What is Arduino?
Arduino is a coding platform that interfaces with small circuit boards to create small projects. Arduino is a cheap option for anyone who wants to experiment with coding and technology. In Big Idea we use it in conjunction with a breadboard to create simple circuits to practice coding and wiring. We will be using it to learn about coding and experiment with it.
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Project 1 Series Circut |
Project 1 Parallel Circut |
The first project was to build a series circuit. I created this to start to understand how circuits work. A series circuit is a circuit that works like a continuous loop. If the loop is disrupted it shuts down. This circuit has an LED and 2 buttons. because everything is in series, the light only turns on when both buttons are pressed.
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After the series circuit, I built a parallel circuit. This circuit has two "loops" which means that when only one button is pressed the light turns on because the current goes through the other path.
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Project 2 Spaceship Interface
Project 3 Love-O-Meter
Project 4 Color Mixing Lamp
Project 5 Mood Cue
Project 6 Light Theremin
Project 7 Keyboard Instrument
The keyboard instrument was a challenge. I managed to get the code correct and double checked it but it still didn't work. The breadboard was all set up correctly but for some reason the project did not want to work. I believe that the connections between the buttons and the breadboard were faulty. whatever the reason I could only get a small squeak from the Piezo every once in a while.
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Project 8 Digital Hourglass
The digital hourglass worked remarkably well. All four lights lit up in succession. I had to change the time interval for the lights because I didn't have time to wait a full hour for them all to turn on. I also noticed that there was a slightly longer time between the 2nd and 3rd lights turning on and I realized that it must have been because I didn't use the fourth pin on the Arduino board because it had a bit of wire stuck in it since I got it that I had not been able to remove. Because the fourth pin wasn't used, the Arduino assumed that their should have been a light there but there wasn't hence the delay. It was just another interesting thing I have learned on my journey through Arduino.
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Project 9 Motorized Pinwheel
The Motorized pinwheel had no issues. It worked as smoothly as can be expected and it was one of the simpler projects on this list. I did have a slight hiccup with the 9V battery however because I didn't ensure that my only battery was charged. I am a little ashamed to admit that it took way longer than it should have to find a new battery and fix the problem.
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Project 10 Zoetrope
The Zoetrope is an interesting device that uses and series of small spinning images to create a movie-like projection. It was one of the more challenging projects because it had so many interconnected systems. I didn't have much of a problem with it. I also learned how to make a button function like a light switch which will aid me in my final project.
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Project 11 Crystal Ball
The Crystal Ball was a good lesson in LCD screens. The operation of it is quite simple yet it was still challenging to pull off. It is very hard to keep track of all 16 of the pins on the display and if you misplace a wire it can cause the entire project to fail. This was the most complicated component I have ever used. It challenged me to think in new ways about how the code works.
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Project 12 Knock Lock
Project 13 Touchy Feely Lamp
I found this experiment fascinating. The code and wiring was simple but to be able to detect a charge when you place your skin on the tin foil is remarkable. I found myself messing with it for a while just because it was fun. It was a button that didn't really exist. I wonder what else would be detected?
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Summary
I found out that coding is a lot harder than I thought. It is really challenging to work on and it requires patience and dedication to get something right. I have coded before but nothing like this. I have coded in Vex but usually if you need instructions or can't remember a line of code you can look up. Arduino feels different. You have to know what you are doing. there is no copying and pasting code. You are alone. As I look to transition to the Arduino code for my final project I am a little intimidated at the task ahead. It will be a hard, time-consuming process but with enough willpower I can get it done. How hard could it be?
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