That would be triggered by the transmitter to light up when the circuit is closed, and turn off when the circuit is open.

3. A Path: Using wires we would attach the light’s wiring to the cathode (+) on the battery, the anode (-) on the battery to one of the brass paper fasteners on the switch/transmitter, and the other brass paper fastener to the other end of the light’s wiring.

4. A Power Source: We would need at least a 9V battery to power a small light.

[technologycraft-blog]

Step Four: Testing Our “Telegraph”+ Problems

Problem #1: Twine Couldn’t Turn Chopstick

On our first test, it was immediately evident that our plan wouldn’t work. The base we used to hold the whole mechanism (the chopstick and the spoon), was way too light to stay in place as we tried to use twine to turn the chopstick (in other words, we would end up just pulling the whole contraption instead of just the chopstick).

Solution #1: Use Fingers

Instead of trying to find a different material to act as a middle-man between us (the sender of the message) and the chopstick (the turning mechanism/receiver), we decided it would be best to just turn the chopstick using our hands. This completely negated the issues we ran into with the base being too light (e.g not having enough tension in the chopstick to move it with twine).

However, despite fixing the issue, another problem came up.

Problem #2: Too Simple?

Now that we were simply turning the spoon with our fingers, our whole design was really just an over-engineered way to hit a spoon to a glass. The caveat to taking away the twine, was that it really simplified our design. Of course, this isn’t an inherently bad thing, but we felt the need to try to figure out a way to build a less simple version of a low-tech telegraph.

Solution #2: Lightbulb! (literally).

We decided that instead of trying to make a more complex version of our sound-based telegraph, that we would switch the medium we were using to light! We knew that the materials in and of itself would be more complicated than the materials we used to build our first version of the telegraph. As well, it would take bit of circuit knowledge to plan out what we wanted to do. So with a new idea in mind, we began planning once more.

[technologycraft-blog]

Step Three: Building Our Telegraph

1. Gathering the Materials

From our blueprint, we purchased/collected a small number of items to build our telegraph. However, there were a few small, but notable, changes we made from our original plan given what we could find at the store. Instead of using a wooden block a wooden dowel, we decided to use a soft foam brick (as the base) and a chopstick (as the stand for the spoon). The diameter of the dowels we bought didn’t fit through the hole in the handle of the measuring spoon. However, the chopstick was able to just fit, which actually worked better as it eliminated the need for washers to ensure the spoon didn’t fall down the wooden stand. As well, using soft foam as opposed to wood, allowed us to stick the chopstick into the base without the need for drilling any holes. Foam also held the chopstick tight enough to ensure it didn’t fall down, but loose enough so that it could spin left and right, hitting the glass. 

2. Putting it Together

The process of putting together our materials, to achieve what we planned in our blueprint was very straightforward. 

i. We put the measuring spoon through the chopstick until it was stiff enough to hold its place. 

ii. Then, we stuck the chopstick with the measuring spoon into the foam block, ensuring it wouldn’t fall over when the chopstick was turning the spoon. 

iii. We placed a glass near the block holding the spoon, close and tall enough (we had to place the glass on a short stand to achieve the proper height) so that the spoon could make contact with the glass. 

iv. Lastly, we wrapped a piece of twine around the chopstick, so that we would ideally have a way of turning the chopstick/spoon from afar. 

Now, we were ready to test our “telegraph”!

[technologycraft-blog]

Step Two: Planning

As mentioned in the first post on this blog, our plans for building a low-tech version of a telegraph began with the realization that the telegraph is essentially just a transmitter and a receiver. One component needs to send the message, and another needs to receive it. As well, we needed to decide through which medium we would send the message (e.g. light, sound, images, vibrations, etc). 

After deliberating, we decided to use sound as our medium. Sound had the advantage of being able to transmit messages from much farther away (e.g. from one or two rooms away) than something like light or vibrations (which would likely need the person who is receiving the message to be in the same room as the person sending the message). 

After deciding on sound, we drew up our first blueprint for how the device would work. 

We needed to build/get…

1. A Receiver (A Sound Source): Using a wine glass and a spoon, we could make a sound that is loud enough to hear and quick enough to create fast successions of sounds (so that the sound equivalent of dashes and dots could be achieved). The sound source is the receiver as it is what the person who is receiving the message is listening to, to decode what is being said. 

2. A Transmitter (Turning Mechanism): We needed a way to get the spoon to hit the wine glass, all while the person who is making the spoon hit the glass is at distance from the person listening to the sounds. By putting the spoon through a wooden dowel (which is drilled atop a wooden block for stability and secured using washers), and moving the spoon by using twine and pulling it back and forth, the hope is the one will be able to move the spoon at a rhythmic rate without being close to it.

[technologycraft-blog]

Step One: Finding Inspiration

The telegraph is essentially the “one-hit wonder” of communication technology. With strong beginnings as a device that completely changed the game in how we could transmit information from Point A to Point B, the telegraph went on to become nearly obsolete — all within the same century. The telegraph simply couldn’t hold a candle to the efficiency, ease, and excitement that came with the invention of the telephone in 1876. 

An image of a standard telegraph. The details surrounding who invented the telegraph and when are blurry. However, there is a general consensus that the telegraph as we know it was invented in the early 1830s. 

However, despite all the inconveniences that lead to the demise of the machine, there is something to be said about the no-bells-or-whistles approach to the design of the telegraph. Fundamentally, the telegraph can be broken down into two main components: a transmitter and receiver. As long as what we designed had these two components, a low-tech version of the telegraph could be made. 

And with this in mind, we began to plan how we would build our low-tech version of the telegraph.