Fall 2025 Inquiry Miner Mayhem Programs
The purpose of this lesson is to teach students the concept of coding edge cases, how to send outputs from an Arduino, and troubleshoot electronics. Students will learn:
What is an edge case in programming
How to send digital and PWM outputs from an Arduino
Common practices when troubleshooting an Arduino
Your fully wired MESA Combat Robot
Batteries should handed out at the end of the lesson
1x USB A-to-USB B upload cable
1x FlySky Controller
Chromebook or laptop for each student
Access to Arduino web editor (https://app.arduino.cc) with Arduino Create Agent installed or the Arduino IDE
Instructions on how to use the Arduino web editor here.
Edge cases: A programming term used to describe parts of a coding process is at the end of normal program operations. Edge cases require specific code and special attention to prevent the code from producing an unintended result.
Digital output: An electrical output from an Arduino which is high or low, on or off, 1 or 0, 5V or 0V.
PWM output: An electrical output from an Arduino which can mimic an analog signal through small pulses.
Debugging: The process of testing and rewriting code to make sure the intended result occurs in all cases. Debugging may require fully rewriting code, or identifying edge cases and writing specific code to fix the unintended results.
Using the Arduino Web Editor
Introduction to Programming an Arduino
How an H-bridge works
What are if-else statements and boolean conditions
Steering Methods
As you write the code for your students, you may write the code alongside them, sharing your own screen to see exactly where each line goes. The downloadable code is intended for your reference while following the activity.
If you find that the activity is not properly working, make sure to double check you/your students' wiring and code against ours. Working with electronics and Arduinos can be difficult and much of the learning process (for students and teachers) is in the troubleshooting. That being said, if it seems like the activity is still not working or you are stuck, let us know! Send us an email and we will work to troubleshoot as much as possible!