Project Risks and Mitigation
As the system moves into deeper hardware integration, a primary risk is instability arising from real-time interaction between software playback logic and physical hardware. While individual software and hardware components function correctly in isolation, integration can expose timing mismatches, communication errors, or inconsistent behavior during live playback. This risk is being addressed through extensive debugging and repeated end-to-end testing using the fully integrated 13-key hardware setup.
Another key risk is inaccurate or inconsistent hardware response during real-world use, particularly related to LED triggering and key press detection thresholds. Variability in sensor readings or environmental factors could lead to incorrect guidance or missed inputs. This is being mitigated by testing the system on an actual keyboard and tuning activation thresholds based on observed behavior, rather than relying solely on simulated or theoretical values.
A further risk is that new software features introduced during integration—such as additional playback sound options and enhanced playback controls—could introduce unintended side effects or regressions. To manage this risk, each new feature is tested alongside hardware playback to ensure it does not interfere with timing, visualization, or LED output.
Design Changes
This week did not introduce major architectural changes, but several implementation-level refinements were made to support full system integration and testing. Software logic was adjusted to better handle real-time hardware communication and improve robustness during playback.
In addition, new user-facing software features were added, including support for multiple playback sound options and a fully functional sliding playback bar. These changes improve usability and user control while preserving the existing event-driven playback architecture.
The overall design continues to emphasize modularity, allowing hardware integration issues to be debugged without impacting the core conversion or visualization pipelines.
Schedule Update
The project remains on schedule. Full integration of 13 keys represents a significant milestone, and the team is now focused on stabilizing the system through debugging and validation. Progress aligns with the planned transition from integration into broader system validation.
Validation Plan
Validation this week focused on early system-level testing enabled by full software–hardware integration. The team conducted repeated end-to-end tests to ensure that software-generated musical events correctly drive LED output and playback on the physical keyboard.
Testing included verifying key activation thresholds, observing LED behavior during real playback, and confirming that timing remains consistent across different playback scenarios. These tests helped identify integration issues that were not visible in software-only testing and guided subsequent fixes.
Additional validation work confirmed that new playback features—such as sound selection and the sliding playback bar—function correctly during live hardware playback.
Demonstrated Progress
This week marked a major step forward in system maturity, with successful integration and testing of 13 hardware keys connected to the full software pipeline. The system was tested on an actual keyboard, demonstrating that LumiKey can operate under real-world conditions rather than controlled demo setups.
Through extensive debugging and testing, the team improved system stability and usability while adding new playback features. This progress positions the project well for continued validation and final demonstrations, with a functioning end-to-end system that reflects real user interaction.