The Engineering Projects

Introduction to Arduino Pico

Hi Friends! I welcome you on board. Happy to see you around. In this post today, I’ll walk you through the Introduction to Arduino Pico.

Arduino Pico is the world’s smallest Arduino compatible board, as said by Arduino Official Page. Because of its small size & low weight, it is normally used in autonomous projects i.e. drones, robots, quadcopters etc. where size is the real issue.

Arduino boards are introduced in modern electronics, to make projects economical and easy to design. A common man with no prior knowledge about programming can get hands-on experience with them. This smallest Pico version is readily available to turn your innovative thoughts into reality.

I suggest you read this post all the way through as I’ll detail the complete Introduction to Arduino Pico covering datasheet, pinout, features, pin description, programming and communication and applications.

Let’s get started.

Introduction to Arduino Pico

• Arduino Pico is a small-sized(0.6" x 0.6"), breadboard-friendly and Arduino-Compatible Microcontroller board, based on Atmega32u4 Microcontroller, contains 15 pins onboard and developed by MellBell Electronics(a Canadian company confounded by MOHAMMAD MALHAS & AHMAD NABEL).
• Leonardo compatible bootloader is pre-installed in Arduino Pico.
• The small size of 0.6” x 0.6” and 1.1g weight is what makes it special for a range of autonomous applications i.e. quadcopters, robots, automation etc.
• Arduino Pico comes with 8 digital input/output pins.
• It also contains 3 analog I/O pins used for interfacing analog sensors.
• Out of 8 digital pins, 1 Pin can also be used for generating PWM pulses and its Pin # D3.
• Arduino Pico board operates at 5V while the input voltage ranges from 7V to 12V.
• The maximum current rating of Arduino Pico is 40mA, so we can't attach a load drawing more current than that.
• The board also contains one micro USB Type-B Port, a reset button and a Reset pin.
• Arduino Pico supports two types of Communication Protocols: (We will discuss them later in detail)
  • Serial Protocol.
  • SPI Protocol.
• The flash memory is 32KB out of which 4KB is used by Bootloader. It is the memory where the sketch is stored. (The code we compile on Arduino IDE software is called a sketch)
• It comes with an SRAM memory of 2.5KB, it's even greater than that of UNO(where SRAM is 2KB).
• It has a crystal oscillator of 16MHz, so it's as fast as UNO or Nano.
• On its Kickstarter page, it's available in multiple colors(around 20 different colors).
• Mellbell also offers an aluminum version of the board that can be used in overheated environments and applications.

Arduino Pico Datasheet

Before you apply this board to your embedded project, it’s wise to scan through the datasheet of the device that features the main characteristics of the board. You can download the datasheet of Arduino Pico by clicking the link below:

Arduino Pico Features

The following are the main features of the Arduino Pico board.

• Based on the ATmega32u4 microcontroller,
• Runs at a clocked frequency of 16 MHz
• 40 mA DC current per I/O pin
• 2.5KB of SRAM memory
• Bootloader: Leonardo compatible
• Reset: 1 pin
• 3 SPI pads on the back of the board
• 32 kB of internal Flash (4 kB used by the bootloader)
• 8x digital I/O pins, 1x PWM channel, and 3x analog input channels.
• The operating voltage is 5V.
• Input voltage range = 7 to 12 V.
• 6 x 0.6 inches size. Weight of 1.1 grams
• Bootloader compatible with the Arduino Leonardo

Arduino Pico Pin Description

• Hope you’ve got a sneak peek of this smallest Arduino board. In this section, we’ll detail the pin description of the pins installed on the board.

Analog Pins

• There are 3 analog pins available on the board. These pins can get any number of values in opposed to digital pins which get only two values i.e. HIGH and LOW.

PWM Pins

• This board incorporates one PWM channel which is employed to receive some of the analog output’s functions. When the PWM is activated, the board generates analog results with digital means.

Digital Pins

• Total 8 digital pins are employed on the board. These pins are introduced to be configured as inputs or outputs according to the requirement. These pins remain ON or OFF. When they are in the OFF state they are in a LOW voltage state receiving 0V and they are in HIGH voltage state they receive 5V.

