Exploring Arduino

1- What do you know about electricity also can we live without it?

2- Usually kids says it power the stuff and it’s all around us.

3- We want the kids to understand that electricity is like water it flows in paths, but we call the particles “Charges”

1- Circuit : is a path for the charges to flow from point to point and it’s a closed one.

2- Circuits look like a circle as if we start from a certain point we will end at the same point again, This why we call it a circuit.

3- In circuits we have two different state, opened circuits and closed circuits.

4- Closed circuits : forms a complete loop with no cuts.

5- Opened circuits : the path is not complete due to one of the wires is not connected or one of the component is corrupt.

Note: we can take advantage of these properties by breaking the power from other component using switches.

1- Circuits do consist of 3 main parts: “Voltage Source, Conductive paths, and Loads”.

2- Voltage source: is the component that provide power to the circuit “Battery”

3- Conductive paths: Is the component that provide routes for the charges to flow from one point to another.

4- Load : is the component in the circuit required to consume the power and make something from for example light bulb consume power to emit light and motor do consume power to move.

1- Current : is the flow of charges at a certain point, Also current carry power from the voltage source to the Load.

2- Also the unit of measuring current called ampere “Amps”, and the device used is the (Ammeter).

3- Voltage: is the amount of pressure power source can provide, Also volts pushes the current to move in wires.

4- The unit of voltage is volts” V”, and the device used is the (Voltmeter).

5- Resistance: is the opposite force in direction to the Voltage, However, every this in life do have resistance.

6- We can mention the unit of resistance which is Ohm” Ω“

Note: We want the participant to know these stuff without mentioning more details.

7- Introduce for them the schematic Diagram, which shows the universal representative for the circuit component.

1- We will use a platform from University of Colorado “PHET Colorado“.

2- Here we want the participant to try making a circuit, also to see how current flows and how increasing the voltage and decreasing it affect the current, in addition to have a look at the resistance and the effect of it increase and decrease.

1 – We will start with an ice breaking question (What is computer? And do you think computer do have a brain? )

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2- Yes computer do have a brain it’s the (CPU) where all the processing operations happen there.

3- Also computers are devices we used to process data, learn, and play video games.

4- So as computer is quite expensive and needs more power to operate it, so the need come to have a small computer called microcontroller to control some operations and to do specific tasks.

5- After introducing the MCU we will show a quick video to make it easier for the participant to understand the operation in the MCU.

1- Here we will introduce Arduino for the participant, and we will mention some types of the Arduino.

2- Then we will introduce some peripheral that we connect with the MCU to whether collect data or make an action using output devices.

1- Software defined as the collection of data or instructions that tells the computer how to work.

2- The application we used to program the Arduino with is called the (IDE) which translate from the” C” Arduino language to the machine language.

3- Also there are 2 Types to code, — Block Coding- and — Text Coding.

4- Text coding is the professional way of coding and it won’t work with beginners so that’s why we use block coding as it is really easy and straight forward.

1 – We usually start with a tour to make sure they are familiar with the platform.

2- Then we will build simple circuit (Battery + LED) to show how the connection made.

3- Then we can start giving the instruction of today circuit (Blink LED).

4- It’s simple circuit, to show participant how to deal with Arduino in Tinker CAD.

5- Now we need to code the Arduino by clicking on “Code” to open it.

6- Now we will show participant how to code blink LED step by step.

7- This block is a special instruction for pin 13 on Arduino which has an internal LED connected for testing purpose.

8- This Instruction block will make the pin output and change its state whether HIGH or LOW.

9- This is the delay instruction block which will let the microcontroller to wait.

10- This is the final looking for the code.

11- At the end we can ask the participant to make traffic light circuit and code it.

**Note: Always your code must match your circuit connections.

1 – We will introduce the main functions for the participant.

2- Also we will discuss the blink code in text after they made it in blocks.

3- Then we will introduce the first 2 functions for them.

4- Then we will make traffic light circuit but using the text coding instead of blocks.

**Note: if it seems hard for the participant it’s OK to keep working with blocks but make sure to let them know the text version.

