Week 5 Blog Post - Challenge Build Five

 The Challenge Build Five – Adventure in Making

Explanation of the Project

In week five, our challenge was to expand on our learned skills and knowledge of the Arduino circuit electronic system and associated coding software to choose a project from the number of remaining activity projects in the Arduino project manual we received from our starter kit. So, I began by browsing through the project manual to choose an activity. After considerable time and reading through some of the challenges available in the manual, I originally chose to do the photoresistor activity. but when I began pulling out and selecting the parts required to complete this challenge, I noticed that I did not have a photoresistor in the Arduino starter kit that I received. So, after scrapping that idea to work on that photoresistor activity, I reviewed the other projects listed in the manual and chose the sound activity to work with the Piezo Buzzer for the challenge. 

For this challenge, I was tasked with combining the analog and digital world using the Piezo Buzzer, circuit board, breadboard, and associated coding Arduino IDE software. The piezo buzzer clicks when a certain voltage is applied. It will also make a tone sound when the voltage is turned off and on hundreds of times per second. So, if you then use the coding skills and knowledge learned in this activity with the previous week's knowledge and skills, you can use the buzzer to play music! 

Screenshot of my Code for the Arduino Piezo Buzzer

  

Image of my Arduino Circuit Board and Breadboard Arduino Piezo Buzzer Setup

 

Electronic Diagram of Arduino circuit board and Breadboard setup

Video explaining Piezo Buzzer Arduino project & how it works

The video above shows a coding program directing the voltage to send the current hundreds or thousands of times per second, then it makes the sound of the tones and thus explains the project and how it works. The video demonstrates how the project works. I explained how I started with the challenge and what my thinking was as I worked through the challenge project where the code and or the circuit was modified.

It was neat to learn about the magnet and coiled wire inside of the buzzer, where the magnet receives current from the voltage of the circuit from our coding program, and the magnetized magnet pulls the coiled wire to the magnet, where it makes the sound of a click. Then when it is programmed, and the voltage sends the current hundreds or thousands of times per second, then it makes a sound of a tone. It was really neat to learn about this and how it works. 

Video of my programmed Piezo Buzzer Arduino playing Silent Night

  

Although I am not very good "yet" with the electronic Arduino circuit and breadboard, because of my years of knowledge and skills in the Information Technology department at the large community college where I work, I have expanded my technology skills and comfort with computer programming, which has been a fun and pleasant overall experience in this course on makerspaces. It is really neat to learn more about how to do computer programming and that I can do this too! It was neat learning how to use the new coding language through the use of the Arduino IDE software application to program Silent Night this week after watching numerous tutorials and extended time troubleshooting the issues with the circuit setup and the coding too, but I did it, and I am happy about it. 

Final Reflection

Reflecting on my adventures in making this week was cool but definitely harder than I expected. When I gathered the parts and reviewed the diagram before putting the circuit and breadboard together, I thought it would be easy to assemble with so few parts. However, I experienced just the opposite with the challenging setup of the circuit and breadboard. The buzzer was a bit larger than the scale perspective on the diagram, and the pins, from my view of them, appeared to be exactly the same size, which they shouldn't have been, which led to numerous attempts of me placing the buzzer correctly on the breadboard with the jumper wires and circuit positioning. This led me to become frustrated so much that I had to walk away from the project for a while before calming down and trying the setup again. Finally, I was able to complete this "simple" circuit setup. 

Then I went to the Arduino IDE coding software so that I could type the code for the activity. The project manual explained the coding language necessary to control this activity and assembly. It was neat to learn about the magnet and coiled wire inside of the buzzer, where the magnet receives current from the voltage of the circuit from our coding program, and the magnetized magnet pulls the coiled wire to the magnet, where it makes the sound of a click. Then when it is programmed, and the voltage sends the current hundreds or thousands of times per second, then it makes a sound of a tone. It was really neat to learn about this and how it works. 

Similar Programs/Circuits in the Real World - RGB LED & Multiple LEDs

Music Playing Cards

Megaphones

Celebration Noise Makers

Children's Melody Playing Toys

Game Show Buzzers

Scrolling Marque Signs

Seasonal Lighting

Christmas Tree Lights