Arduino Lesson 1: The Blinky Light

In this exciting first lesson, young inventors will embark on their Arduino journey by building a simple but captivating project: the Blinky Light!

Get Ready to:

  • Discover Arduino: Learn about what Arduino is, what it can do, and how it can bring their creative ideas to life.
  • Meet the Parts: Get acquainted with essential electronic components like the Arduino board, breadboard, LED, resistor, and jumper wires.
  • Build a Circuit: Connect these components together on a breadboard to create a simple circuit that powers an LED.

By the end of this lesson, you will:

  • Understand the basic concepts of Arduino programming.
  • Have built your first Arduino circuit.
  • Witness the magic of making an LED blink using code!

This lesson is perfect for:

  • Beginners who are curious about electronics and programming.
  • Children eager to explore the world of Arduino and invent their own creations.

Let’s get started!

Objective: To learn the basics of Arduino programming and control an LED.

Materials:

  • Arduino Uno board
  • Breadboard
  • LED (any color)
  • 220-ohm resistor
  • Jumper wires

What is Arduino?

  • Imagine a tiny computer that you can control! Arduino is a small, affordable board that lets you create your own electronic projects. It’s like a mini-brain that can be programmed to make things move, light up, sense things around it, and even talk to other devices.
  • Think of Arduino as a fun and easy way to bring your ideas to life! You can build things like robots, musical instruments, interactive games, and even smart home devices.

What can it do?

  • Make things move: Control motors, servos, and other moving parts.
  • Make things light up: Control LEDs, LCD screens, and other lights.
  • Sense the world: Use sensors to detect light, sound, temperature, and more.
  • Communicate: Connect to other devices like computers, phones, and the internet.

Meet the Parts:

Arduino Board:

  • This is the brain of your project! It has a microcontroller chip that runs your program.
  • It has buttons, LEDs, and other ports to connect components.
  • We’ll be using the Arduino Uno board in this lesson.

Breadboard:

  • A breadboard is like a friendly board with holes that let you connect wires and components easily.
  • You can try out different connections and rearrange components without soldering them permanently.

LED (Light Emitting Diode):

  • An LED is a small lightbulb that glows when electricity passes through it.
  • It comes in many colors, so you can create fun light effects!

Resistor:

  • A resistor controls the amount of electricity that flows through a circuit.
  • It’s like a traffic officer that helps keep the LED safe by limiting the electricity.

Jumper Wires:

  • These are colorful wires that connect the different parts of your circuit.
  • They make it easy to connect everything together on the breadboard.

Building the Circuit:

  1. Connect the Resistor and LED:
    • Find the longer leg of the LED (the positive leg).
    • Insert this longer leg into a row of holes on the breadboard.
    • Insert the resistor into an adjacent row of holes on the breadboard.
    • Connect the other leg of the resistor to the same row as the LED’s shorter leg (negative leg).
  2. Connect the Arduino:
    • Connect the Arduino board to the breadboard using jumper wires.
    • Find the digital pin 13 on the Arduino board. This pin will be used to control the LED.
    • Connect one end of a jumper wire to digital pin 13 on the Arduino.
    • Connect the other end of the jumper wire to the row where the LED’s longer leg is connected.
  3. Check the Connection:
    • Make sure all the connections are secure and there are no loose wires.

Important Notes:

  • Always double-check your connections before powering up the circuit.
  • Be careful with the wires and avoid bending them too much.
  • If the LED doesn’t light up, check your connections and make sure the Arduino is powered on.

Programming the Blink: 

Open the Arduino IDE and copy the following code:

void setup() {
  pinMode(13, OUTPUT); // Set pin 13 as output
}

void loop() {
  digitalWrite(13, HIGH); // Turn LED on
  delay(1000);          // Wait for 1 second
  digitalWrite(13, LOW);  // Turn LED off
  delay(1000);          // Wait for 1 second
}
  1. Uploading the Code: Explain how to upload the code to the Arduino board.
  2. Observe and Experiment: Watch the LED blink! Encourage them to experiment with changing the delay values to make the LED blink faster or slower.