Atmega32u4 Pinout

• The following figure represents the pinout diagram of Atmega32u4.

Atmega32u4 Pin Description

• In this section, we’ll detail the pin description of each pin available on Atmega32u4.

Vcc

• Digital voltage supply pin.

GND

• Ground Pin.

Port B (PB7...PB0)

• Port B is attached with pull-up resistors and is an 8-bit bidirectional I/O port. The pull up resistors are mainly employed to limit the current. This port is more efficient and contains better driving capabilities compared to other ports.

• When the pull up resistors are activated in this port C, it will source current with port pins extremely pulled low.

Port C (PC6, PC7)

• Port C is an 8-bit bidirectional I/O port that contains pull-up resistors.

• When the pull up resistors are activated, Port C is used to source current with port pins extremely pulled low - Similar to Port B.

Port D (PD7..PD0)

• Port D is a bi-directional 8-bit I/O port with pull-up resistors. When the reset condition is activated, the Port D pins are tri-stated.

Port E (PE6, PE2)

• Only two bits PE6 and PE2 are available on the product pinout. It is an 8-bit bidirectional port that features internal pull up resistors to limit the current.

Port F (PF7..PF4, PF1,PF0)

• Port F is a bidirectional port that serves as analog inputs for the A/D converter. Two bits PF2 and PF3 are not available on the device pinout.

D+

• USB Full speed / Low Speed Positive Data Upstream Port. It is connected to the USB D+ connector pin employed with the serial resistor 22W.

D-

• USB Full speed / Low Speed Negative Data Upstream Port. It must be connected to the USB D- connector pin incorporated with serial resistor 22W.

UGND

• This is USB pads ground.

UCAP

• USB Pads Internal Regulator Output supply voltage.

UVCC

• USB Pads internal regulator Input supply voltage.

VBUS

It is USB VBUS monitor input.

XTAL1

• Input to the inverting Oscillator amplifier and Input to the internal clock operating circuit.

XTAL2

• Output from the inverting Oscillator amplifier.

RESET

• A reset pin. When a low level applied to this pin for a longer period of time, it produces a reset. It is important to note that shorter pulses may not generate a reset.

AVCC

• AVCC is the supply voltage pin for all the A/D Converter channels.

AREF

• This pin is utilized as the analog reference pin for the A/D Converter.

Communication and Programming

• The module comes with different communication protocols including I2C, and UART.
• The UART is a serial communication protocol that carries two lines Tx and Rx where the former is a transmission line used to transfer the serial data and the latter is a receive data line used to receive the serial data.

• The I2C is a two-wire communication protocol that contains two lines named SCL and SDA. The SCL is a serial clock line that is used for the synchronization of all data transfer over the I2C bus while SDA is a serial data line mainly used to carry the data.
• Arduino IDE is the professional software developed by Arduino.cc that is used to program all types of Arduino Boards.
• Connect the board through USB to the computer and test and program the board as you like better.

Arduino Pico Applications

• Creating a wireless keyboard
• Water level meter.
• Health and security systems
• Student projects
• Embedded systems
• Industrial automation
• Automatic pill dispenser

It is important to note that all Arduino boards are microcontrollers but not all microcontrollers are Arduino boards. Due to its small size and easy to use functions, most people prefer Arduino boards over microcontrollers. Moreover, you don’t need to include extra peripherals while using these boards, as they come with built-in functions that don’t require the addition of external components. That’s all for today. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this article. If you’re unsure or have any questions, you can approach me in the section below. I’d love to help you the best way I can. You’re most welcome to share your valuable feedback and suggestions around the content we share so we keep sharing quality content customized to your exact needs and requirements. Thank you for reading the article.

ESP32 Pinout, Datasheet, Features & Applications

Hi Guys! I hope you’re doing great. Today, I am going to share Chapter Zero of the ESP32 Programming Course. I have called it Chapter 0 because today, we won't practically work on the ESP32. Instead, I’ll walk you through the detailed theoretical Introduction to the ESP32 Module, where we will discuss the ESP32 Pinout, Datasheet, Specifications, Features, Applications etc. in detail.

