Dynamic LED Circuits
WHAT WE ARE DOING
WHY WE ARE DOING IT
Learn about LED's
Integrating interactivity into your projects
Vocabulary
Concepts to Understand
- Circuit: A closed path for electricity to flow.
- Voltage: Electrical pressure that pushes current.
- Current: Flow of electricity.
- Resistance: Opposition to current, measured in ohms.
- Serial Monitor: A tool in the Arduino software that shows messages sent from the board.
Hardware Basics
- Digital Pin -- Sends or reads ON/OFF signals (HIGH or LOW).
- Analog Pin -- Reads varying voltage levels (0–1023) from sensors.
- GND (Ground) -- Reference point in the circuit. All components must connect to it.
- 5V / 3.3V -- Power output pins for components.
- Resistor -- Limits current in a circuit to protect components.
- Sensor -- A component that detects physical input (light, temperature, sound, etc.).
- Actuator -- A device that performs an action (like motors, LEDs, buzzers).
Vocabulary
Programming Terms
Sketch -- An Arduino program written in C/C++.
Setup() -- Function that runs once at the start. Used to initialize things.
Loop() -- Function that repeats forever while the Arduino is on.
DigitalWrite() -- Sends HIGH or LOW signal to a digital pin (like 0/1 or ON/OFF)
DigitalRead()-- Reads HIGH or LOW signal from a digital pin.
AnalogRead() -- Reads a value (0–1023) from an analog pin.
AnalogWrite() -- Sends PWM signal (0–255) to a pin.
Delay() -- Pauses the program for a number of milliseconds (like to blink a light)
Variable -- Stores data like numbers or text.
Function -- A block of code that does something specific.
Library -- Extra code packages you can add to use sensors or displays easily.
ACTIVITY MATERIALS
Hardware Required
Arduino Board
LED
220 ohm resistor
Laptop Arduino
Software
Flex Sensor
Infrared (IR) Sensor
Servo
Photoresistor
Motion Sensor
LED
NeoPixel
Ultrasound
ACTIVITY MATERIALS
Quick Test !
Connect your arduino using the cable and plug the LED in pin 13 (+) and GND (-)
Understanding Resistors
Understanding Breadboard
+ -
1st Instal the Software
Refer to the "resources tab" in this activity folder and learn how to install the Arduino software
Once you have your program installed, you can now program you arduino board !
This is the typical breakdown of a code
2nd Arduino Programming
Synthax
; ... goes at the end of most lines
{ } ...opens/closes blocks like if, setup, and loop
Press Tab to indent code inside { }
This example shows the simplest thing you can do with an Arduino to see physical output: it blinks the on-board LED.
Hardware Required
- Arduino Board
- LED
- 220 ohm resistor
- Laptop
- Arduino Software
BLINK LED
3rd Build the Circuit
Tell the software that you have plugged your arduino
4th Set up your Arduino
After you build the circuit plug your Arduino board into your computer, start the Arduino Software (IDE) and enter the code.
5th Insert the Code
The first thing you do is to tell the code that our LED is connected to pin 13. This means you need to replace all the LED_BUILTIN to 13
// the setup function runs once when you press reset or power the board
void setup() {
// initialize digital pin LED_BUILTIN as an output.
pinMode(LED_BUILTIN, OUTPUT);
}
// the loop function runs over and over again forever
void loop() {
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, HIGH); // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)
delay(1000); // wait for a second
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, LOW); // turn the LED off by making the voltage LOW
delay(1000); // wait for a second
}
6th Prepare the Code
BLINK LED
Verify and upload your code! and see how you LED starts to Blink!
Change the delay, you can increase or decrease the number!
=1 second
Understand the Code
Refer to the Resources tab in this activity folder for more detailed tutorials for various components
Explore more codes