In the previous video we used analogWrite() to dim a LED (strip). We can make a fade effect when we gradually increase or decrease the analog output, step by step, with an interval time. A fade is nice for many applications … kitchen counter light, model railway overhead lighting (to gradually shift from night to […]
We have used analogRead() to measure the voltage on an analog input pin. Arduino also has the opposite function available: analogWrite(). This name is misleading though. The analog inputs are ‘real’ … the applied voltage is measured by a 10 bit A/D converter. But the Arduino does not have a D/A converter on board. An […]
Now that we know how to get rid of the delay(0 and use millis() in stead (see previous video 13) we can finalize our Automatic Day Night Light Cycle unit to have direct on screen feedback of cycle time adjustment by the user and to have the cycle stop, and the lights turn off, immediately […]
Our day / night light switching unit works fine, but for one thing: when we input a new cycle time via keyboard or via an analog input, we do not have any feedback on the monitor on what we are inputting. This is caused by the delay() instruction, which is easy to use, but which […]
Now that the User Interface based on keyboard input is working (see video 11) we’ll now focus on the other solution we promised our customer, the Tech Company: a rotating knob on the switch panel. We have a couple of options … we can use an analog potentiometer, or a digital rotary encoder. I made […]
Since video 10 our software shows the cycle status and the current day / night time on the PC screen. The next step is to be able to enter a new value for the cycle time via the keyboard. Luckily this is made easy … the Arduino has several instructions to read data: Serial.available() tells […]
Now that our code works well, thanks to using the unsigned long data type or by typecasting an int to an unsigned long where needed, we can now continue with our User Interface. We like to see the current status of the day-night cycle on the PC screen and dynamically update it. The plan is […]
Before we continue with our User Interface we first have a little challenge with the code of video 8. If you tried the code you may have found that it did not work as we expected: when we threw the switch, the lights went on, but they did not turn off after 180 seconds. Why […]
When I worked with a large tech company, we had this cartoon on the wall to remind us of the importance of good communication between all parties involved in a project: If a project starts with unambiguous specifications, properly reviewed and agreed upon by all parties, costly modifications in the later phases of a project […]
In video 5 we saw how we can connect multiple LEDs to the Arduino via a relay or a FET switch module. With those we can switch the higher currents needed for say street lights on a model layout. In video 4 we simulated a night cycle, triggered by a push button. Why not make […]