ESP32 is an embedded module that supports both WiFi and BT(dual-mode) connectivity and is thus used in Cloud-based IoT projects. ESP32 is the upgraded model of the ESP8266 module and is designed by Espressif Systems in China.

The following tables show the main features and technical specifications of the ESP32 module.

ESP32 Technical Specifications
No.	Parameter Name	Parameter Value
1	Microprocessor	Tensilica Xtensa single-/dual-core 32-bit LX6 microprocessor(s)
2	CoreMark® score	1 core at 240 MHz: 504.85 CoreMark; 2.10 CoreMark/MHz
		2 cores at 240 MHz: 994.26 CoreMark; 4.14 CoreMark/MHz
3	Operating Voltage	3.3V
4	DC Current on 3.3V Pin	50 mA
5	DC Current on I/O Pins	40 mA
6	Maximum Operating Frequency	240MHz
7	Frequency Oscillators	8MHz (Internal Oscillator)
		Internal RC Oscillatoror
		2MHz ~ 60MHz External Crystal Oscillator(40MHz required for WiFi/BT)
		32kHz External Crystal Oscillator(For RTC)
8	Timers	2 x 64-bit Timers, 1 RTC Timer,

ESP32 Pinout
1	DAC	2 Channels (8-bit, digital to analog converter)
2	ADC	18 Channels (12-bit, analog to digital converter)
3	Capacitive Touch Sensors	10
4	LED PWM	16 Channels

ESP32 Communication Protocols
1	Wi-Fi	802.11 b/g/n (Speed upto 150Mbps)
2	Bluetooth	Supports Classic Bluetooth v4.2 BR/EDR & Bluetooth Low Energy(BLE)
3	Bluetooth Low Energy	Supports BLE
4	UART Protocol	3 Channels
5	SPI Protocol	4 Channels
6	I2C Protocol	2 Channels
7	I2S Protocol	2 Channels (for digital audio)
8	CAN Protocol	1 Channels

ESP32 Builtin Memory
No.	Parameter Name	Parameter Value
1	SRAM	520kb
2	ROM(Flash Memory)	448kb
3	RTC SRAM	16kb

So, let's get started with the Introduction to ESP32:

Where To Buy?
No.	Components	Distributor	Link To Buy
1	ESP32	Amazon	Buy Now

Introduction to ESP32 Module

• ESP32 (designed by Espressif Systems, a Shanghai-based Chinese Company) is a 48 Pin microprocessor-based embedded IC(available in QFN package), that supports both WiFi & BT(dual-mode) connectivity and is used majorly in wearable devices, mobile & cloud-based IoT applications.
• The microprocessor used in the ESP32 chip is the Tensilica Xtensa LX6 microprocessor (single-core and dual-core).
• A few LX6 based ESP32 ICs are:
  • ESP32-D0WDQ6 (and ESP32-D0WD)
  • ESP32-D2WD
  • ESP32-S0WD
  • ESP32-PICO-D4

ESP32 vs ESP8266

• Both the ESP32 and ESP8266 are inexpensive WiFi modules with low power consumption.
• Both modules are desirable for DIY projects in the areas of IoT (Internet of Things) and automation.
• The ESP32 is a dual-core 160Mhz 240Mhz CPU, while the ESP8266 has an 80Mhz single-core processor. Therefore, if your primary concern is processor speed, you should prioritize the ESP32 over the ESP8266.
• The ESP32 offers more GPIO than the ESP8266.
• ESP32 supports Bluetooth 4.2 and BLE(Bluetooth Low Energy).
• The ESP32 offers a 12-bit ADC, while the ESP8266 offers only a 10-bit ADC.

ESP32-WROOM-32

• ESP32-WROOM-32 is a 38-pin breakout board of ESP32, which is most commonly used in third-party ESP32 modules.
• As ESP32 IC is available in the QFN(Quad Flat No Leads) package, so it's quite difficult to solder the IC in embedded projects.
• So, to ease the process of using ESP32 IC, Espressif Systems designed numerous small modules(using ESP32 chip) that have a built-in antenna and easily usable pinout.
• Other ESP32 modules are ESP32-SOLO and ESP32-WROVER.
• One of the most commonly used breakout boards of ESP32 is ESP32-WROOM-32, shown in the below figure:

Third-Party ESP32 Development Modules

• Many embedded companies have used ESP32-WROOM-32 and designed different ESP32 development boards, which are plug-and-play modules and are thus normally used for learning and prototyping purposes.
• One of the most commonly used ESP32 development boards is called ESP32-DevkitC.
• ESP32-DevKitC is a 30-pin ESP32-based development board, designed by Espressif Systems and is used in embedded and IoT projects.

