This week I focused on stabilizing the software–hardware integration and validating the system through extensive real-world testing. With full integration of 13 keys completed, most of the work centered on debugging integration issues, testing the system on an actual keyboard, and making software improvements to enhance playback and usability.
Software and Hardware Integration Debugging
- Debugged software issues related to hardware integration following full integration of 13 keys.
- Identified and resolved errors related to event transmission, timing behavior, and key activation.
- Refined software logic to improve robustness during real-time playback.
- Conducted repeated integration tests to ensure stable communication between the software stack and hardware components.
Physical Keyboard Testing
- Tested the system on an actual keyboard to validate real-world behavior.
- Tuned and verified key activation thresholds to ensure accurate and reliable LED guidance.
- Performed extensive end-to-end testing to confirm that playback, visualization, and hardware output remain synchronized during execution.
- Used real keyboard testing to uncover edge cases not visible in software-only testing.
Software Feature Improvements
- Added support for multiple playback sound options, allowing users to switch between different playback modes.
- Implemented a fully functional sliding video-style playback bar to improve user interaction and playback control.
- Made additional usability-focused software refinements based on testing observations.
New Tools, Knowledge, and Learning Strategies
As the project progressed into full software–hardware integration and real-world testing, it became necessary to learn additional tools and system-level debugging techniques. In particular, I gained hands-on experience debugging real-time interactions between software playback logic and physical hardware, including timing-sensitive LED control and key activation thresholds on an actual keyboard. This required a deeper understanding of how software assumptions translate (or fail to translate) into physical behavior.
I also learned more about diagnosing integration failures across language and system boundaries, especially when tracking down intermittent errors caused by data formatting, timing mismatches, or hardware constraints. Supporting new playback features, such as multiple sound options and a sliding playback bar, further required learning UI-state synchronization techniques and refining event-driven playback logic.
To acquire this knowledge, I primarily relied on informal learning strategies. These included reading documentation and source code, consulting online forum discussions and issue threads related to similar hardware–software integration problems, watching short technical videos for targeted concepts, and using iterative experimentation through testing and debugging. Repeated hands-on testing—especially on the physical keyboard—was a key learning strategy, as it exposed issues that were not apparent in isolated software tests and helped reinforce practical understanding of system behavior.
Schedule
I am currently on schedule. Full 13-key integration and successful real-world testing represent a major milestone, and the system is becoming increasingly stable through continued debugging and refinement.
Deliverables for Next Week
- Continue debugging remaining edge cases in software–hardware integration.
- Expand testing to additional musical inputs and tempos.
- Refine UI behavior and playback controls based on user interaction.
- Begin preparing the system for broader demonstrations and evaluations.