{"id":1698,"date":"2020-10-27T03:08:29","date_gmt":"2020-10-27T07:08:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/?p=1698"},"modified":"2020-10-29T11:17:11","modified_gmt":"2020-10-29T15:17:11","slug":"singing-toilet-but-make-it-less-obvious","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/courses.ideate.cmu.edu\/48-339\/f2020\/?p=1698","title":{"rendered":"Singing toilet but make it less obvious"},"content":{"rendered":"

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As Jet briefly mentioned in class, in some countries including Korea\/Japan, the “singing toilets” can be commonly found. Even the toilet at my house not only plays music but also it has a speaker and a microphone that connects to the doorbell, so you can answer someone outside the door while you are using the toilet.<\/p>\n

I wondered, why does it play music? why not just a sound? Is it also a way to show the luxury of listening to classical music even while you do your business? I asked around many people, but I couldn’t really get an answer. Therefore, I called the interior consultant who installed this at my home.<\/p>\n

He says it is more of a cultural thing. Not only the calm music lets you concentrate better on your business, but basically, for the toilets that are located in a shared area such as a public bathroom\/my parent’s room, it is considered “rude” to let others hear the sound that your stuff<\/em> makes. Therefore, there’s music to stealth the sound so that you don’t feel embarrassed. It is not always music, too; for example, the Incheon airport toilets have buttons next to them that you press when you use the toilet, and it makes a flush sound — no, it doesn’t flush the toilet, it only makes a flushing sound (you flush your toilet after pressing the flush sound button.<\/p>\n

Therefore, I wondered again. While I use the microphone in the bathroom, classical music doesn’t stop. However, everyone in this building has the same toilet installed, so I was always afraid that the delivery guys can hear the music while I talk. The fact that the music doesn’t stop while talking on the microphone is defeating the whole purpose of that music.<\/p>\n

So I designed a singing toilet module that fulfills all of the purposes.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1pMVpjTm3tO2JzSIfYPkowj36UpNh8F3g\/view?usp=sharing<\/a><\/p>\n

It plays the intro of “Spring” by Vivaldi. (this is where my musical talent came in handy) The full jingle can be played here:<\/p>\n

https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1cWwLkompyNM6D4IXzH8UUfemVE9Hp2lo\/view?usp=sharing<\/a><\/p>\n

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From the left: speaker, photocell resistor, button, and a blue LED<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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While the photocell is blocked (the equivalent of someone sitting on the toilet) the music plays and the blue LED comes on.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Someone presses the doorbell at the door! The music pauses, and the LED turns off as well to alert the person that it is paused.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

+<\/p>\n

What’s up with the LED? Why is it necessary?<\/p>\n