Counting to a Billion by Che-Wei Wang

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By Marc de Vinck
Posted 2009/05/06 @ 10:06 am
Category Arduino, Art & Design, Electronics

I really like Counting to a Billion by Che-Wei Wang. It uses an Arduino and a speech module to count up to 1 billion, and then it stops. The real question is, how long will it take? Will it even make it? I’m not sure, but it’s a cool experiment.

Counting to a Billion is a device created to fulfill the desire to count. The electronics consists of a microcontroller, a speech module, and a speaker powered by a rechargeable battery. There is no/off switch. The voice begins counting at one, two, three and continues counting up until it reaches one billion at which point in time it will stop.

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12 Responses to Counting to a Billion by Che-Wei Wang

Mig on May 8th, 2009 at 1:42 am said:

…is it up to now?

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- Marc de Vinck on May 8th, 2009 at 9:56 am said:
  
  That’s a good question. I’ll try and find out.
  
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Fingers and Toes on May 8th, 2009 at 1:56 am said:

By my quick-and-dirty estimates, given that it took 17 seconds to pronounce about 30 syllables, it’ll finish off in 375-ish years.

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Alex on May 8th, 2009 at 3:02 am said:

If robots could get bored, this would be the most suicidle robot in the world!

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ehrichweiss on May 8th, 2009 at 7:47 am said:

“continues counting up until it reaches one billion at which point in time it will stop.”

Did anyone read the last part of that sentence as “at which point, time will stop”?

Silly counting thingies…also time machines.

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- Marc de Vinck on May 8th, 2009 at 10:00 am said:
  
  “so 2000′s” too funny!
  
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hurf durf on May 8th, 2009 at 7:55 am said:

Counting to a billion is so 2000s. He needs to count to a trillion at LEAST. Keep up with the times, slowpoke!

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Gilberti on May 8th, 2009 at 9:49 am said:

Who wants to bet the speaker gives out before it makes it to a billion?

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- Marc de Vinck on May 8th, 2009 at 10:04 am said:
  
  My guess is after 1-200 years someone forgets to change the battery! I can barely remember to feed my fish!
  
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Kdog on May 8th, 2009 at 9:58 am said:

Next project on his list: making a soundproof box to contain a robot counting to 1 billion….

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GaryG on May 9th, 2009 at 2:32 am said:

…when it reaches a billion will the stars start going out?

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T.C. on June 18th, 2009 at 9:11 am said:

well this will take a really long time to find out if it works
i figure that if it takes 1 sec (average prob more) to say each number that is almost 32 years of counting. im sorry i dont think my ADD will let me follow this story that long.
the math
1,000,000,000 / 60 secs in a min

16666666.666666666666666666666667 / 60 mins in an hour

277777.77777777777777777777777778 / 24 hours in a day

11574.074074074074074074074074074 / 365 days in a year

31.709791983764586504312531709792 years to complete

just something to think about
i like the idea though
T.C.

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