Robot Art Show
Our Circuit
Process
Our circuit went through a variety of changes before we finally decided what we wanted it to do. First we had to complete the packet full of practice. This took us a few days because we really wanted to make sure that we understood the material before we created our circuit. Then, we made a design digitally that played "Happy Birthday" while flashing a singular red light. Then we made a physical copy of this (the image is seen to the left). We felt this was too basic and didn't fully represent our understanding of the material. We kept on adding lights until each note of the song had a light linked to it. Eventually, an LCD board that says "Hello, World!" This was our final product in the end. Happy Birthday played clearly but unfortunately, the lights were very dim.
Circuits, Electronics Experiments, and Programming
Before we created our circuit, we had to learn how to set up circuits (as previously mentioned). These electronic experiments were done digitally. We would set up the circuit and record the code that was provided into our packets. Each one of the 16 circuits had a different component that was the main focus. This was an important step in this project in order to ensure our success.
Content
Coulomb's Law is the force of attraction/repulsion between two static charges. They are inverse to the square of the distance between them. The equation for this law is F=k*q1q2/r^2. This force is used to move the charges.
A circuit is a complete loop of conductive material from one side of a power source to another. The two different types of circuits are series circuits and parallel circuits. A parallel circuit is a circuit with branches. Each branch has a separate path for the flow of charge/electrons. A series circuit is a circuit with a singular path and multiple components. One after another all in the same path.
Current is the flow of charge/electricity that goes through a current.
Resistance is the amount of current slowed or resisted through the circuit.
Voltage is the potential energy difference from one component's side to the other. The equation is V+ir.
An important component of programming is making sure your work is correct and looking over it more than once. If one thing goes wrong then the circuit won't work.
Reflection
This project was different from the rest. It took me a while to fully comprehend the material. Completing the packet took the most amount of time due to us having to make the circuit and then search for the code. Overall I think this project taught me the most when it comes to learning something new. It challenged me as well as grew my understanding.