Meet Ingrid: A library worker and small art project enthusiast from Sandefjord, Norway. Ingrid joined Ohmify to learn electronics and create unique audio projects and is currently working on a project involving triggering sound sequences with LDRs.

Without Ohmify I would have a hard time starting/finishing any project. With nowhere to ask questions and get guidance, I would be quite lost.

Where are you from and what do you do?

I live in Norway, in Sandefjord, not far from Oslo. I work at the local library, and I like to make small art projects.

What was the main reason you joined Ohmify?

Some years ago I experimented on making “speakers” made of materials such as magnets, copper wire, paper, centafoam, clay, plywood, books etc, following instructions found online. I used iPods and a Discman as the source of sound for these speaker objects, which wasn´t optimal in my opinion.

Luckily I came across Ohmify, which made me think that perhaps this would be possible, with help and guidance, even for someone like me with absolutely no previous experience in electronics.

I looked for other options, preferably DIY. The idea of making mp3 players arose. Luckily I came across Ohmify, which made me think that perhaps this would be possible, with help and guidance, even for someone like me with absolutely no previous experience in electronics. At some point I felt that the mp3 player was too difficult as a beginner’s project, first I needed to get more experience with circuits.

Being fascinated and in awe by artist Peter Vogel’s work (Soundwall), and wanting to understand more of it, I had an idea of a new project for myself: To make tone generators or sound sequencers and trigger them by means of LDRs in order to “play” them. And this is my project at the moment. It is not finished, and I suspect it will take a while, but I´m learning a lot from it. And it generates new ideas.

Are there any projects you’ve completed since joining Ohmify that you couldn’t have completed before?

Without Ohmify I would have a hard time starting/finishing any project. With nowhere to ask questions and get guidance, I would be quite lost.

I’m far from being an expert on soldering and using the multimeter, but soldering and measuring voltages are not totally unfamiliar to me either anymore.

I’m starting to get an idea of the basics, and learning the basics is actually what interests me the most: Using the transistor as a switch, voltage dividers, RC-delay, the 555 timer and the 40106, understanding how voltages behave and how you control current in a circuit.

The basic, mysterious stuff.

What is your favorite thing about being a part of Ohmify?

It is nice to know that no question is too basic, you´re allowed to ask “stupid questions”

I do appreciate that if you get stuck (which I do all the time), and have questions (I have thousands!), help is near. It doesn´t take long before someone in the Ohmify community gives you a reply: a tip, a suggestion, the guidance you need to solve your problem.

And, it is nice to know that no question is too basic, you´re allowed to ask “stupid questions”.

What are you currently working on?

I’m working on my audio project Triggering sequences of sound by interacting with LDRs. Videos/sound excerpts are posted in the Project log/Show and Tell section.

New ideas arise as you work on circuits: Solar power is interesting (solar-powered sound objects?), using graphite from pencils as resistors etc. I will probably continue building tone generators and circuits relating to sound as I feel there´s a lot of interesting possibilities to explore.

Developing the object speakers is also something I would be interested in.