LEDs in Parallel LEDs can be used to light objects or to alert the user about the operating conditions of a device. Light-emitting diodes are easy to use and they come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, as shown in Figure 4-1. The Arduino has a dedicated tiny LED wired to pin D13. By uploading the… Continue reading Introduction
Category: Arduino Projects
Circuit Theory
A tilt control switch is an electrical device used to detect orientation. Like using a mini pushbutton and a light detector, a tilt control switch is another way to interact with and control the Arduino. The tilt control switch is a pair of small metal balls that make contact with pins and close the circuit… Continue reading Circuit Theory
A Simple Animatronic Controller Using the Serial Monitor
Tilt control switching can be used in a variety of human machine control and physical computing applications. In the theater, electromechanical puppets are often controlled using electronic sensors and servo motors. The tilt control switch project you built can be used as a simple animatronic controller. Example 3-2 shows an improved Arduino sketch that limits the servo motor rotation… Continue reading A Simple Animatronic Controller Using the Serial Monitor
Upload the Tilt Sensor Sketch
With the Tilt Sensing Servo Motor Controller circuit built on the full-size clear breadboard, it’s time to upload the sketch: TROUBLESHOOTING TIP Rotate the tilt control switch slowly and smoothly to get the best response from the servo motor. Example 3-1. Tilt Control Switch sketch
Let’s Build a Tilt Sensing Servo Motor Controller
You can control a servo motor’s rotation direction through orientation detection using a tilt control switch. In this project, you will build a Tilt Sensing Servo Motor Controller. Refer to the Parts List for all the electronic components required for this project. Here are the steps used to build the electronic device: Figure 3-2. Servo motor with mechanical… Continue reading Let’s Build a Tilt Sensing Servo Motor Controller
Parts List
Figure 3-1. Tilt Sensing Servo Motor Controller built on a full-size clear breadboard
Introduction
Sensors allow people to operate consumer and industrial products using physical stimuli such as touch, sound, and motion. You controlled two LEDs with the wave of your hand; the light-activated switch used a photocell to detect the presence of your hand over the sensor. In this chapter, we’ll build a gadget to easily detect object… Continue reading Introduction
Something to Think About
How can the Serial Monitor display actual light sensor data? Figure 2-7. Sunrise-Sunset Light Switch circuit schematic.
Sunrise-Sunset Detector with Serial Monitor
This project demonstrates the power of electronic sensors to detect physical stimuli such as light, sound, and pressure. With a slight modification to the sketch, messages can scroll across a Serial Monitor. The Arduino IDE has a Serial Monitor for displaying the messages produced by the Arduino. You can access the Serial Monitor by following these two… Continue reading Sunrise-Sunset Detector with Serial Monitor
Circuit Theory
The Sunrise-Sunset Light circuit operates like the Smart Switch, except you don’t have to use a mini pushbutton to start the timing function. The mini pushbutton has instead been replaced with a light sensor called a photocell. A photocell is a variable resistor that changes its resistance based on the amount of light touching its surface. Light… Continue reading Circuit Theory