For the past few weeks we worked in the category of robotics. We worked in partners throughout the multiple experiments. Our final goal was to completely understand the operation of circuits and to create our very own light show.
We first started off by learning the basics of electricity further in depth. We played around with light bulbs, alligator clips, and of course batteries to study the dynamics of a circuit. In order to create a circuit you have to know how to read a circuit diagram to understand the connections. So we learned about the different figures that symbolize different things:
One of the first basic components we worked with were the alligator clips. The clips provided a visual representation, as well with the battery and light bulbs, of how the circuit works or in some cases how it didn't work. For example, whenever an end of the clip wasn't connected to the battery, the circuit was therefore incomplete. The clue that showed if the circuit was compete was if the light bulb was on or off. If the light bulb lit up then a complete circuit was created vice versa.
After becoming comfortable with the basics of electricity, we moved on a more advanced project, this time using a breadboard and a computer program called Arduino. We used many different materials including resisters, LEDs, potentiometers, and many linking wires. We followed the Arduino guide to learn about different codes used to create a variety of functions with the keyboard. For example, we learned how to make an LED light blink, how to make a song using a buzzer, and how to make different patterns with multiple LED light along with many other things.
Our Light Show
My partner and I decided that we wanted to create a song using the buzzer and some type of pattern with the LED's to go according to the song for our light show. When we first started this project we started off by coding the lights. We soon discovered that we actually had to code the song first instead of the other way around which made us lose a couple of days. Due to many problems with our code we only had time for something simple so we choose to create our light show the "Hot Cross Buns". We did this by researching the notes for the song and then changed the frequencies in the code to the match the notes we wanted. Next we connected the LEDs to the output of the buzzer and to the resisters. This made it possible for the lights to blink in beat of the song.
Concepts
Circuit- complete loop of conductive material from one end of a power source to the other
Current- measured by ammeter in amps, "flow" of electricity
Voltage- measured by a voltmeter in volts, "push" of electricity
Series Circuit- current has to go through multiple resisters in a row
Parallel Circuit- current has many paths it can take
Ohm's Law- this law states the current and resistance equals the voltage, V=IR
Kirchhoff's Law- current law- the sum of the currents going into a connection must equal the sum of the currents leaving the connection voltage law- the sum of the voltages around a circuit must be equal to zerod
Power- brightness of a bulb (watts)
Reflection
When first learning of our task, I honestly was a but worried because I had absolutely no background information about electronics. I was both scared and excited to start this unit. For the first part of this project I worked with Camille and then later switched to work with Lindsey. One peak was that I'm very close with both of my partners so I was always comfortable speaking out and telling them my opinion. We got along great which also made it easier to communicate while learning new things but also having fun. Another peak was that we always caught each other whenever we would get off task. Or even sometimes we would both drift off and soon realize that we needed to get work done and got back at it.
Although we had lots of peaks we also had a few pits. One pit was that we could of been more independent on figuring things out on our own. Most times when were were stuck, we just asked another friend who understood it for help. I think next time I can work on being more committed to finding the answer on my own. Another huge pit was our time management. At first we were right on track with the rest of the class but then we gradually got a little bit more and more behind. Another example is how we kept having troubles with coding the light show so we ended starting all over which didn't give us much time to finish it.
In my opinion this was by far the most challenging but yet most rewarding project we've had in STEM so far. Like I said before, I wasn't as familiar with electricity stuff as like other students which made me lost a couple times but by the end of the project I feel much more confident about it. Coding, using breadboards, and making circuits was a fantastic experience and I can't wait to do it again!