I don't know if the tone of your message was supposed to be quite so condescending but unfortunately the way that my project has turned I cannot avoid electronics
Not condescending at all. Here at Electronics Point we get a LOT of "drive by" posters looking for a quick answer to their problem. That isn't what EP is about. This is a
discussion forum for folks with a genuine interest in electronics, whether a rank beginner who knows almost nothing about the subject (that would be you) or an uber-expert who has been around the block so many times they have lost count (that would be me and a bunch more that you will meet if you stick around). And of course there is everything in between. All are welcome to participate here.
The key to participation is a meaningful dialog, a back-and-forth exchange of ideas.
...I would of thought that any body from the 'electronics world' would be excited at the prospect of more people wanting to educate themselves.
Meh. People get excited for many different reasons, most of them irrational. I would
like to "be excited at the prospect of more people wanting to educate themselves" but that's very much a personal decision on their part.
I will encourage someone who shows an interest, perhaps even by mentoring them. Amateur radio operators (Hams) who help other Hams are called Elmers. I try to be an Elmer to people here from time-to-time, if I sense they are willing to put forth some effort on their part. However, this is
NOT an educational forum. Students are responsible for, and are expected to do, their own homework
outside of formal school hours, on their own, in a self-paced environment. Folks who are capable of making that leap of faith... learning just for the sake and sheer joy of learning... often become hobbyists. Many of us here started that way, and many may have added formal education years later. Or not. You can become educated along many paths. Participating in this forum may be one of them.
This comment is useful to the discussion:
My night light is a way for children suffering from bad housing to feel more at home. The piece of paper passing through through the gap would be an ordinary folded piece of paper through a money box like gap. The task of turning the light on from this action is a way of motivating them to use the piece of paper.
Well, okay. But what is the point of "motivating them to use the piece of paper?" How does that make children suffering from bad housing feel more at home? I can see how a night light might be comforting to a small child, but if they already live in bad housing is a night light even going to be affordable and available? Will electricity in bad housing be reliably available?
The
optical interrupter that
@Harald Kapp linked to could easily serve as the paper sensor. Some assembly required to "guide" the folded paper through the slot and past the sensor. Some logic required to ensure the paper is fully inserted in the slot and is later retained by the "money box". Perhaps gravity can be your friend if the slot is oriented horizontally, on a level surface and the folded paper drops down through the slot on its way past the optical interrupter. An Arduino Uno appears to be an ideal complement for use with the optical interrupter. You will also need a
solid-state-relay (SSR) controlled by the Arduino, to turn the night light on and off.
The Arduino requires connection to a personal computer, such as a laptop or desktop PC with a USB port. You then download the Arduino programming environment (free) from the Internet, connect the Arduino Uno to the USB port and write your stand-alone program, called a
sketch in Arduino-speak, using the PC as your program development platform. The program is written in a version of C++ and is compiled on the PC and the executable is then downloaded to the Arduino as a stand-alone program. Once you have it working, the Arduino USB connection can be removed and the Arduino operates as a stand-alone processor, sensing the paper and responding by turning on the night light for whatever interval you have programmed. That's the essence of it. You can add "bells and whistles" later as you become familiar with the Arduino Uno.
Arduinos are lots of fun to work with. Sketches can be trivial and simple or complex and difficult to debug. There are lots of user groups and forums dedicated to all things Arduino. Check them out and then dive right in. Using off-the-shelf components, you should be able to finish your project in a week or two at a cost less than fifty bux.
