The Solar Oracle Walkman: Difference between revisions
(Created page with "== The Solar Mini Disc Walkmen mini residency of Shih Wei-chieh (Taipei, Taiwan) - 1. August - 5. September 2025 == 250px|thumb|right|Abao with amazing haircut. Stylist: Veli Silver. === Abstract === During this 3 weeks micro residency, a rapid prototype of a “mini solar disc player” that converts a handmade DSSC into music has been developed and researched after the [https://www.hackteria.org/wiki/Abao_KUBU_residency previous project to...") |
mNo edit summary |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
= Abstract = | |||
During this 3 weeks micro residency, a rapid prototype of a “mini solar disc player” that converts a handmade DSSC into music has been developed and researched after the [https://www.hackteria.org/wiki/Abao_KUBU_residency previous project to combine DSSC and starvation synth]. A concept of "the finger print of the solar cell" is invented; by employing the unique I-V curves of different handmade and graphical solar glass as musical notation, the finger print allows the system to transform photovoltaic characteristics into reproducible and generative music. Electronically a I-V curve tester works as a self-powered mini disc Walkman, a 6x6 cm solar mini disc can be put in and export the relative audio results. This research can be seen as the artistic and sculptural development of a conceptual generative music album in physical form, and as the beginning of an fictional exploration into whether photovoltaic energy could—or should—be traceable in the future. | During this 3 weeks micro residency, a rapid prototype of a “mini solar disc player” that converts a handmade DSSC into music has been developed and researched after the [https://www.hackteria.org/wiki/Abao_KUBU_residency previous project to combine DSSC and starvation synth]. A concept of "the finger print of the solar cell" is invented; by employing the unique I-V curves of different handmade and graphical solar glass as musical notation, the finger print allows the system to transform photovoltaic characteristics into reproducible and generative music. Electronically a I-V curve tester works as a self-powered mini disc Walkman, a 6x6 cm solar mini disc can be put in and export the relative audio results. This research can be seen as the artistic and sculptural development of a conceptual generative music album in physical form, and as the beginning of an fictional exploration into whether photovoltaic energy could—or should—be traceable in the future. | ||
| Line 11: | Line 9: | ||
</gallery> | </gallery> | ||
= The generative capacity and reproducibility of each solar disc = | |||
The audio output of each "solar disc" are expected to be reproducible, generative and variational, like a period of generative music with clear mechanism rather than completely randomness. To make each solar glass a generative device, I firstly assume I need to design a hash operation to gain a “finger print (F)” for each solar glass; A hash operation is the process of feeding input data—such as numbers, text, files, or a set of I-V curve parameters—into a mathematical function or algorithm to produce a hash value. Hash algorithms can take input of any length but always generate a fixed-length output. They are designed to be fast to compute, yield the same output for the same input, and produce drastically different outputs when the input changes even slightly. | The audio output of each "solar disc" are expected to be reproducible, generative and variational, like a period of generative music with clear mechanism rather than completely randomness. To make each solar glass a generative device, I firstly assume I need to design a hash operation to gain a “finger print (F)” for each solar glass; A hash operation is the process of feeding input data—such as numbers, text, files, or a set of I-V curve parameters—into a mathematical function or algorithm to produce a hash value. Hash algorithms can take input of any length but always generate a fixed-length output. They are designed to be fast to compute, yield the same output for the same input, and produce drastically different outputs when the input changes even slightly. | ||
As we know I-V curve is often used to analysis the characteristics of a solar cell, therefore it is ideally the finger print of the panel. In this research, the shape of I-V curve is deconstructed into to 7 features that are often used to measure different characteristics of the panel, and then apply machine learning to each feature so the shape can be learned by the computer. This method is expected to ensures the irradiance invariance, so the reproducibility of the audio output of the solar disc will be resilient even it's put under different light exposure. The finger prints F consists 7 features of the I-V curve: F = [FF (Fill Factor), Vmpp/Voc, Impp/Isc, Rs (series resistance), Rsh (shunting resistance), sum of curvature, total area of the I-I-V curve]. Noticing the calculation made here are dimensionless. A dimensionless feature vector is a set of numerical descriptors that have been normalized so they no longer carry physical units such as volts, amperes, or ohms. By converting raw measurements into dimensionless quantities—for example, by taking ratios like Vmpp/Voc or Impp/Isc, the features capture only the relative shape or behavior of the data, independent of its absolute scale. This process is crucial when comparing or classifying I-V curves under varying light intensities, as it ensures that differences in the vector reflect intrinsic device characteristics rather than changes in measurement conditions. | As we know I-V curve is often used to analysis the characteristics of a solar cell, therefore it is ideally the finger print of the panel. In this research, the shape of I-V curve is deconstructed into to 7 features that are often used to measure different characteristics of the panel, and then apply machine learning to each feature so the shape can be learned by the computer. This method is expected to ensures the irradiance invariance, so the reproducibility of the audio output of the solar disc will be resilient even it's put under different light exposure. The finger prints F consists 7 features of the I-V curve: F = [FF (Fill Factor), Vmpp/Voc, Impp/Isc, Rs (series resistance), Rsh (shunting resistance), sum of curvature, total area of the I-I-V curve]. Noticing the calculation made here are dimensionless. A dimensionless feature vector is a set of numerical descriptors that have been normalized so they no longer carry physical units such as volts, amperes, or ohms. By converting raw measurements into dimensionless quantities—for example, by taking ratios like Vmpp/Voc or Impp/Isc, the features capture only the relative shape or behavior of the data, independent of its absolute scale. This process is crucial when comparing or classifying I-V curves under varying light intensities, as it ensures that differences in the vector reflect intrinsic device characteristics rather than changes in measurement conditions. | ||