• All you need to do is plug this device using a USB cable and play with it on the fly.
• Boot mode and Reset buttons are incorporated on the board.
• USB micro connector and USB-UART Bridge, and LDO regulator are also included in the device.

Types of ESP32 Development Boards

• The following are the five different versions of ESP32-DevKitC.
  1. ESP32-DevKitC-32E
  2. ESP32-DevKitC-32UE
  3. ESP32-DevKitCVE
  4. ESP32-DevKitCVIE
  5. ESP32-DevKitCS1

So, that was the evolution of ESP32 from a simple IC to plug & play board. Now let's have a look at the Pinout of the ESP32 microcontroller and modules:

ESP32 Pinout

We have seen above that ESP32 has evolved first into ESP32-WROOM-32 and is further upgraded into ESP32-DevKitC. So, let's have a look at the pinout of all these boards, one by one:

Pinout of ESP32 IC

• ESP32 IC in its pure form consists of 48 pins in total.
• The following figure shows the labeled ESP32 Pinout diagram:

Pinout of ESP32-WROOM-32

• ESP32-WROOM-32 is a breakout board of ESP32 and consists of 38 pins in total.
• Here's the pinout of the ESP-WROOM-32 board:

Pinout of ESP32-DevkitC

• ESP32-DevKitC is a development board based on the ESP32 microcontroller and it has 36 pins in total.
• Here's the pinout diagram of ESP32 DevKitC:

ESP32 Pin Description

Now, let's have a look at the functions of ESP32 Pinout:

Power Pins in ESP32

• Power: Power is applied through Micro-USB, 3.3V pin, 5V pin, and GND. Regulated 5V is supplied to this pin which is further regulated to 3.3V to power up the board. And 3.3V pin directly supplies the 3.3V regulated to the board. And the ground is connected to GND.
• Enable: The enable pin is represented by ‘En’ on the board and is used to reset the microcontroller.
• AREF: It is marked as AREF which is used to provide a reference voltage for input voltage.

GPIO Pins in ESP32

ESP32 has 36 GPIO(general purpose input/output) pins to perform numerous operations(normally one at a time). Third-party ESP32 modules have different numbers of GPIO pins i.e. ESP32 Dev Kit V1 includes 30 GPIO pins. Let's have a look at the functionality of ESP32 GPIO Pins:

ADC Pins in ESP32

• ADC Pins: ESP32 has a total of 18 ADC channels(12-bit each) used to measure the analog voltage within the range of 0-3.3V.

ESP32 is equipped with two SAR analog-to-digital converter modules named ADC1 and ADC2. ADC1 has 10 Channels labeled from ADC2_1 to ADC2_7, while ADC2 has 10 Channels labeled from ADC2_0 to ADC2_9. The ADC output value ranges from 0 to 4093 at 12-bit resolution.

DAC Pins in ESP32

• DAC Pins: ESP32 features 2 distinct 8-bit digital-to-analog converters(DAC1 and DAC2) for translating digital values to analog signals. The DAC function is attached to below two GPIO pins:

1. DAC1-GPIO25
2. DAC2-GPIO26

The DAC employs a power supply as an input reference voltage and features an internal resistance network.

PWM Pins in ESP32

• PWM Pins: ESP32's PWM controller has 16 independent PWM channels with configurable frequency and duty cycles. Any GPIO pin can be used as a PWM pin.

PWM pulses are used to control the speed of motors or the brightness of LEDs. You can configure the frequency, channel, GPIO pin, and duty cycle of the PWM signal.

SPI Pins in ESP32

• SPI Pins: ESP32 has three SPI blocks that operate in both master and slave modes, named SPI, HSPI, and VSPI.

