Beginning Projects with the Arduino

Have you ever wondered what you can make your Arduino kit do? Discover its capabilities in this class! Together, we will explore building circuits using diverse components and the foundations of computer programming that bring Arduino projects to life.

Weeks 1 and 2: Chasing Lights
We will explore how to build a circuit that uses multiple LEDs and a potentiometer. Students will gain familiarity with the resistors in their kit. In programming Chasing Lights, students will discover how to use a for loop and how to control their circuits using a potentiometer.

Weeks 3 and 4: Reaction Timers
Our circuit for this project is pretty basic: a button and two LEDs, but we'll be putting the brain of the Arduino to work! Students will practice using the Serial Monitor to pass instructions to users. In programming Reaction Timer, students will discover how to take advantage of in-built functions such as random and millis.

Weeks 5 and 6: Memory Game
This circuit uses four buttons and four LEDs to create a memory game where lights flash in a pattern that users replicate. In programming Memory Game, students will practice thinking critically about what their circuit needs to do while learning how to scan across multiple inputs.

Our class time is an active building environment where we work on writing code and building circuits together. To get the most out of our time together, students should bring an Arduino Starter Kit to every class and join our class from a computer with the Arduino IDE program installed. The Arduino IDE is a script-based programming interface where learners should be comfortable navigating the keyboard and typing characters such as (, ), {, }, /, and ;.