arduino introduction guide 1
TRANSCRIPT
ARDUINOGuide created by an awesome Grade 9 girl
Arduino■Arduino is an open-source electronics platform
with easy to use software and hardware. The boards are able to read inputs and turn it into an output.
■The kits usually come with a book that starts you off with some simple projects that allows you to get used to how it works and to begin to understand circuits.
■It also has an app that allows the user to code programs in Java that can be uploaded to the Arduino Board and run.
Setting Up Arduino■Download Arduino
from the website, and install.
■Connect your Arduino board to your computer via USB cable. The green light labelled ’ON’ will turn on.
■Make sure that you configure your Arduino board - otherwise it will not register your code.
Basic Functions of AppVerify
Upload
New
Open
Save
Kit Parts■ Arduino Uno■ Battery Snap■ Breadboard■ Capacitors■ DC motor■ Diode■ Gels (red, green,
blue)■ H-bridge■ Jumper wires■ LEDs■ LCD
■ Male header pins■ Optocoupler■ Piezo■ Photoresistor■ Potentiometer■ Pushbuttons■ Resistors■ Servo Motor■ Temperature sensor■ Tilt sensor■ Transistor■ USB Cable
Breadboard & Arduino Duo■The breadboard is where
you build your circuit. Any mistakes can have huge effects on how it functions.
■The most important thing to do first, is to make sure that the negative (black/ground) and positive (red/power) leads are plugged in properly and in the right place.
Resistor’s■They resist the flow
of electrical energy in a circuit, changing the voltage and current as a result.
■Resistor values are marked using coloured bands, and each colour corresponds to a number.
LED’s■Light Emitting Diodes
(LEDs) are a type of diode that illuminates when electricity passes through it.
■Electricity only flows in one direction.
■The anode connects to power while the cathode connects to ground.
The longer leg is called the Anode (+)
The shorter leg is called the Cathode (-)
Circuits Pt. 1■ When using an Arduino, it becomes clear very quickly that
having a basic understanding of a circuit is useful.■ Circuits are closed loops of wire with a power source, and
something to do with the power.■ In a circuit, electricity flows from a point of higher potential
energy (power or +) to a point of lower potential energy (Ground/GND or - ).
■ Circuit Measurements;Current is the amount of electrical charge at a specific
point during the circuit and is measured in Amps/Amperes.
Voltage is the difference of energy between one point in a circuit and another and is measured in volts.
Resistance, which is measured in Ohms (Ω), is how much a component resists the flow of electrical energy.
Circuits Pt. 2■ There needs to be a complete path from the energy source
(Power) to the point of least energy (Ground) to make a circuit. If this is not done properly the circuit will not work.
■ There are two types of circuits;Series Circuit:A series circuit is a circuit in which resistors are
arranged in a chain, so the current has only one path to take. The current is the same through each resistor.
Parallel Circuit:A parallel circuit has two or more paths for current to
flow through. Voltage is the same across each component of the parallel circuit.
Basic Circuits & Programming
Example – Spaceship Interface■ The Spaceship
Interface is the first proper Arduino Project, and also happens to be the easiest in my opinion.
■ You make a control panel with a switch and lights that turn on/change when the switch is pressed.
■ As you can see in the code, input only has two states– commonly referred to HIGH (voltage) and LOW (no voltage).
Example – Keyboard Instrument ■ This project allows the
user to hook up a number of switches that produce a number of different tones depending on what you put in.
■ However, not only do you create a ‘Keyboard Instrument’, you also construct a resistor ladder.
■ Unfortunately, I did not get a photo of this project.
Example – Motorised Pinwheel■ In this project, the Arduino
is programmed to spin a colourful pinwheel using a motor.
■ One of the bigger parts of this project is understanding that controlling motors are much harder than controlling LEDs no matter what the code looks like.
■ If/When you complete this task for yourself, make sure that you have a tight hold of the motor as it is quite powerful and is hard to control if you are unprepared for it.
Arduino – Reflection Pt. 1■ I have found Arduino to be a fun unit with little restrictions. I have a
much better understanding of circuits and how they function. My understanding of code has also improved even though I could have focused on it more. I should have spent more time playing around with the kit in general as I wish that I had done more.
■ I really enjoyed how I was given the choice as to which projects I got to do instead of working systematically through them as the first few were quite boring from the look of it.
■ If I had more time I would most likely have spent more time on how the programming actually works and would have gone onto the internet to find more interesting projects that I could do with the Arduino kit. I also would have liked to see if I could change the speed of the motor with the spinning pinwheel as it was very fast and hard to keep a hold of.
■ As a side note: I would have loved to find a way to organise my Arduino Kit better as there is a box with almost everything in it all jumbled up and hard to find when attempting to find the smaller components.
Arduino – Reflection Pt. 2■ Being able to use the Arduino Kit gave me a glimpse at
what I could do in the future with IT. I found that I do enjoy doing hardware, however I would like to have a further look in to software as I feel as if I haven’t given it a proper go at all.
■ I have found that this experience has encouraged me to continue in IT and that I would like to see where this takes me in the future.
■ The best thing about this unit was the fact that there was not a formal Criteria for it and that I could focus on having fun instead of my writing.