Arduino Boards and Programming Circuits

Today we continued the use of Arduino Boards. Because I learned all the basic skills in the last class, I was able to create more complicated circuits this time around. My partner and I followed the instructions in the Arduino Board booklet and were able to create our own Simon Says game. The four LED lights were flashed in a given pattern, and the five buttons were programmed to help repeat that light pattern.

Arduino Board programmed to play "Simon Says"

Introduction to Arduino Boards

For this class, Mr. Mike Jortberg, director of Services for Sales force, came in to introduce Arduino Boards to us. I personally have never used Arduino Boards, so today was an excellent experience for me. What i discovered was that Arduino Boards are extremely similar to the Snap Circuit toy I used to play with at home. The Arduino set includes a variety of items, ranging from a breadboard, to LED lights, to diodes. We started out with learning how to program LED lights to blink at certain speeds. As the lesson progressed, I discovered how to connect and program multiple LED lights rather than just one.

This first video shows the setup for only one LED light. I connected the breadboard to the computer using the red USB cord provided.  The light in the video was programmed to blink with a delay of 15. That's really fast! The original video I had was in slow motion. Unfortunately, due to uploading problems, it was converted back to original speed; however, if you look carefully, you can see the light turning on and off.

 

 

 

This second video shows how I connected and programmed six LED lights. As you can see, many more wires and resistors are required than earlier.

I had a great time using the Arduino Boards. I am finally forming answers to technology questions I've had for years. Additionally, now I know what I'm putting down on my wish list for Christmas. :)