1- Sensors are devices MCU uses to understand the surrounding by feeding data to its processor to take action upon result.

2- Here are some examples of Sensors.

3- PIR Sensor is a device we used to detect motion through IR Radiation.

4- To connect these sensors with the MCU we need to know the needed functions to receive data from such.

5- These function exclusive for Arduino but the other MCU do have the same concept, by declare the pin mode then receive data through the pin and save it to a variable we created.

6- After that we need to do actions upon processing these data, so we need to understand the conditions and how to deal with them.

7- So if statement will do the comparison for us by revealing the true data and false data and do the action we need if true whether false.

8- Regarding this in the next exercise we need to know the needed actions first and what is true and what is false, so in our case if we detect movement we need to set LED on and if there is no movement the LED should be kept off.

9- This circuit is very easy, we used the last circuit, and we added the PIR sensor on it.

10- Ultrasonic sensor is a distance measuring sensor but the main purpose is to detect objects in front of it.

11- Also in nature there is some creature use this technique such as (Dolphins, and Bats).

12- Also we use this technology in cars to detect obstacles in the rear part of the car when we do reverse.

1- LCD refers to (liquid crystal display), we use it to show information from the MCU.

2- Also this device is widely spread in industry.

3- Now we can share the exercise of the Ultrasonic with the LCD to measure distance.

Link to Circuit : Measuring distance

4- Piezo Buzzer is a cheap speaker with a low quality sound.

5- Then we can get back to our first exercise and add the Piezo to the circuit or replace the LED with the Piezo.

Link to Circuit : Piezo + PIR

6- The following exercise is optional which combining all the modules we took in circuit.

Link : Intrusion System

1- Analogue waves are continuous changing quantity and it represents the human speech, this will refer us back to the old phone system which transmit analogue signals, these signals are quite hard to be processed as any changing in hardware or even small amount of noise would affect the result, also each system has its own component, and we can’t use one for another. In the other hand digital waves are set of two known values (High, or Low), and it looks like a square wave.

2- The most common used sensor uses analogue is the temperature sensor.

3- Temperature sensor is used to sense the surrounding temperature by contact or without it depends on the sensor type.

4- Also, Light Dependent Resistor (LDR) is one of the analogue sensor which used to sense the existent of light neither not, and we can calculate the intensity of light using this sensor.

5- To connect such sensors we need specific pins in the MCU to convert from analogue to digital these pins called analogue pins manufacture refer to it by (A#) and a number. But in programming we must refer to the pin this sensor connected to read the data coming from it.

6- The following exercise is to build atmosphere control system like the one found in rooms which control the temperature and switch the coolant or the heater on or off depends on the room temperature.

7 – We will simulate the coolant and the heater as LEDs, red for the last and green for the coolant.

Link to circuit : AC — Circuit

1- Smoke sensor is a device used to detect smoke particles in the air like MQ-2 which detect Methane (CH4) gas.

2- The following exercise is to simulate a circuit that detect gas like the one found in any kitchen and make action upon result.

3- So here it’s about switching the red LED on when the sensor detect gas, Also we can replace this with any other actuator we would; like a speaker to make warning sound.

Link to Circuit: Smoke Detector

4- After this we can introduce Servo Motor.

5- Servo is a device we use to left heavy stuff and also to pull it or even push it.

6- Servo is a simple DC motor added to it gears and a potentiometer to detect the angle.

7- The following circuit is to simulate how to control servo motor using MCU and push button.

Link to Circuit : 2 button controls servo

8- The following circuit is optional which simulate a circuit of extinguisher which will detect if there is fire or it’s just a gas, so if there is a fire that’s mean there would be increasing in temperature and also smoke but if there is no fire the temperature won’t rise but the smoke level will.

9- The action taken depends on the temperature so if there is rise in temperature the extinguisher system will work and it will close the windows to prevent more oxygen entering the building in other hand if there is no rise in temperature that’s mean opening the windows is enough.

Link to Circuit : Extinguisher circuit

1- At the beginning, quick review for what we had done till this point, Also giving the participant the needed instructions to start.