Connecting my breadboard / Arduino to my laptop

The residents were really helpful in explaining the basics - this is a sketch that one of them drew to help me understand how a voltage regulator works. 

After working with this microcontroller for 20 minutes trying to measure voltage, we learned that the microcontroller itself was faulty. 

One part of this I struggled with was understanding the role of ground. Voltage/power made sense, but it was hard to get why you need ground. I think I get it now after seeing how the light was powered - it’s all about creating a “balance” between the two. The resistor & the ground wire in the middle work together to power the LED light, powered by the ground on the right side of the breadboard, and the voltage on the left side.


USING THE MICROCONTROLLER

I worked with Maria for this part of the assignment.



Testing the voltage of the wires




Testing the resistance of the resistor. At first we were confused because it is a 220 ohms resistor, then realized that the microcontroller is measuring the resistance in kilohms.



Measuring the resistance of my fingers

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CREATING OUR SWITCH

I worked with Maria Martinez and Olive Yu for this lab. The idea for our switch was using wire we found on the junk shelf to create 2 bracelets or rings, and when they connected, the LED would light up.


We stripped the end of the wire to remove the blue plastic coating and tested it to make sure it could conduct enough electricity to complete the circuit.

Creating the bracelets that were each connected to the breadboard. 


The final product. In addition to stripping the plastic coating from the end inserted into the breadboard, we also needed to strip part of it on the bracelet itself, so when those two parts touched, the circuit would be completed.



Olive and Maria each made a ring out of the wire and put it on.


It worked - when they touched the wire the LED lit up.