LESSON 1
first blink sketch.
Gearing Up for Prototyping with Arduino
ARDUINO
• an open-source electronics platform based on easy-
to-use hardware and software.
• C++ programming language
• has different kinds of microcontroller development
boards:
o Arduino Uno - entry-level
o Portenta H7 – capable of high-level
programming and AI.
• Difference of Arduino and Raspberry Pi:
o Raspberry Pi – a general-purpose single-
board computer by an operating system
(Linux).
o Unlike Arduino boards, Raspberry pi can
run multiple programs. It is used to run
complicated robots performing multiple
programs and intense calculations.
• Arduino was created at the Ivrea Interaction Design
Institute, designed as an easy tool for fast
prototyping, intended students without any
background in electronics and programming.
• Arduino evolved from the 8-bit boards to products
for wearable technology, IoT applications,
embedded environments, and 3D printing.
MICROCONTROLLER
• Microcontroller - a small computation engine that
makes a decision or system monitoring. It has
analog and digital input/output capabilities.
• It is used in different devices such as toys, remote
control, microwave ovens, thermostats, and timers.
• It makes objects more interactive.
• Microcontrollers are often used in applications that
have repetitive tasks.
ARDUINO UNO ANATOMY
• Digital Pins – can be used as either input or output
pins.
o When used as output pins, these pins act
as a power supply source for the
components connected to them.
o When used as input pins, they read signals
from the component connected to them.
o These pins can be used for commands
such as digitalWrite(), digitalRead(), and
analogWrite() which can be used and will
work only on the pins with PWM symbols.
• Pin 13 LED - the only actuator built-in to your board.
This pin is usually used to start your prototyping
journey by using its LED for debugging and as your
• TX and RX LEDs – these are indicator LEDs which
blink whenever the UNO board is transmitting or
receiving data.
o TX – for transmit
o RX – for receiver
• Power LED – indicates if your Arduino is receiving
power.
• Microcontroller – the brain / heart of your Arduino. It
is the most prominent black rectangular chip with 28
pins. This allows you to directly upload a new
Arduino program into the device.
• Analog Input Pins – the pins that can read the signal
from an analog sensor. It can be used for
commands such as analogRead().
• GND and 5V – the pins that can provide 5 volts and
ground to your circuits.
• Power Port – used to power your Arduino when it is
not plugged into a USB port for power. It can accept
voltages between 7-12 volts.
• Voltage Regulator – maintains the voltage of a
power source within acceptable limits. It converts
the input to 5V, the signal powers up the Arduino
Uno board.
• Crystal Oscillator – used to provide clock the
microcontroller. It ticks 16 million times a second.
o In a microcontroller, every instruction is
executed in synchronization with clock.
• USB Interface Chip – converts signals in the USB
level to a level that an Arduino UNO board
understands.
• USB Port – a printer USB port used to load a
program from the Arduino IDE onto the Arduino
board. The board can also be powered through this
port.
• Reset Button – when clicked, it sends a logical pulse
to the reset pin of the microcontroller, and will run
the program again from the start.
COMPONENTS THAT CAN BE INTEGRATED WITH
ARDUINO
• Breadboard – a board which can be used to build
electronic circuits. It is like a patch panel that have
rows of holes that let you connect wires and
components together.
• Jumper Wires – typically used with breadboards and
other prototyping tools to make it easy to change a
circuit as needed.
o Male-to-Male Jumper: both ends of a wire
has a pointy end.
 o Male-to-Female Jumper: one end is pointy o It also has an anode and cathode. The
and another has a hole (to connect another anode is the longer leg that connects to
jumper wire). power. And the cathode is the shorter leg.
o Female-to-Female Jumper: both ends have • RGB LED – an LED that has four pins: (red, green,
holes blue and a leg for either anode or cathode). It
• Capacitors - a passive electrical component with two contains 3 different color-emitting diodes that can be
terminals used to store and release electrical energy blended to produce a wide range of colors.
in a circuit. • Vibration Motor – small coreless DC motors that
o Cathode (-)-the negative leg of the vibrate to notify users that they have received a
capacitor. signal without making a sound (similar to notifs in
o Anode (+)- the positive leg of the capacitor. phones).
o When the circuit's voltage is higher than • LCD – a type of alphanumeric or graphic display
what is stored in the capacitor, it allows based on liquid crystals. In Arduino, the LCD has 2
current to flow in, giving the capacitor a rows with 16 characters each.
charge. • Piezo – an electrical component that can be used to
o When the voltage of the circuit is lower, the detect vibrations and create noises.
stored charge is released.
