TOWARDS A PROGRAMMABLE
TRANSMISSION ARTS PLATFORM
Brett Ian Balogh
The device illustrated is a programmable low-power FM transmitter platform
designed for ease-of-use and flexibility in the hands of artists wishing to
incorporate transmission into their practices.
The prototype requires a computer with a USB port and an audio line out. Connect
the transmitter to the computer, start the keypad tuner application, and you’re on the
air! The transmitter operates at a maximum of 2mW, yielding variable transmission
distances of approximately sixty feet indoors with a ¼ wave antenna and in excess
of one hundred feet outdoors with a vertical dipole.
The current platform consists of three main modules: The first module is a low-power
FM transmitter that is programmable/tunable via a I2C protocol. This module receives
commands via this protocol from the second module, an Arduino board, an open-
source electronics platform used extensively in new media art. The Arduino is then
able to communicate with an application running on a host computer via a third
USB-serial module. Audio for transmission is supplied via a standard mini jack that
plugs into the computer’s headphone output. The interface to the transmitter thus
far is a keypad tuner application that runs on the host computer, allowing a user
to directly tune the transmitter by entering the desired frequency. This application
is currently written in Max/MSP, a graphical programming language for sound and
music; Tuttavia, a custom interface could be written in any language that supports
serial communications over USB, such as Pure Data or Processing.
The use of these cross-platform, open-source programming environments permits
use of the transmitter with Windows, Mac OSX or Linux platforms. The proto-
type is basic in terms of functionality, but the possibilities are numerous given the
programmable nature of the platform. For instance, it is possible that the Arduino
control more than one transmitter simultaneously, allowing the transmission of
multiple audio streams to an array of FM receivers for a portable, wireless, spatial-
ized sound diffusion system. One could also write applications where transmission
frequencies are dynamically determined, allowing one transmitter to address multiple
receivers. The hardware is extensible as well, with possibilities of creating snap-on
50 PAJ 93 (2009), pag. 50–52.
© 2009 Brett Ian Balogh
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BALOGH / Towards a Programmable Transmission Arts Platform 51
modules that would extend functionality, such as an integrated FM receiver for
two-way communication, sensor interface for collecting data, a solar power module
for outdoor installation, and a wireless data link for remote control, among many
other possibilities.
BRETT IAN BALOGH is a Chicago-based artist working at the inter-
section of objects, sounds, and spaces. His work involves the creation of
instruments, systems, and environments that posit alternate relationships
between ourselves and the world we inhabit. More information about the
transmission art platform project is at www.brettbalogh.com
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52 PAJ 93