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Blog 2: Arduino Programming💻

  • Nov 24, 2024
  • 4 min read

Updated: Jan 31, 2025


YIPEEE, WIX FORMATTING WORKS AGAINN, LET US BEGIN!!



Hi!


Welcome back to another blog👋🏼


This might take longer than usual,

so just sit back and relax🍿


For this blog, I have 2 tasks to describe

& there's a bit more at the end later👀


Moving on👇🏼



Task 1: Input devices


For this first task, I chose to do (a)

"a. Interface a potentiometer analog input to Maker UNO board and measure/show its signal in serial monitor Arduino IDE."





What is a potentiometer?🤔

A type of variable resistor with adjustable resistance Ω

(by turning the knob🔁)






For the code, I used this as a reference


Code

How it works

void setup()

{Serial.begin(9600);

pinMode(13,OUTPUT);}

void loop()

{Serial.println(analogRead(A0));


delay(100);


digitalWrite(13, HIGH);

delay(analogRead(A0));

digitalWrite(13, LOW);

delay(analogRead(A0));}


  • Initializes serial communication between Arduino and computer (at 9600 baud rate)

  • Sets pin 13 as output pin

  • Sends the analog reading from pin A0 to serial monitor

  • Pauses program for 100ms

  • Turns on pin 13 LED

  • Waits for a duration equal to A0 reading

  • Turns off pin 13 LED

  • Waits for a duration equal to A0 reading

To summarize😅:

When the potentiometer is turned, an analog signal is sent to A0 and the serial monitor displays a value of 0 to 164. Then, the LED connected to pin 13 blinks in intervals of 0 to 164ms🚨

*this is the code without the LED:

void setup()

{Serial.begin(9600);}

void loop()

{Serial.println(analogRead(A0));

delay(100);}



Here's a video of the simulation🔊:


You could also connect the potentiometer directly to the Arduino, but the Maker UNO kit does not have male to female dupont wires, so I included a breadboard in the simulation🤓




Next up, Task 2!👇🏼


Task 2: Output devices


me doing task 2:

This time, I had to:

"Interface 3 LEDs (Red, Yellow, Green) to Maker UNO board and program it to perform an action (fade or flash, etc). Use the pushbutton on the Maker UNO board to start/ stop the action."


...Why did I choose to make the LEDs fade


this took way too long..


below is the code




Code

How it works

int brightness = 0;

int fadeAmount = 5;

void setup()

{pinMode(2, INPUT_PULLUP);

pinMode(3, OUTPUT);}

void loop()

{if (digitalRead(2) == LOW) {analogWrite(3, brightness);

brightness = brightness + fadeAmount;

if (brightness <= 0 || brightness >= 255)

fadeAmount = -fadeAmount;}

else {analogWrite(3, brightness);}

delay(100);}

  • Sets initial brightness as 0

  • Sets amount the brightness changes by

  • Sets pin 2 as input with internal pull-up resistor (button press=LOW)

  • Sets pin 3 as output pin (for LEDs)

  • If button is pressed, LEDs brightness increase

  • Checks if brightness is at the limits, reverses direction of adjustment

  • If button not pressed, LEDs turn off

  • Pauses program for 100ms

At first I thought the code was fine, but when I ran the simulation, the LEDs started fading in and out and they only stop when the button is pressed, instead of the other way round😤😤


Now I have no clue...

I keep changing the program but this is the best I could get,

and it works, so I won't complain



Anyways, here's the 2nd video😴:


Luckily, Tinkercad has tutorials for how to use the circuits (e.g. Multiple LEDs & Breadboards) which helped a lot with this task🙌🏼 For example, if you want to fade an LED, it has to be connected to the Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) digital pins.

Here is a video of how PWM works:





on a side note, about halfway through,


I realized I had access to Tinkercad this whole time...


I could have used it for modelling the car in ICPD🤦🏼‍♂️

it's okay🥲 got more practice with Fusion360🔥




Weeeee, another learning reflection🙃



Learning Reflection


You know sometimes,

even AI cannot help with your code,

then you know you're cooked



Jokes aside,

I feel like I learned a lot about programming from making this blog..

right now my vision is blurry from staring at my laptop for so long💀 (it's 12 midnight🌙 on 24/11)

After trying to understand how the program for Task 2 works,

hours of just messing with the code(+ video editing), I'm still not 100% sure why it works that way😭


Anyways, at least I got to learn about what each of the lines do, as I read the code over and over again😂 I definitely still have more to learn, especially since our group's CA1 project will need use the Arduino🥲


Now that I have access to Tinkercad, I can explore more features using the circuit simulations there, maybe learn how to program other things💻🤔


..and I will definitely be trying out the 3D modelling, it looks like a simpler version of Fusion 360, since it uses basic shapes mostly🔴🟦






...






oh wait, there's more..






can't forget about Practical 2!



Practical 2: Arduino Programming


First of all, I'd like you to meet "Shelly the Shark"













Yea her jaw is still🫤🫤

but at least she's got color now🎨 thanks to Fiona & Rakshan



We also had to make a part move using the servo motor🤔

and thanks to Muhsin our programmer, our Arduino had 3 functions:

The servo & LEDs move and blink to the music🤯🤯🤯



Here you can see our "final product", as well as other groups'

moments before disaster:

Sadly, I forgot to take a video of the LEDs + music + servo working☹️


Still,

Shelly's mouth was able to open,

but it couldn't close back😭


I think trying to make the jaw move was too hard,

(the servo kept disconnecting from the jaw)

maybe the tail or fin would have been easier to do😅


but overall this practical was still fun,

got to use cardboard again, to make the "base" for the shark,

and seeing the other groups' final products🤩


more moments from the practical here👈🏼




...






okay now it's done..























whyareyoustillscrolling














..alright bye for now👋🏼




References:


Other useful videos:

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