• Diode - ensures that the power only flows in one
direction. It is polarized and is usually used when
there are motors or other high current/voltage load
LESSON 2
in the circuit. Fundamentals of Prototyping
o polarized – the directional placement of a
component determines the direction of the
current. INTRODUCTION
o when placed one way, it will allow current • Energy – the capacity to do work. It can be in the
to pass through and placed the other way, form of thermal, radiant, chemical, potential, kinetic,
it blocks it. etc.
o the anode side is usually connected to the • Electrical Energy – a form of energy derived from
point of higher energy in the circuit. electric potential energy or kinetic energy
o the cathode side connects to the point of • Electricity – the flow of electrical power or charge. It
lower energy or to the ground. is the movement of electrons.
• Usually, there's an equal number of electrons and
INPUT COMPONENTS protons--making the atom neutral or having no net
• Input components are components that help enter charge.
data and commands into a system. • When an outside force upsets the balance between
• Gas Sensor – used to sense natural gas protons and electrons, the atom can lose or gain
concentrations in the air (between 200-10,000 ppm) electrons.
• IR Receiver Sensor (TSOP) – an electronic device o losing electrons will make the atom
used to detect and measure Infrared radiation in its positively charged
surrounding environment. o gaining electrons will make the atom
• Optocoupler – allows you to connect two circuits negatively charged
that are not powered by the same source.
o A small LED inside illuminates a CONDUCTORS AND INSULATORS
photoreceptor, which closes an internal • Insulators - don't easily pass on electrons, have low
switch when illuminated. electron mobility, and this does not conduct
• PIR Sensor (or Passive Infra-Red Sensor) – also electricity.
called as pyroelectric sensor. This sensor generates o rubber
energy when exposed to heat. o glass
o Because humans and animals emit heat o oil
energy through infrared, the sensor will o diamond
detect movement when it comes within o dry wood
range of the sensor. o plastic
• Photoresistor – also called as photocell or light- o paper
sensitive resistor. This is a variable resistor whose o cardboard box
resistance varies depending on the amount of light o ceramic
falling on its face. o wool
o fabric
OUTPUT COMPONENTS • Conductors - have high electron mobility and can
conduct electricity.
• Output components are components that display or
o any metal
show text, graphics, tactile (touch), audio, or video.
o silver
• DC Motors – converts electrical energy into o copper
mechanical energy when there is electricity applied o gold
to its connectors. o steel
• H-bridge – a circuit that lets you control the direction o water
of the voltage applied to a load. When used in a o aluminum
motor, it can change the direction of the rotation. o graphite
• LED – a type of diode that lightens when electricity o nail
passes through it. The electricity in LEDs only flows o keys
in one direction.
 ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT
• Resistance – the restriction of the flow of electrons.
• Electrical Circuit – a path that connects two points
This is measured in Ohms (Ω). This occurs when an
from the negative terminal to the positive terminal of
electron collides with an atom.
a power source in a circuit where the charge flows.
o Conductors – offers very little resistance
o Closed Circuit – electrons are able to flow
o Insulators – materials that have high
o Open Circuit – electrons are unable to flow
resistance
• Voltage – the energy that causes current by pushing
• Higher resistance = lower current flow
electrons in a circuit in the same direction. It is
• Lower resistance = higher current flow
measured in volts (V).
o Potential Difference – the energy difference
in volts between two points in a circuit. This OHM’S LAW
measures the amount of work that can be • Ohm’s Law (Ω) – a formula used to quantify the
done in a circuit. relationship between voltage, current, and
o Coulomb (C) – the SI unit for electric resistance.
charge o named after Georg Simon Ohm – a
o 1 Volts = 1 Joule / 1 Coulomb German physicist who studied the
• an electrical circuit can be series or parallel. relationship between voltage (V), current
o Series Circuit – a circuit that contains only (I), and resistance (R). He is credited for
one path for current to flow. formulating Ohm’s Law.
o Parallel Circuit – a circuit where all
components are connected between the
same set of electrically common points. It
contains 2 or more path for current to flow.
▪ Voltage is equal across all
components in the circuit.

ELECTRICAL CURRENT
• Electrical Current – the total amount of charge
passing through a wire over a period of time.
o Current – the flow of electrons in a circuit.
• Ampere - the base unit of electric current which tells
how many electrons flow past a single point every
second.
• Watt (W) - a unit of power in electrical and
mechanical terms. It is named after James Watt, the
inventor of Steam Engine.
o 1W = 1 joule per second (mechanical)
o 1W = 1 volt-ampere per second (electrical)
• Formula for calculating Watts:

• Types of Current:
o Alternating Current (AC) – varies on a
regular basis. It is used in power plants that
generates electricity to homes.
o Direct Current – provides a constant
voltage which flows in one direction. It is
used in batteries.