Arduino Lesson 3: The Buzzer Speaks – Make Your Arduino Sing!

In this lesson, we’ll introduce a new component: the buzzer! It’s like a tiny speaker that can make different sounds. Get ready to make your Arduino sing a simple tune!

Objective: Learn how to use a buzzer to create sound.

Materials:

  • Arduino Uno board
  • Breadboard
  • Buzzer
  • Jumper wires
  • Computer with Arduino IDE software installed

Step 1: Connecting the Buzzer

  1. Find the two legs of the buzzer: One is positive (+) and the other is negative (-).
  2. Connect the positive leg of the buzzer to a digital output pin on the Arduino: We’ll use pin 8 in this lesson.
  3. Connect the negative leg of the buzzer to a ground rail on the breadboard: This completes the buzzer’s circuit.

Step 2: Programming the Arduino

  1. Open the Arduino IDE.
  2. Copy and paste the following code:
const int buzzerPin = 8; // Buzzer connected to pin 8

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

void loop() {
  tone(buzzerPin, 440); // Play note A (440 Hz) for 1 second
  delay(1000);
  noTone(buzzerPin); // Stop playing
  delay(1000);
}
  1. Upload the code to the Arduino board.

Step 3: Listen to the Buzzer

  • You should hear the buzzer playing a simple tone (note A) for one second, then stopping for one second, and repeating.

Congratulations! You’ve made your Arduino sing!

Let’s Experiment:

  • Change the frequency: Try changing the number in the tone(buzzerPin, 440); line to create different sounds. For example, try tone(buzzerPin, 880); for a higher note.
  • Play a melody: Try creating a short melody by using multiple tone() commands with different frequencies and delays.

Keep experimenting with sound and have fun with Arduino!