M5 L9: Tinkercad Environment

• Lesson 9.1 Introduction to Tinkercad

  Tinkercad is a free online collection of software tools that help people all over the world think, create, and make. We’re the ideal introduction to Autodesk, the leader in 3D design, engineering, and entertainment software
• Lesson 9.1 Introduction to Tinkercad

  Tinkercad is one of the online simulation programs that offers Arduino circuitry and programming. This will be a very helpful tool for students who want to try it out before doing it on a physical circuit. You just need to login using your Google or Facebook account. After signing in, simply click the Circuits link the left menu
• Lesson 9.2 Working Environment

  1. Workspace
  2. Code
  3. Start/Stop Simulation
  4. Components
• Lesson 9.2 Working Environment

  • Workspace = In this space, you bring together the various components required to construct your circuit
  • Code = This button will display the coding area for your circuit, giving you the flexibility to choose your preferred coding method. You can opt for (1) blocks or graphical programming, (2) blocks + text, which reveals the corresponding textual code for your blocks, or (3) text programming, allowing you to code using pure text.
• Lesson 9.2 Working Environment

  • Start/Stop Simulation = Simulation replicates the functioning of a real-world process or system. Pressing this button will assess the functionality of the circuits and their components
  • Components = This area contains the components you can use in creating your circuit. Most of them are compatible with Arduino.
• Lesson 9.3 Components

  Tinkercad displays the electronic components used to create circuits in the panel usually at the right side of the page. Some of the electronic components used to create circuits are output components, sensors, and breadboards
• Lesson 9.3.1 Output Components

  • LED
  • Buzzers
  • RGB LED
  • LCD Display
• Lesson 9.3.1 Output Components

  • LED = LED or light emitting diode is an electronic device that emits light when an electric current passes through it. An LED has one connection called a cathode and another called anode. The LED anode in the circuit is identified by a bent leg. Cathode is connected to the ground while anode is connected to a digital pin
• Lesson 9.3.1 Output Components

  • Buzzers = also called a piezo buzzer. It is a tiny speaker that you can connect directly to an Arduino. The buzzer allows you to generate sound at a frequency you specify. It produces sound through the reverse of the piezoelectric effect. Similar to LEDs, buzzers have two legs - one negative and one positive. You can connect the negative leg to the ground and the positive leg to the digital pin. Alternatively, you can connect the positive leg to the ground and the negative leg to the digital pin.
• Lesson 9.3.1 Output Components

  • RGB LED = consists of three different LED’s. From the name itself, you can guess that these LEDs are red, green, and blue. You can obtain many other colors by mixing up these colors. Unlike the common LED which has two legs only, RGB LED has 4 pins/legs
• Lesson 9.3.1 Output Components

  • LCD Display = can be used as a small screen which can display up to two rows of 16 characters each
• Lesson 9.3.2 Sensors

  Sensors are examples of input components which is used to bring data into the system. Other examples of input components that are not sensors are potentiometer, buttons, dials, etc
• Lesson 9.3.2 Sensors

  • photoresistors
  • ultra sonic sensor
  • water level sensor
  • humidity sensor
  • sound sensor
  • motion sensor
• Lesson 9.3.2 Sensors

  • Photoresistors – also known as light dependent resistors (LDR), are light sensitive devices most often used to indicate the presence or absence of light, or to measure the light intensity.
• Lesson 9.3.2 Sensors

  • Ultrasonic Sensor – an instrument that measures the distance of an object using ultrasonic sound waves. An ultrasonic sensor uses a transducer to send and receive ultrasonic pulses that relay back information about an object's proximity. They can be found in automobile self-parking technology and anticollision safety systems. Ultrasonic sensors are also used in robotic obstacle detection systems, as well as manufacturing technology.
• Lesson 9.3.2 Sensors

  • Water Level Sensor – used to detect the level of substances that can flow. Such substances include liquids, slurries, granular material, and powders. Water level measurements can be done inside containers, or it can be the level of a river or lake. Such measurements can be used to determine the amount of materials within a closed container or the flow of water in open channels.
• Lesson 9.3.2 Sensors

  • Humidity Sensor – electronic device that measures the humidity in its environment and converts its findings into a corresponding electrical signal. Some humidity sensors can be found in handheld devices (such as smartphones), while others are integrated into larger embedded systems (such as air quality monitoring systems). Humidity sensors are commonly used in the meteorology, medical, automobile, HVAC and manufacturing
• Lesson 9.3.2 Sensors

  • Sound Sensor – defined as a module that detects sound waves through its intensity and converting it to electrical signals. Sound sensors can be used in security and monitoring systems such as burglar alarms, door alarms, etc. it can also be used in home automation such as lighting your house by detecting a whistle/clap instead of physically turning the light switch.
• Lesson 9.3.2 Sensors

  • Motion Sensor – A motion sensor (or motion detector) is an electronic device that is designed to detect and measure movement. Motion sensors are used primarily in home and business security systems, but they can also be found in phones, paper towel dispensers, game consoles, and virtual reality systems
• Tinkercad offers photoresistor, ultrasonic sensor, temperature sensor, gas sensor and motion sensors only as their sensor components\
• Lesson 9.3.3 Breadboard

  A breadboard is a piece of plastic that has several holes. These holes are used to hold different electronic components. The breadboard has a grid of thirty by ten holes in the main area. The rows are numbered 1 to 30, and the columns are labeled with the letters ‘a’ through ‘j.’ The columns ‘a’ through ‘e’ are separated from columns ‘f’ through ‘j’. The edges of the board contain two columns with the same number of rows. These columns and rows are used for power supply. The components in the main area of the board will tap into these columns to draw electric current

  
• Lesson 9.4 Code

  Building robots has two phases: engineering/building phase and programming phase. After you build your circuit using the components discussed on the previous lesson, it will still not work because there is no program in it. Imagine you bought a computer. After assembling it and connecting different peripherals, it will still not work unless there’s already an operating system installed in it. It’s the same with robotics, one should install a program first on the controller for it to work
• Lesson 9.4.1 Graphical Programming

  • The graphical programming approach enables computers to process spatial representations in multiple dimensions. Unlike text-based programming, which relies on lines of code, graphical programming replaces text with visual representations or symbols of physical object.
• Lesson 9.4.1 Graphical Programming

  • In Tinkercad, there is an option to use "blocks" to construct your code. This feature is particularly beneficial for novice programmers as they do not need to study and memorize complex syntax. Users can simply drag and drop blocks to create shapes and rearrange them as desired, as long as the logical structure is correct.
• Lesson 9.4.2 Serial Monitor

  The Serial Monitor plays a crucial role in Arduino projects, serving as a valuable tool for debugging, concept testing, and direct communication with the Arduino board. One of its key functions is to display the values detected by sensors, allowing you to determine the appropriate threshold for triggering specific actions.