Aim
In this
article we will have high level overview of Arduino, its parts, sensors and how
we can use it with Internet of Things aka IoT sensors. I will take you step by
step in creating your first simple Arduino project and reading data from IoT temperature
sensor.
Introduction
Arduino is
open source programmable circuit board which you can use for creating
electronic hardware. This board contains a microcontroller which can be
programmed to sense and control the electronic components.
Following
image depicts one of the most popular Arduino boards “Arduino UNO” and its
components on the board:
1.
Microcontroller:
This is the brain of the Arduino where the programs are stored, on UNO board the
microcontroller is based on ATmega328P integrated circuit(IC).
2.
USB
Port: The USB port can be used to powering up the board and also to connect to
PC and flash programs on the board
3.
USB
to Serial chip
4.
Digital
Pins: Pins 0-13 can be used for digital input or output
5.
Analog
Pins: These pins can read the signal from an analog sensor and convert it to
digital
6.
5v,
3.3v out Pin: This pin supplies 5/3.3 volts of power to your electronic sensors
and circuits
7.
GND
Pin: This pin is used to allow the flow of leakage and fault current. Sudden
rise in flow current will damage the equipment, hence it is a protection.
Breadboard: The breadboard allows you to create
temporary prototypes and experiment with different circuit designs without
permanently soldering the circuit together.
Jumper
Wires: The
electronic components are connected to each other using Jumper wires,
electricity flows through these jumper cables, Jumper wires are of three types-
Male to Male, Male to Female and Female to Female
LED: Light Emitting Diode, an LED can emit
any color depending on its make, following LED emits blue light.
Resistor:
Resistors resist the
flow of electricity and the higher the value of the resistor, the more it
resists, and the less electrical current will flow through it.
Your first Arduino Sketch
We can
program the Arduino using C/C++ language, the programs in Arduino are called as
Sketch, the sketches are saved as “.ino” extension. To write the
programs we need to download the Arduino IDE which is available at https://www.arduino.cc/en/software
A minimal
Arduino sketch consists of only two functions:
1. setup():
This function is called once when a sketch starts after power-up or reset. It
is used to initialize variables, input and output pin modes, and other libraries
needed in the sketch. It is analogous to the function main().
2. loop():
After setup() function exits (ends), the loop() function is executed repeatedly
in the main program. It controls the board until the board is powered off or is
reset. It is analogous to the function while(1).
Pin Connections
The above
sketch turns the LED on and off each 1 second interval.
Sensors
A sensor, in
simple terms, is used to sense its environment, meaning it records a physical
parameter, for example temperature, and converts it into an electronic signal.
In this
article we will use the temperature sensor.
LM35
is a classic Analog Temperature Sensor. LM35 has 3 pins: VCC, Data and GND.
Place
the LM35 anywhere horizontally on your breadboard, the flat side of the sensor
must be facing you. Then, connect three wires under the three pins of the
sensor.
The
wire on the left will go to the 5v pin on the Arduino.
The
middle wire will go to A1 (analog pin 1).
The
wire on the right will go to GND (-) on the Arduino.
Upload below
sketch to Arduino.
You can see the program output in the
Arduino serial monitor console
References
1.
Temperature
sensor Arduino project https://bit.ly/3SGSuJ8
2.
Uploading
Arduino sketch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzc97nv8heU
3.
Buy
electronic components and sensors https://robu.in/
4.
Arduino
Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arduino
5.
Arduino
IDE https://www.arduino.cc/en/software
6.
Arduino
starter kit https://amzn.to/3SEvASw
7.
Make
Electronics book pdf https://bit.ly/m4k3elekt