Engineering...Beyond the Classroom

The project was finally a go. I received the Bluetooth Adapter that I needed to start building my own interactive whiteboard. I used Johnny Lee's model and software, which he offers for free to anyone who wants to give this higher tech DIY project a shot.

The Essentials: Hardware

It would be easier to get this going on state-of–the- art machines that GlobalSpec has, as they are cutting edge. But what school has machines like that, and that they'd allow teachers to experiment on? So I decided to try this process on something more realistic for a teacher – an old laptop and some discount hardware you can buy at Wal-Mart.

• The Computer:
• 2002 Dell Inspiron 4150 Notebook
• Intel Pentium 4 Processor
• 1.19 GHz
• 384 MB RAM
• 30 GB Hard Drive
• Windows XP - Service Pack 2

• HP Bluetooth USB Adapter – bt500 ($35)
• My supervisor had the chance to get one for $10, but it was back ordered and wouldn't arrive until two days before my last day. He ended up going with the more expensive model, but it appears either would work.

• A Standard Nintendo Wiimote
• While I could have snagged one at Wal-Mart, I am using one on loan from GlobalSpec. Only the greatest of companies has a Nintendo Wii in-house.

The Essentials: Software

• BlueSoleil – Bluetooth Software
• This software was free of charge, and the link is on Johnny Lee's Wiimote site. I didn't end up using it because my adapter came with its own software that worked for the project.

• Wii Whiteboard v02
• Also free and can be found on Lee's site.

When the Going Gets Tough – The Tough Use Forums

I downloaded the two programs and tried to get going. It took some fumbling, but I managed to get the USB Bluetooth Adapter installed and working properly. However, the Wiimote wasn't turning on. After several minutes of struggling, it was determined the batteries were dead.

Soon enough, though, following the "Read Me" file that was attached with the Whiteboard Software, I was able to push the right buttons in the right order, and the Wiimote was synced with my computer.

All I had to do was open the Whiteboard software and I would be in business. And that is where everything fell apart – at least for the next hour.

When I tried to start the program, it wouldn't initialize and I received the following message, repeatedly: "The application failed to initialize properly (0xc0000135). Click on OK to terminate the application." I tried downloading an older version of the software. I tried downloading it to a different computer. I hopped on a few different forums and found that some people were having the same problems and no solutions really presented beyond using an older version of BlueSoleil, which I wasn't using to begin with.

I combed the "Read Me" file repeatedly and FINALLY stumbled across a potential solution. Johnny Lee stated that his program was tested on Windows XP – Service Pack 2 machine (which I had) with .Net Framework 2.0 (which I didn't know if I had, nor had I ever heard of). I decided, since it was a Microsoft product and was free, to give it a whirl. I downloaded it and installed it. Bingo! When I relaunched Whiteboard v02, it fired right up, located the Wiimote, and even clued me in on how much battery power was left. I had completed the first step: Wiimote and computer were now officially talking.

Next Blog: Getting an I.R. LED Pen and calibrating it to the computer and Wiimote.