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
Let’s Build a Sunrise-Sunset Light Switch
You can build a Sunrise-Sunset Light Switch by modifying the Trick Switch device. The main change you will make is to remove the mini pushbutton and replace it with a photocell. You will also add a green LED to pin D13 of the Arduino. Refer to the Parts List for all the electronic parts required for… Continue reading Let’s Build a Sunrise-Sunset Light Switch
Parts List
Figure 2-1. Sunrise-Sunset Light Switch circuit built on a full-size clear breadboard (the 100 uF electrolytic capacitor and the red and green LED negative pins are wired to ground)
Introduction
Resistor-Capacitor Timing Basics Designing and building new electronic devices is quite easy when you know the secret ingredient to rapid design. The technique is to take an existing electronic device and make a small change to it. For example, the Trick Switch project can easily be changed to a noncontact device by adding a sensor. With… Continue reading Introduction