Electronics+and+Microcontrollers

Below is a list of the key components covered in the Feb professional development meeting. Included is relevant information about these components (specifications sheets, links to where they can be purchased,etc.) Code and the presentation slides from the meeting are at the bottom of the page.

__**//Arduino Uno - Microcontroller//**__
"Arduino is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. It's intended for artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments." - from Arduino website Arduino is a useful tool for introducing sensing and control capabilities for Sea Perch.

Two key components 1) //**Hardware** **- microcontroller**//: The microcontroller board can be build or purchased. This is the component that physically connects to the environment. It is programed using the Arduino programming language. We used the Arduino Uno in our Feb meeting but the company makes others microcontrollers as well

2) **Software - Arduino programming language + Arduino developing environment** : Arduino microcontrollers can be programed using the Arduino programming language through the Arduino developing environment availabe for download on their website. Because the platform is opensource many additional libraries can be used to help incorporate specific components.


 * **General Information:** [|Arduino Website]
 * **Software:** [|Arduino Software Download and Instructions]
 * **Projects and Ideas:** [|Arduino Playground: arduino user wiki]
 * **Where to purchase:** [|Sparkfun: Arduino Uno]

__**//Pressure Sensor - MPX4250A//**__
This pressure sensor can be used to record pressures from 20 to 250 kPa. This is a useful tool for measuring depth.
 * **Specifications Sheet:[[file:MPX4250A (Pressure Sensor).pdf]]**
 * **Where to purchase:** [|Digikey: Pressure Sensor]

__**//Temperature Sensor - LM35//**__
This temperature sensor can be used to record temperatures from −55° to +150°C.
 * **Specifications Sheet: [[file:LM35 (Temperature).pdf]]**
 * **Where to purchase:**[|Digikey: Temperature Sensor]

__**//Lessons and Code//**__
Below is a copy of the slides from our February meeting. Also included is some Arduino code i wrote to help you get started using these two sensors. The code is commented, meaning each program as well as individual lines of code are explained in the program. These comments are the statements followed by the double slash marks //. The code below follows a progression in which each builds to some extent on the knowledge of the previous one, so if you have no prior experience in Arduino, it may be best to look through them in order.


 * **Presentation Slides**__**//:[[file:Electronics and Sensing with Arduino.pptx]]//**__
 * **Arduino Code**
 * 1) **Template**[[file:Template.pde]] - minimum code needed to run, can be used as template for constructing programs
 * 2) **Hello World** [[file:Hello_World.pde]]- prints String (text) to the serial monitor
 * 3) **Counter** [[file:counter.pde]]- increments a variable each second and prints it to the screen
 * 4) **LED Blink** [[file:LED_Blink.pde]]- blinks LED on and off at 1 second intervals
 * 5) **LED Count** [[file:LED_Blink_Count.pde]]- Blinks LED and counts each time it blinks
 * 6) **Pressure[[file:Pressure.pde]]** - reads in pressure from pressure sensor (in pin Analog 0) and prints pressure value to the serial monitor
 * 7) **Temperature[[file:Temperature.pde]]** - reads in temperature from the temperature sensor (in pin analog 1) and prints temperature value to the serial monitor
 * 8) **Pressure LED**[[file:LED_Pressure.pde]] - turns on LED when pressure is over a certain defined level