Among these 3 blocks, SPI is used as an interface to flash memory. So, we are left with HSPI and VSPI for normal use:

1. VSPI: ESP32 VSPI Pins are GPIO23 (MOSI), GPIO19 (MISO), GPIO18 (CLK) and GPIO5 (CS) used for SPI-1 communication.
2. HSPI: ESP32 HSPI Pins are GPIO13 (MOSI), GPIO12 (MISO), GPIO14 (CLK) and GPIO15 (CS) used for SPI-2 communication.

I2C Pins in ESP32

The ESP32 has two I2C interfaces. The SCL and SDA pins of both I2C interfaces can be assigned by a user in the program. The default I2C pins are:

• SDA-GPIO21
• SCL-GPIO22

ESP32 Capacitive Touch Sensors

• ESP32 has 10 capacitive touch-sensing GPIO Pins(T0 to T9), which get electrostatically charged when a finger touches the respective GPIO pin.

Without any additional hardware, these touch GPIOs can be utilized to make capacitive touchpads. Variations in capacitance are evident.

RTC GPIO

• ESP32 has 18 Low-Power RTC GPIO Pins(RTCIO0 to RTCIO17) used to wake up the ESP32 board from deep sleep mode.

• Serial: Two serial pins are represented on boards as Tx and Rx. The Tx is used to transmit serial data while Rx is used to receive serial data.

• External Interrupts: All GPIO pins can be used as external interrupts.

ESP32 Datasheet

Before you incorporate this device into your electrical project, it’s wise to go through the datasheet of the component that features the main characteristics of the device. You can click the link given below to download the ESP32 datasheet.

Now, let's have a look at the features of ESP32:

ESP32 Features

Here are the main features of ESP32 IC:

• ESP32 has built-in integration of both WiFi and Bluetooth dual-mode.
• ESP32 has 34 programmable GPIOs present on the chip.
• ADC is of 12-bit SAR and can support up to 18 channels.
• DAC is 8-bit and it has 2 DAC channels.
• ESP32 also has 10 touch sensors embedded in it.
• ESP32 also has a Hall sensor in it.
• It supports 4 SPI channels.
• It also has 2 I²S channels.
• ESP32 has 2 I²C ports in it.
• It supports 3 UART channels.
• It also has 1 host(SD/MMC/SDIO) and 1 slave(SDIO/SPI).
• ESP32 also supports the Ethernet MAC interface with dedicated DMA and IEEE 1588 support.
• It supports Two-Wire Automotive Interface (TWAI®, compatible with ISO11898-1)
• LED PWM up to 16 channels

A few of ESP32's key features are discussed below in detail:

ESP32 WiFi Key Features

• Wireless Networking Standard: 802.11 b/g/n
• Wireless Standard: 802.11 n (2.4 GHz), up to 150 Mbps
• WiFi Multimedia(WMM)
• WiFi Aggregation: TX/RX A-MPDU, RX A-MSDU
• Immediate Block ACK: suitable for high bandwidth & low latency traffic.
• Automatic Beacon monitoring (hardware TSF)
• Simultaneous support for SoftAP, Infrastructure Station and Promiscuous modes.
• Diverse Antenna
• Defragmentation to smoothen the data.
• Supports 4 virtual WiFi Interfaces.

ESP32 Bluetooth Key Features

• Compliant with Bluetooth v4.2 BR/EDR
• Class-1, Class-2 and Class-3 transmitters without external power amplifier
• Increased Power Control
• Transmission Power: +12 dBm
• BLE sensitivity: –94 dBm (NZIF receiver)
• Adaptive Frequency Hopping (AFH)
• Standard HCI supports SDIO/SPI/UART
• High-speed UART HCI, up to 4 Mbps
• Bluetooth 4.2 BR/EDR BLE dual-mode controller
• CVSD and SBC for audio codec
• Classic BT and BLE support Multiple connections.
• It can advertise and scan simultaneously.
• Bluetooth Piconet and Scatternet

ESP32 Microcontroller Key Features

• ESP32 uses an Xtensa® single-/dual-core 32-bit LX6 microprocessor(s) .
• It supports data rates up to 600 MIPS (200 MIPS for ESP32-S0WD/ESP32-U4WDH)
• It has a Flash Memory of 448 KB.
• It has an SRAM memory of 520 KB.
• 16 KB SRAM in RTC
• QSPI supports multiple flash/SRAM chips.

