To complete this project, you will have to use what you learned about electronics and circuit building. You will use these concepts/skills to make your cardboard model respond to its environment with a microcontroller, sensors and LEDs.
Documentation
You should document every step of this project. You may use a scanner (ideal for documenting sketches), photography, video (i.e: to show circuit/interaction working), and code samples. These visual documents should be accompanied by a written statement (use this template for inspiration). It’s also a good idea to include short captions under your images/videos.
Step 1 – Blinking LED
You’ll start by creating your own “blinking LED” circuit. You can find all the information/materials you’ll need for this on the “Programming the Arduino” and “Building a circuit” pages.
Step 2 – Sketches (part I)
Now that we know how to light up LEDs, let’s think about how we could incorporate them into our cardboard model. Perhaps the eyes of the characters light up, or its coat buttons… write down ideas and draw a sketch (including where the microcontroller/wires will be hidden). (See final version in step 5)
Step 3 – Digital circuit
In this next step, instead of having the LED blink continuously, we’ll have it respond to a digital input. You will use a button or “on/off” switch to control the LED. You can find all the information/materials you’ll need for this on the “Digital Input and Output” page.
Step 4 – Analog circuit
We will now change our digital input into an analog one. This could be a photocell, a potentiometer… any sensor that sends back analog data (a wide range of numbers, rather than a simple on/off sensor). You can find all the information/materials you’ll need for this on the “Analog Input and Output” page.
Step 5 – Sketches (part II)
Revise the sketch from step 2, to show what sensor you will be using and where it will be placed.
Step 6 – Integrated circuit
Now that we have a working analog circuit and a clear idea of how to incorporate it into our cardboard model… let’s implement our idea. Use a 9V battery with clips to power the microcontroller and hide the wires/breadboard as much as possible.
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