Recitation 2: Arduino Basics by Malika

Materials

Arduino Uno: the codes are processed here.

USB A to B cable: connects the Arduino Uno to the computer.

Breadboard: a station to hold the circuit.

Buzzer: gives noise when applied current. serves as the output.

LEDs: give light when applied current. serve as the output.

220-ohm resistors: add resistance to the circuit, lower the current so that buzzer or the LEDs won’t be burned.  

10K-ohm resistors: same as above, but the resistance is lower.

pushbuttons: when pushed, allow current to pass through.

arcade buttons: same as above.

A handful of jumper cables: breadboard friendly, easy to use.

Circuits

Circuit 1: Fade

diagram found here

Circuit 2: Tone Melody

diagram found here

Circuit 3: Speed Game

diagram found here

Circuit 4: 4 Players Speed Game

Processes

My partner and I finished the first three circuits smoothly. We spent most of the time studying circuit 3 and its code, trying to build circuit 4. Our code for circuit 4 is as follow:

We cooperated with another group and connect our two breadboards together onto our Arduino Uno. 

It was a lot of fun studying the code and the circuit, trying to figure out which part does what. When it worked, we were all so thrilled and proud of ourselves.

Reflection on the questions

Question 1

To be honest, I rarely ‘use’ technology in my daily life rather than ‘benefit from’ it. Before taking the Interaction Lab, I almost never had the chance to truly ‘use’ the technology to accomplish something. As for the circuits, the only interactive one for me was the fourth one. My partner and I really studied it, tried to ‘communicate’ with it. And it ‘reacted’ to our input by giving us its output. The fourth circuit was our original work. We ‘used’ technology to create that game for four.

Question 2

If I have 100,000 LEDs of any brightness and color, I would distribute a questionnaire, asking random people if they are willing to participate in an experiment. I would give every participant an LED of their choice of color, along with a device that will make the LED light up when walking pass another LED with the same color. I want to see what kind of interesting story would happen when two strangers walk towards each other and find out their LED lights up.

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