Week 6- Journal

Ideation

Tell us about your assignment's idea for this week. Why do you care about this idea? What inspired you? (Please include images or links to sources of inspiration)

I built a smart parking sensor system using Arduino. An ultrasonic sensor measures distance, and if the car is more than 1 meter away, the LED stays green. If the car is within 1 meter, the LED turns blue and the buzzer sounds as a warning.

I chose this idea because I’m passionate about automotive technology, and parking sensors are a practical real-world application. My inspiration came from actual car reverse sensors and projects.

Tool Chain

Which software/machines/materials did you use in the assignment? Why?

Software/Machines/Materials Used

For this assignment, I used Tinkercad to design and simulate my circuit before physical implementation.

Why I Used It

Tinkercad allows me to test the connections, components, and logic virtually, which helps in identifying errors early and saves time and materials before moving to real hardware.

Materials:

breadboard
Buzzer
Arduino Cable
Jumper wires
RGB LED
Ultrasonic Sensor
220 Ohm Resistor

Why I Used Them

Breadboard, jumper wires, switch: for easy circuit assembly and testing.
Buzzer: to provide an audible fire alert.
5V power adaptor: to safely run all components.

Arduino Uno = brain

HC-SR04 = eyes (measuring distance)

Buzzer = mouth (gives sound alert)

Resistors = protect/signal conditioning

Breadboard & Wires = connection platform

Design/Preparation Process

Explain the design and/or preparation process of your assignment. How did you use the tool or software to design and/or prepare your assignment before fabrication/implementation?

TinkerCAD Circuit Video

Code Blocks Explanation

This block-based code uses an ultrasonic distance sensor (trigger pin 6, echo pin 8) to control digital output pins based on distance.

Explanation:

Condition:
If the measured distance ≥ 100 cm
→ Execute the first set of pin commands.
Else
→ execute the second set.

If distance ≥ 100 cm:

Pin 7 → LOW
Pin 5 → LOW
Pin 4 → HIGH
Pin 3 → LOW

Else (distance < 100 cm):

Pin 7 → HIGH
Pin 5 → HIGH
Pin 4 → LOW
Pin 3 → HIGH

🔹 In short: the code makes pins switch states depending on whether an object is farther than 100 cm or closer than 100 cm.

Steps for Tinkercad Simulation

Open Tinkercad → Create a new Circuit.
Add Components:
- Arduino Uno R3
- HC-SR04 Ultrasonic Sensor
- RGB LED (or normal LED if RGB not available)
- Buzzer
- Breadboard
- Jumper wires & resistors (220Ω for LED, ~1kΩ/2kΩ if needed for voltage divider).
Wiring Connections:
- HC-SR04 Ultrasonic Sensor
  - VCC → 5V on Arduino
  - GND → GND on Arduino
  - TRIG → Digital Pin 9
  - ECHO → Digital Pin 10
- RGB LED
  - Common cathode → GND
  - Green pin → Digital Pin 3 (through 220Ω resistor)
  - Blue pin → Digital Pin 4 (through 220Ω resistor)
- Buzzer
  - Positive → Digital Pin 7
  - Negative → GND
Program with Code Blocks:
- Create blocks to:
  - Send trigger pulse to HC-SR04
  - Read echo time → calculate distance
  - If distance > 1m → Green LED ON
  - If distance ≤ 1m → Blue LED ON + Buzzer ON
Run Simulation: Place an object in front of the sensor and check the LED/buzzer response.

Development/Implementation Process

Explain the development/implementation process of your assignment. How did you use the machine/tool to manufacture or implement the design of your assignment?

Video For the Circuit Working:

🔧 Steps for Real Hardware Setup

Gather Components:
- Arduino Uno board + USB cable
- Breadboard
- HC-SR04 Ultrasonic Sensor
- RGB LED (or 2 LEDs: green & blue)
- Buzzer (passive or active)
- Jumper wires
- 220Ω resistors (for LED)
Circuit Wiring (same as Tinkercad):
- HC-SR04 → VCC → 5V, GND → GND, TRIG → Pin 9, ECHO → Pin 10
- RGB LED → Cathode → GND, Green → Pin 3 (with resistor), Blue → Pin 4 (with resistor)
- Buzzer → Positive → Pin 7, Negative → GND
Upload Code:
- Copy the Arduino C code from Tinkercad Code Blocks into Arduino IDE.
- Connect your Arduino Uno via USB and upload the code.
Test the Circuit:
- Place your hand or object at different distances.
- If object is farther than 1m → Green LED ON.
- If object is closer than 1m → Blue LED ON + Buzzer ON.
Record Video: Show how the LED color changes and the buzzer beeps depending on distance.
Export .ino File: Save and submit your Arduino sketch.

Community of Learning

Did you ask for feedback? What are the ideas that others have contributed or suggested? What was someone else’s idea that you built upon? How did you help your peers? How did your peers help you?

For this assignment, I shared my parking sensor idea with my classmates to get their feedback. Some of them suggested that instead of only using a buzzer, I should also add an LED to give a visual warning, which I integrated into my project by using a green and blue LED. Another peer suggested setting different distance thresholds with multiple colors (like traffic lights), which inspired me to think about expanding the project in the future.

I also helped my peers by explaining how the HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor works (sending a trigger pulse and reading the echo time to calculate distance) and showing them how to wire it correctly in Tinkercad. In return, some classmates helped me troubleshoot my buzzer connection and suggested keeping the wiring simple so it would work both in simulation and real hardware.

Through this exchange, I was able to improve my project and also support others in building theirs.

Overcoming Challenges

When you got stuck, what/who did you turn to? At what point did you have to pause to research or learn more before moving on? What are some mistakes, pitfalls, or challenges that others can avoid if they were doing this assignment?

One problem I faced was that I mistakenly used the wrong ultrasonic sensor in Tinkercad (PING instead of HC-SR04). This caused confusion because the PING sensor has only one pin for both sending and receiving, while the HC-SR04 has two separate pins (TRIG and ECHO), so I didn’t know how to connect it properly.

To troubleshoot, I traced my circuit wiring step by step and compared the sensor pins in Tinkercad with real HC-SR04 pinouts. I also tested different wiring setups in the simulator to see how the sensor responded.

The technical solution was to switch to the correct HC-SR04 sensor in Tinkercad, then connect TRIG → Pin 9 and ECHO → Pin 10 on the Arduino, with VCC to 5V and GND to ground. After this correction, the circuit worked properly.

The key to solving this problem was a combination of trial and error in Tinkercad and checking an online tutorial: How HC-SR04 Ultrasonic Sensor Works with Arduino. This clarified the pin functions and helped me fix the issue.

Final Project

How can you use the skills and knowledge that you've acquired this week in your final project?

I learned how to make code using code blocks, and I can use this skill for quick testing of small parts in my final project. For example, I can test the LED with a switch before I write the full program. This will help me make sure each part works step by step.

WOW!

What is the coolest thing that you've learned this week? What is something that you will never forget from this week?

Coolest thing I learned this week: how to make a buzzer play different sounds using code blocks.

Something I’ll never forget from this week: programming the buzzer to play a popular song—it felt amazing to turn code into real music.

Weekly Digest [OPTIONAL]

Tell us about any other cool things that you've made this week: in the Hands-on activity, tutorial examples, exercises, or any other cool mini-project that you tried out aside from the assignment.

Assignment Design Files

Car Sensor TinkerCAD

Arduino (.ino) Code

TinkerCAD (LED and Code)

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