An Arduino is a microcontroller, which is a computer system on a chip that does a job. It contains an integrated processor, a small amount of memory, and programmable input/output devices, which are used to interact with things connected to the chip.

Microcontrollers can be program devices to sense temperature, detect motion, use sonar, control motors, and much more.

Components are connected to an Arduino. To the right is an example of a motion sensor (input) and an LED (output) connected to an Arduino.

The Arduino is then connected to a computer and programmed on Arduino IDE. There is also a web version of the Arduino IDE.

Output

• Control the built-in LED on an Arduino (Digital – ON/OFF)

• Control an external LED (Digital – ON/OFF)

• Control the brightness of an LED (Analog – range of values)

• Control a servomotor (Analog – range of values.)

Input & Output

• Control an LED with a button

• Control a servomotor with a button

• Control an LED with a motion sensor

• Control a servomotor with a motion sensor

• Control an LED with a potentiometer

• Control a servomotor with a potentiometer

Challenges:

1. Make your LED Blink 3 times fast, pause for 4 seconds, and repeat

2. Make your LED turn on for 3 seconds, turn off for 1 second, and repeat

Challenges:

1. Make an external LED blink SOS in morse code. 1 second on represents a dot. 3 seconds on represent a dash. Add a 1 second delay between each dot or dash within the same letter. Add a 3 second delay between each letter.

2. Make an external LED blink a 5 letter word in morse code.

3. Make two LEDs blink alternately on and off. LED on for 1 second, off for 1 second, and repeat. As LED 1 is on, LED 2 is off and the other way around. [Circuit]

Challenges:

1. Using a repeat block, make an external LED blink 10 times, remain on for 10 seconds, and then repeat.

2. Create a circuit with two LEDs. Using repeat blocks, make the two LEDs alternately blink 10 times and then repeat.

Challenges:

1. Make an LED increase in brightness in increments of 50 from 0 to 250 then decrease in brightness in increments of 50 from 0 to 250. Set a delay of 2 seconds for each change in brightness.

2. Create a circuit with 2 LEDs. Make the 2 LEDs increase and decrease in brightness alternately using the criteria above. As LED1 is increasing in brightness, LED2 should be decreasing in brightness, then as LED1 decreases in brightness, LED2 should be increasing in brightness. Each change in brightness should be in increments of 50 from 0 to 250 and 0 to 250. Set a delay of 2 seconds for each change in brightness.

Challenge:

1. Make a servo motor pan from 80 to 100 and 100 to 80 in increments of 5.

Challenges:

1. Make a circuit with 2 buttons and 2 LEDs. Assign each button to an LED.

When button 1 is held down, LED1 should turn ON

When button 2 is held down, LED2 should turn ON

When neither buttons are held, both LEDs are OFF

2. Make a circuit with 5 buttons and 1 LED. Assign each button to turn on the LED at a specific brightness.

If button 1 is held, the LED brightness = 50

If button 2 is held, the LED brightness = 100

If button 3 is held, the LED brightness = 150

If button 4 is held, the LED brightness = 200

If button 5 is held, the LED brightness = 250

If button no buttons are pressed, the LED is off

Challenges:

1. Make a circuit with 1 button and 1 servo. When the button is held down, set the servo to 180. When the button is not pressed, set the servo to 0.

2. Make a circuit with 5 buttons and 1 servo. Assign each button to specific servo positions.

When button 1 is pressed, set the servo position to 0 When button 2 is pressed, set the servo position to 45

When button 3 is pressed, set the servo position to 90 When button 4 is pressed, set the servo position to 135

When button 5 is pressed, set the servo position to 180

Challenge:

1. Make a circuit with 1 PIR sensor and 1 LED. Make the LED blink SOS in morse code when the PIR senses movement. The LED is OFF when there is no movement.

Challenge:

1. Make a circuit with 1 PIR sensor and 1 servo motor. Set the servo to move back and forth from 0 to 180 and 180 to 0, and loop when the PIR senses movement. Set the servo position back to 0 when there is no movement.

Challenge:

1. Make a circuit with 3 potentiometers and 3 LEDs. Assign each potentiometer to an LED and make each potentiometer control the brightness of its assigned LED. Each of the potentiometers should control each of the LEDs’ brightness from 0-255.

Challenge:

1. Make a circuit with 3 potentiometers and 3 servo motors. Assign each potentiometer to a servo motor and make each potentiometer control the position of its assigned motor. Each of the potentiometers should control each of the servo motors’ position from 0-180.

Building TinkerCAD circuits in real life. Below is a 2 minute video on how to transfer a TinkerCAD circuit to a an Arduino.