Arduino Electronics and Projects

Arduino is an open-source platform for building electronics projects: 

A programmable device that allows users to interact with external hardware devices using software programs 

Arduino boards can read inputs, like light on a sensor or a finger on a button, and turn them into outputs, like activating a motor or turning on an LED .

Arduino is used in many different projects, such as robotics, security, music, and other STEM fields 

Users can tell their board what to do by sending a set of instructions to the microcontroller on the board using the Arduino programming language and the Arduino Software (IDE) 

Electronics & Coding with Arduino

Age Range: 10 - 15 

Interested in designing your own circuits and building interactive projects? You’ll learn the fundamentals of circuit design and the science behind electricity. Throughout the course, you’ll experiment with various electronic components, including LEDs, resistors, capacitors, transistors, switches, DC motors, and servo motors. You’ll also be introduced to the Arduino coding IDE and basic commands to control your circuits.

https://sites.google.com/view/acera-arduino?usp=sharing

Day 1: Introduction to Electricity and the Arduino IDE

·       Concepts: Students will learn the science behind electricity, the fundamentals of circuit design, and how to set up wiring. They will be introduced to the Arduino Software (IDE) and learn how to send a basic set of instructions to the microcontroller.

·       Components: LEDs and resistors.

·       Activities: The day will start with an "LED Circuits Exploration" activity using circuit placemats. https://sites.tufts.edu/pebl/2023/09/08/circuits/

·        Then, students will learn the structure of an Arduino sketch by writing the basic "Blink Sketch" to control a single LED. They will then be challenged to modify and extend this by changing the delay time, and illuminating multiple LEDs in a sequence.

  Arduino Basics:
  https://sites.google.com/view/acera-arduino/arduino/arduino-basics

        https://youtu.be/WD0dOVa96AQ

   Blink Sketch:
  https://sites.google.com/view/acera-arduino/arduino/blink-sketch

   LED Circuit: https://youtu.be/_xENlP9MHFA

Day 2: Advanced Circuitry, Switches, and Potentiometers

·       Concepts: Building on basic circuits, students will explore how Arduino boards can read physical inputs—like a finger pressing a button or switch, or turning a control knob—and turn these into digital outputs.

·       Components: Switches, multiple LEDs, potentiometers

·       Activities: Students will practice wiring methods to build circuits with "Multiple LEDs" and learn basic commands to control them. They will also experiment with using switches to control circuits, and utilize the analogRead and analogWrite command to create fading LED effects.
https://sites.google.com/view/acera-arduino/arduino/analog-write-led-motor

Day 3: Interactive Inputs and Transistor Circuits

·       Concepts: Students will dive deeper into intermediate electronics, learning how to handle varied analog inputs and safely power larger components.

·       Components:  Photocells (light sensors), potentiometers, Transistors, and resistors.

·       Activities: Students will explore "Voltage Divider and Photocell" circuits to make their Arduino boards read light levels as an input.
https://sites.google.com/view/acera-arduino/arduino/voltage-divider-and-photocell.

Day 4: Bringing Circuits to Life with Motors

·       Concepts: Students complete a "Transistor Circuits" tutorial, learning how transistors can be used as electronic switches to control higher-voltage components The focus shifts to outputting motion and utilizing Arduino libraries for complex coding tasks.

·       Components: DC motors, servo motors, and the L298 Motor Controller.

·       Activities: Students will learn how to wire and code precise movements in a "Libraries and Servomotor" tutorial. They will also experiment with DC motors, utilizing the analogWrite command to adjust the motor's speed. and use an L298N motor controller to dictate motor direction

Day 5: Capstone Interactive Robotics Project

·       Concepts: Synthesizing the week's lessons into a working robotic prototype.

·       Components: Combination of Arduino boards, motors, sensors, and chassis parts.

·       Activities: Students will begin assembling an Arduino Robot Car or an autonomous robot. Using the Arduino IDE, they will program custom functions like forward(), backward(), and turn() to control the left and right DC motors. They can incorporate mechanical switches as "bump sensors" to help the robot navigate around obstacles and avoid getting stuck, perfectly capping off their introduction to circuit design and interactive projects.