http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLchqsvL9-4&feature=plcp

As one can imagine, learning to build circuits and program the Arduino isn’t the easiest thing I’ve ever done, but it isn’t the most difficult either.  I’m progressing slowly, but surely.  Lately I’ve been experimenting with all of the different types of sensors that came with my Arduino kit.  I’ve got flex sensors, potentiometers, soft potentiometers, photo-sensors, and temperature sensors, all of which I can use in order to have my programs and computer chips interact with the outside world.

One may think learning to use all of these different sensors would be extremely difficult, but they all actually work quite similarly.  The sensors each let a different amount of voltage through based on their state.  By this, I mean a flex sensor lets a different about of voltage through based on how bent it is or a temperature sensor lets a different amount of voltage through based on how hot or cold it is.  Then I program the Arduino to read how much of the voltage is coming through, and based on that I can do things such as light LEDs at varying intensities.  An example of this can be found in the video I linked up top.  In the video I use a photo-sensor to control the a LED.

This coming week I plan to start experimenting with motors and servos, so expect some cool videos and posts to come.

P.S.    Subscribe to my Youtube channel as I’ll probably be adding videos that I won’t blog about!