=Sound mapping= | |||
The finger print F is also useful in the work of sound mapping. In this case, RAVE (real-time audio variational auto-encoder) is used as the sound engine, with the 7 values of the finger prints connected to the latent space of the nn~ object in Max/MSP. There are two reasons for doing so, one is the light-weight computing of the machine learning tools in Max/MSP and javascript. The second reason is RAVE can provide high fidelity sound output in real-time. Since the finger print F is extracted from the I-V curve of the handmade DSSC with uneven qualities, the sound features is a true reflection of the property of the handmade DSSC and therefore is expected to provide interesting sound output. | The finger print F is also useful in the work of sound mapping. In this case, RAVE (real-time audio variational auto-encoder) is used as the sound engine, with the 7 values of the finger prints connected to the latent space of the nn~ object in Max/MSP. There are two reasons for doing so, one is the light-weight computing of the machine learning tools in Max/MSP and javascript. The second reason is RAVE can provide high fidelity sound output in real-time. Since the finger print F is extracted from the I-V curve of the handmade DSSC with uneven qualities, the sound features is a true reflection of the property of the handmade DSSC and therefore is expected to provide interesting sound output. | ||
=References= | |||
#https://www.hackster.io/news/a-starvation-synth-made-with-diy-solar-cells-46e79c82b005 | #https://www.hackster.io/news/a-starvation-synth-made-with-diy-solar-cells-46e79c82b005 | ||
#https://www.hackteria.org/wiki/A_RAVE_and_starvation_synth_based_generative_sonic_device_powered_by_dye_sensitized_solar_cell | #https://www.hackteria.org/wiki/A_RAVE_and_starvation_synth_based_generative_sonic_device_powered_by_dye_sensitized_solar_cell | ||
Revision as of 11:25, 15 August 2025
Abstract
During this 3 weeks micro residency, a rapid prototype of a “mini solar disc player” that converts a handmade DSSC into music has been developed and researched after the previous project to combine DSSC and starvation synth. A concept of "the finger print of the solar cell" is invented; by employing the unique I-V curves of different handmade and graphical solar glass as musical notation, the finger print allows the system to transform photovoltaic characteristics into reproducible and generative music. Electronically a I-V curve tester works as a self-powered mini disc Walkman, a 6x6 cm solar mini disc can be put in and export the relative audio results. This research can be seen as the artistic and sculptural development of a conceptual generative music album in physical form, and as the beginning of an fictional exploration into whether photovoltaic energy could—or should—be traceable in the future.
-
The DIY I-V tester made by Marc Dusseiller.
-
The measurement of the I-V curve tester is uploaded to Thingspeak and a local server, and can be fetched in Max/MSP.
-
DIY DSSC with screen printed pattern and hollyhock dye made by Shih Wei Chieh.
-
DIY DSSC with cyanotype pattern made by Shih Wei Chieh.
The generative capacity and reproducibility of each solar disc
The audio output of each "solar disc" are expected to be reproducible, generative and variational, like a period of generative music with clear mechanism rather than completely randomness. To make each solar glass a generative device, I firstly assume I need to design a hash operation to gain a “finger print (F)” for each solar glass; A hash operation is the process of feeding input data—such as numbers, text, files, or a set of I-V curve parameters—into a mathematical function or algorithm to produce a hash value. Hash algorithms can take input of any length but always generate a fixed-length output. They are designed to be fast to compute, yield the same output for the same input, and produce drastically different outputs when the input changes even slightly.
As we know I-V curve is often used to analysis the characteristics of a solar cell, therefore it is ideally the finger print of the panel. In this research, the shape of I-V curve is deconstructed into to 7 features that are often used to measure different characteristics of the panel, and then apply machine learning to each feature so the shape can be learned by the computer. This method is expected to ensures the irradiance invariance, so the reproducibility of the audio output of the solar disc will be resilient even it's put under different light exposure. The finger prints F consists 7 features of the I-V curve: F = [FF (Fill Factor), Vmpp/Voc, Impp/Isc, Rs (series resistance), Rsh (shunting resistance), sum of curvature, total area of the I-I-V curve]. Noticing the calculation made here are dimensionless. A dimensionless feature vector is a set of numerical descriptors that have been normalized so they no longer carry physical units such as volts, amperes, or ohms. By converting raw measurements into dimensionless quantities—for example, by taking ratios like Vmpp/Voc or Impp/Isc, the features capture only the relative shape or behavior of the data, independent of its absolute scale. This process is crucial when comparing or classifying I-V curves under varying light intensities, as it ensures that differences in the vector reflect intrinsic device characteristics rather than changes in measurement conditions.
Sound mapping
The finger print F is also useful in the work of sound mapping. In this case, RAVE (real-time audio variational auto-encoder) is used as the sound engine, with the 7 values of the finger prints connected to the latent space of the nn~ object in Max/MSP. There are two reasons for doing so, one is the light-weight computing of the machine learning tools in Max/MSP and javascript. The second reason is RAVE can provide high fidelity sound output in real-time. Since the finger print F is extracted from the I-V curve of the handmade DSSC with uneven qualities, the sound features is a true reflection of the property of the handmade DSSC and therefore is expected to provide interesting sound output.