Practice with TinkerCad Circuits: LED and
We began practicing buidling circuits with the help of TinkerCad circuits, which allowed us to create or generate simulations of boards we created, to see if the wires and components were set up right to allow the LED to light. We began learing how to use this software by creating a simple design of a button that triggers the lighting of the LED, we used a resistor, and LED, a 9V battery, and three wires to complete this design. We set the battery up to the side of the breadboard and we put the button in the middle of the board. We put the LED and resistor on the same level, but a distance apart. There was a wire on the level in front of the button to the leg of the resistor and on the other leg of the button, we put a wire to the long leg, or the postive leg of the LED. We put the third wire going from the negative or short leg of the LED to the negative level of the 9V battery. When we ran the simulation, it was sucessful and we were able to get the LED to light up as we pressed the button. We then created a very similar set up, but instead of a button, we used a slide switch. It also worked when we used the simulator. Then, we began working with a potentiameter, a 9V battery, an LED, a slide switch, and 4 wires to make an LED light up with a potentiometer. We created a similar set up to the slide switch and LED, but instead of a resisitor, we included a potentiameter. We placed a wire below the slide switch, the middle leg of the slide switch, to the postive or long leg of the LED. We also added a wire from the furtherest left leg of the slide switch to the middle leg of the potentiometer, and right under that wire, one over, we added another wire from the furthest left leg of the pontentiometer to the bottom positive side of the breadboard. We then added another wire from the positive side of the breadboard to the other postive side of the breadboard. Our final wire went from the short or negative side of the LED to the negative side of the breadboard with the battery connected to this same negative level. This worked when we simulated it for some values we set the potentiometer, but not all values, but we would tinker this design when we build this design on a protoboard.
Creating a Potentiometer:
We began creating the potentiometer with the LED, by getting our materials of a slide switch, a potentiometer, a LED, and two wires. We set the long or positive leg of the LED above the middle leg of the slide switch. We then placed the furthest right leg of the potentiometer under the negative or short leg of the LED. We placed the red wire above the LED and in line with the furthest left leg of the slide switch, and placed the other side of the wire on the highest level of the protoboard. We then used a black wire, which was placed next to the LED and in front of the furthest left leg of the potentiometer, and the other side of the wire being on the highest level of the protoboard. We then taped everything down to prepare to solder all of the pieces down and keep them from sliding out or moving. To solder these pieces, we were told actually to make solder bridges unlike any other time during soldering. We were not able to finish soldering in class, but will be finishing them soon to test them and see the LED light up to the different potentiometer levels without frying.