ESP32 Clocks & Timers Key Features

• ESP32 has a calibrated 8MHz crystal oscillator (internal)
• Calibrated RC oscillator (internal)
• External 2 MHz ~ 60 MHz crystal oscillator (40 MHz only for Wi-Fi/BT functionality)
• External 32 kHz crystal oscillator for RTC with calibration
• Two timer groups, including 2 × 64-bit timers and 1 × main watchdog in each group
• ESP32 also has one RTC timer.
• RTC watchdog is also present in ESP32.

ESP32 Projects & Applications

ESP32 modules have brought a revolution in embedded and especially IoT projects. As these boards are small-sized, low-powered and support both WiFi & BT, thus are gaining popularity in IoT-based handheld devices. A few applications of the ESP32 module are as follows:

• Used in Network projects.
• Employed for beginner-level DIY projects.
• Employed in the prototyping of IoT devices.
• Used in cloud-based smart security projects.
• Used in low-power battery-operated applications.

That was all about the Introduction to ESP32 module. If you have any questions, you can approach me in the comment section below. I’ll help you according to the best of my expertise. You’re most welcome to share your valuable feedback and suggestions around the content we share so we keep coming up with quality content customized to your exact needs and requirements. Thank you for reading the article.

Introduction to Arduino Beetle

Hi Friends! Hope you’re well today. I welcome you on board. In this post today, I’ll walk you through the Introduction to Arduino Beetle. Arduino beetle is the smallest Arduino board that comes with the functionality of Arduino Leonardo. This board is a remarkable addition to the minimalistic Arduino technology. It is based on the microcontroller Atmel Atmega32u4. With the inception of innovations in modern technology, electronic devices are becoming light, more compact that happen to perform a lot of functions. These devices are economical and require little to no prior knowledge to get your hands dirty with them. All Arduino boards are microcontrollers but not all microcontrollers are Arduino board. While using the Arduino board, you don’t need to attach extra peripherals with the board, as it comes with built-in functions that don’t require the addition of external components. Earlier we have shared the articles on scores of Arduino boards including Arduino Uno, Arduino Leonardo, Arduino Due, and Arduino Mega. You can check these articles to find the basic information about them. I suggest you buckle up, as I’ll walk you through the complete introduction to Arduino Beetle covering datasheet, pinout, pin configuration, features, communication and programming and applications. Let’s jump right in.

Introduction to Arduino Beetle

• Introduced by Arduino.cc, Arduino Beetle is the smallest Arduino Leonardo board that is based on Atmel Atmega32u4.
• The Atmega32u4 is an 8-bit CMOS low power microcontroller
• Arduino.cc offers an open-source platform for everyone which means you can optimize the boards and software programs as you like better.

• The IDE (integrated development environment) is a software used to program the Arduino board. You don’t require prior knowledge and technical skills to start working with this board. The C and C++ are the languages used to program the Arduino beetle.
• Though IDE software is compatible with MAC, Windows, or Linux Systems, Windows is a preferable operating system to use this board.

• This tiny device comes with a micro USB port which means you can directly connect the device with the computer and program it based on your needs and requirements.
• You don’t need a separate burner to burn and run the program on the board as it comes with a pre-burned Bootloader that allows you to upload the code in the hex file of the board.
• The beetle is mainly introduced to provide the solution for low-cost disposable projects including DIY, gift projects, student projects, and e-textile.
• This device operates at 5V and it also functions at 3.7V. Make sure voltage doesn’t exceed 5V else it can damage the device.
• It comes with a clock time 16MHz. Several pins are incorporated on board out of which 10 are digital pins, 4 are PWM pins and 5 are analog pins.
• This module comes with a crystal oscillator frequency up to 16 MHz that is mainly used to produce the clock pulses with decent speed. This oscillator is required for the synchronization of all the internal operations.
• This module supports different communication protocols including I2C and UART.
• The flash memory is 32KB out of which 4KB is used by the Bootloader. It is the memory where the sketch (the program we create on IDE is called a sketch) is stored.
• The SRAM memory is 2.5KB which is the memory where sketch manipulates and produces variables when it operates. And EEPROM memory is 1KB and it is the space used for storing long-term information.
• The price of this board at the time of writing this article is around 8$ which carries all powerful functions like Arduino Leonardo.

