Week 6 Blog Post - Challenge Build Six

The Challenge Build Six – Iron Chef Challenge ~ 
Arduino DC Motor, Potentiometer & Multiple LEDs

Explanation of the Project

For week six, we were assigned the "Iron Chef" challenge with the directions given to include the "secret ingredient" being DC motor (Direct Current), or servo motors to our Arduino Activity for this difficult and final Arduino challenge of this course. I'm not going to lie, I was concerned from the start. However, like with all other challenges for this course, I dove right in. 

For this final "iron chef" challenge, I was tasked with including either servo or DC motors in the activity for the week. I began the week by learning everything I could about motors with our Arduino starter kits. I felt that this was important because prior to this course, I have never been interested or bothered to learn about electronics or motors; despite working with technology for years, engineering concepts weren't on my personal or professional radars. Unlike with previous challenges throughout this course, I hadn't noticed the introductions to the subject to include warnings about reframing from connecting/driving the motor to or from the Arduino board pins because it could damage the board or the operator, which in this instance, was me. This warning was also added by fellow classmates in our course to be careful because they had burnt their fingers/hands touching the hot motor! EEK. Carry on with caution, I continued. 

DC motors or Direct Current motors I learned are the most common type of motor, and if the motor is connected to a battery, one positive and one negative lead, respectively, the battery will then make the motor begin rotating. DR motors, once connected correctly and programmed correctly, can simply make the motor spin, control the speed of the motor, or control the direction of the motor. Also, this activity included a transistor. I learned that this operates like a switch that would control the power of the motor. Pin 3 of the transistor would turn on and off the transistor, and it would be given 'motorPin' as the name of this component in the sketch. High will direct the motor to spin at full speed when directed from the Arduino sketch coding of the activity. 

Screenshot of my Code for the Arduino DC Motor, Potentiometer & Multiple LEDs

The above Arduino sketch is one of the final sketches that I attempted for this week's super "iron chef" challenge. To be honest, I continue to believe that my obstacles primarily remain the circuit and breadboard setup throughout this course, working with the Arduino circuit, components, and coding software. The orientation of some of the directional drawings, diagrams, and other directions continues to give me difficulties due to the fact that I am left-handed, I put things in backward, and my brain interprets the components to go one way, and then I learn through the troubleshooting when the activity doesn't run correctly the first attempt that when I simply remove, twist, and replace the tiny components that the sketch runs correctly and I am then able to successfully complete the challenges. Also, when I input the necessary coding for the Arduino sketches each week, then check the coding for errors prior to running the sketch, I rarely have had any Arduino sketch errors. 

Image of my Arduino Circuit Board and Breadboard Arduino DC Motor, Potentiometer & Multiple LEDs Setup

     

The images above are images of my circuit and breadboard setup, which were the final setups of many for the week. I had numerous sessions this week that was difficult for me, including the choice of the project that I was going to select, problems with setting up the assembled parts to the circuit and breadboards, and even the coding complexities of the projects that I had originally chosen to follow through to completion for the week. Through many hours of tinkering, troubleshooting, and going back and forth with my questions through the setups, I finally narrowed my assigned project to be to use the DC motor with the Arduino circuit, potentiometer, and multiple LEDs. Regardless of my final choice, with included the "secret ingredient" week's required component, I have learned with these timed deadlines that I am less confident with the process of completing this final complex challenge; although I learned a lot through many mistakes, redos, rereading, and tinkering some more through it all, I did have fun!

Electronic Diagram of Arduino circuit board and Breadboard setup

This week I attempted to challenge myself further by using the software TinkerCAD, a 3D modeling online software application that is FREE. Among many features of this software, I used it to digitally draw the electronic diagram of this week's Arduino circuit board and breadboard setup. This software is pretty neat. It also allows users to use the app to simulate the Arduino sketch, post activities, and communicate with like-minded people who tinker with these electronic devices used to learn coding and various assigned or made-up computer technology activities and others too!

Video of DC Motor, Potentiometer & Multiple LEDs Arduino project

   

  

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 this week that the potentiometer was used to control the speed of the motor by changing the duty cycle of the PWM signal. The potentiometer was connected to the Arduino circuit analog pin A0 input. The DC motor was connected to pin 2 and which is also the PWM pin. For the activity, the potentiometer is used to control the voltage, which then controls the speed of the DC motor.

Video/Audio of my programmed DC Motor, Potentiometer & Multiple LEDs, 

and Final Reflection

Please listen to the attached audio discussing the specifics of this week's Iron Chef Arduino challenge. I have discussed in depth my work with the Arduino coding software along with the circuit and breadboard setup as well as my reasons for choosing to include the audio explanation separate from the above video of this week's experiment.

Video of my Arduino Circuit Board and Breadboard Arduino Servo Motor Setup

   
Servo motors are great for controlling devices and programming them to turn in specific directions and turn up to certain degrees in those directions. When you connect the servo motor to the Arduino circuit and breadboard, you can then direct the position and direction of the shaft turning position. These components are used to rotate parts of machinery with a high degree of efficiency. 

Servo motors work when you program the circuit to send electrical pulse width modulation (PWM) by way of the control wire. There are the minimum and maximum pulses, and there are repetition rates that control these motors. The term servo in servo motors is a process that converts electricity into motion that is precisely controlled using a negative feedback mechanism. Servo motors can be programmed to rotate in a circular motion or even a linear motion, which depends on the purpose and desired electronic configuration of the device being worked with.

I was able to set up the servo motor on the circuit and breadboard, and the program is using the Arduino coding software application. Initially, again, I did have difficulty setting up the circuit and breadboard, but once I persisted and obtained success with the circuit setup, I was then able to focus on the Arduino sketch code programming to get the servo motor to rotate in a circular motion. For this tinkering activity and time frame, I did not attempt to set up the servo motor with any other Arduino circuits or components. I was elated that I was just able to set up and program the servo motor to rotate in specific motions, so I stopped there. I have learned through my lifelong learning experiences that I would rather learn a little bit about a lot of things that become an expert with only one or two things. This was the direction I was working through my Arduino tinkering for this week and probably moving forward, continuing to learn more working with the Arduino circuit, components, and the associated coding software application. 

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