Serial Time…

Although I’m very excited to begin pouring over old cinema patents, arrayed light sensors, pulling together laser patterns, and re-mixing old film (Encyclopedia Britannica shot above)… this week’s post will be short because I’ve got some exhibit installation tomorrow (yeh!) and am still in production.
Lab videos/Questions:
The first lab seemed to go fine. Conceptually, I can follow the code and wiring:
My questions arise from the second lab and the multiple serial inputs. Here was where I began to get strange readings based on which ‘windows’ were open. For example, if it was just showing me the reading from Processing with println(), things were fine… a replication of the lab directions.
But the moment I popped open the serial monitor window from Arduino with the Processing window, my values and what was being read as a non-null sensor spiked all over the place. Instead of sensor 1-3 with appropriate analog, analog, digital numbers, it’d give me crazy (8-digit) error numbers. Is this the electrical chaos we should see as they fight over the serial port?
Aside these little battles and crazy readings, the lab itself- using sensors to dictate object movement- was fine. (Although, I can’t quite hold down a button, move two potentiometers, and take very, very bad iphone video.)
I’ll post a bit more Processsing play and program control Friday, as well as, experiments in analog audio. . . once I’m done with exhibit craziness and can return to/concentrate on ITP