A quick Arduino Plotter Fix
The new Arduino IDE has a lot of powerful features. Unfortunately the plotter app is not one of them. It can be frustrating, but there is a fix. Out of the box the Arduino 2.x plotter only displays 50 data...
Accelerometers – getting setup and tested.
In this post I explore and describe the connections, libraries and code required to connect grove accelerometers to our Arduino Unos. We are using a Seed Studio's Grove 3-axis digital accelerometer (LIS3DHTR). There are a couple of little details that...
Arduino :: Introductions
Understanding the Arduino Ecosystem The Arduino platform is made up of a combination of microcontroller boards (hardware) and the Arduino IDE (Integradted Development Environment, software). There are countless variations on boards that have a wide range of capabilities. There are...
Battery Packs
Every circuit needs a power supply. One way we will power our circuits is using our battery packs. We are using standard commercial AA batteries. You can get them at the grocery store, the hardware store and countless places in...
Breadboards
Breadboards are a key tool in rapid prototyping circuits. Breadboards provide quick, stable, temporary connections between components. This Building Block will introduce you to key concepts and proper breadboard use. Despite being very simple, breadboards can be confusing -- especially...
Copper Tape Switch and Arduino
This came up in office hours -- the video is a bit informal -- but the explanation is ok. No titles or edits -- maybe will add those later? The goal here is to get a copper tape switch like...
Current Limiting Resistors for LEDs
I find current to be one of the trickiest concepts to grasp in introductory electronics. Part of this is because current does not behave the same way in all components. Part of it is because current flow is tied to...
Electronics Primer
Introduction to Ohm's Law and the basic characteristics of electricity. Video :: Terminology https://vimeo.com/454062296 Get the Slides W01_Workshop_ElectronicsPrimerDownload
Fixed Resistors
Resistors are a fundamental component in electronics and we will see them in almost every circuit we build. They come in a wide variety of flavours ( as you will soon see) and your kit includes a number of examples....
Joysticks
Almost everyone is familiar with joysticks. They have been ubiquitous on game controllers for 40+ years. But how do they work? How are They wired? How do we use them in a project? The joystick in our kit is from...
LED + Resistor = Brightness
After building a few circuits you should start to see that LED brightness can be controlled by altering the size (resistance) of the current limiting resistor used in the circuit. LED Brightness and Current Flow We know from Ohm's law...
LEDs :: Light Emitting Diodes
What are LEDs? LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. When powered correctly LEDs glow different colors. Some LEDs have only a single color while others have multiple color channels build in. Multi-channel LEDS can be mixed to create almost any...
Photocells (detect light)
Photocell basics Photocells (photo resistors) are simple resistive sensors that respond to light. They are often referred to as CdS cells because they are made of Cadmium-Sulfide or LDRs, light-dependant resistors. For me these are one of the most magical...
Potentiometers or POTs
Potentiometers or pots are a type of variable resistor. Unlike their fixed resistor cousins, the resistance in a pot can be controlled by the user. POT Basics The pots in your kit have two very different resistances; 10K and 500k...
RGB LEDs – So Much Color!
RGB LEDs are fun components to explore expressive and technical aspects of tangible media. You can control them in circuits with fixed resistors, or with code as digital or analog devices. The possibilities and combinations are endless. RGB LEDs are...
Servos
This building block offers a brief introduction to servos. https://vimeo.com/462406802 Get the Slides bb_servos_slidesDownload Code Samples Center a Servo #include <Servo.h> // use a library Servo myservo; // instantiate int pos = 90 ; // middle of range void setup()...
Software tools for NetArt
NetArt explores a number of contexts makes use of several platforms. Some we will use in depth, others only peripherally. You should get them installed ASAP. I may add more over the course of term, depending on how things unfold....
Sonar Sensor (Ultrasonic Distance Detector)
Sonar Sensor Basics Sonar sensors are complex devices that return the distance between the front of the sensor and a remote object. Find your sensor in your kit. I call these sonar sensors -- you will also see them referred...
Speakers (make some noise)
Speaker Basics Speakers are one of the few parts in our kit that are likely familiar. They are excellent noise makers. Their set up is simple and just like in the movies, they add a lot of dimension to a...
Transistors: Part 1
Transistors are at the heart of the digital revolution. In this Building Block a single transistor is introduced along with its basic circuit configuration. Simple introduction to transistors. This is a huge area with many other resources online -- so...
Transistors: Part 2
This building block extends the basic introduction to Transistors: Part 1. Here we explore controlling many of the motors in your kit using this basic circuit and Digital Output code. Example circuits include LED, simple DC motor, geared DC motor...
Wire strippers
Your wire strippers are your yellow-handled and scissor-like tool. They can be used to cut wire to length and, once properly adjusted, they can be used to strip (remove) insulation from ends of wire. In this building block I will...