Arduino Beetle Datasheet

Before you incorporate this device into your electrical project, it’s wise to go through the datasheet of the device that features the main characteristics of the board. Click the link below to download the datasheet of Arduino beetle.

Arduino Beetle Features and Specifications

The following are the main features and specifications of Arduino beetle.

• Board size 20mm x 22mm.
• Direct testing and uploading program through a micro USB port.
• I/O ports are V-shaped gold plated.
• Two power interfaces that are gold plated and are used to supply power to the board.
• Blue Light blink indicator which indicates the operation of the board.
• Incorporated with Atmel Atmega32u4 microcontroller.
• The operating voltage is 5V and the clock speed is 16MHz.
• There are 5 analog pins, 4 PWM pins, and 10 digital pins on board.
• Micro USB = 1
• UART = 1
• I2C = 1
• EEPROM = 1KB
• SRAM = 2.5 KB
• Flash Memory = 32KB out of which 4KB is used by the Bootloader.
• Write/Erase Cycles: 10,000 Flash/100,000 EEPROM
• Data retention: 20 years at 85°C/ 100 years at 25°C

Arduino Beetle Pin Configuration

Still, reading? Perfect. I hope you’ve got a clear idea about this board. In this section, we’ll cover the pin description of the pins incorporated on the board.

Analog Pins

There are 5 analog pins incorporated on the board. These pins can receive any number of values in contrast to digital pins which receive only two values HIGH and LOW.

PWM Pins

This board doesn’t incorporate DAC (digital to analog converter) but it does incorporate 4 PWM pins which are used to get some of the analog output’s functions. During this PWM (pulse width modulation) process, the board generates analog results with digital means.

Digital Pins

There are total 10 digital pins incorporated on board. These pins are developed to be configured as outputs or inputs based on the requirement. These pins are either ON or OFF. When they are ON they are in HIGH voltage state getting 5V and when they are OFF they are in LOW voltage state getting 0V.

Atmega32u4 Pinout

The following figure shows the pinout diagram of Atmega32u4.

Atmega32u4 Pin Description

In this section, we’ll cover the pin description of each pin incorporated on Atmega32u4.

Vcc

It is a digital voltage supply pin.

GND

This pin is connected to the ground.

Port B (PB7...PB0)

Port B is an 8-bit bidirectional I/O port that is incorporated with pull-up resistors. These resistors are used to limit the current and prevent it exceeding from a certain number. This port comes with efficient driving capabilities compared to other ports. When this port is used as an input, this will source current due to the port pins that are extremely pulled low. This happens when the pull-up resistors are activated.

Port C (PC6, PC7)

Port C is similar to Port B - an 8-bit bidirectional I/O port incorporated with pull-up resistors. When the pull up resistors are activated, Port C will source current with port pins extremely pulled low.

Port D (PD7..PD0)

Port D is an 8-bit bidirectional I/O port that comes with pull-up resistors. When the reset condition meets, the Port D pins are tri-stated.

Port E (PE6, PE2)

Only two bits... PE6 and PE2 are present on the device pinout. It is an 8-bit bidirectional port incorporated with internal pull-up resistors.

Port F (PF7..PF4, PF1,PF0)

Port F is a bidirectional port that acts like analog inputs to the A/D converter. Two bits PF2 and PF3 are not present on the product pinout.

D-

USB Full speed / Low Speed Negative Data Upstream Port. It should be attached to the USB D- connector pin along with the serial resistor 22W.

D+

USB Full speed / Low Speed Positive Data Upstream Port. It is connected to the USB D+ connector pin along with the serial resistor 22W.

UGND

USB pads ground.

UVCC

Regulator Input supply voltage applied to USB pads.

UCAP

Internal Regulator Output supply voltage applied to USB pads.

VBUS

USB VBUS monitor input.

RESET

This is a reset pin. A low level applied to this pin for a longer time will produce a reset. Shorter pulses may not generate a reset.

XTAL1

Input to the internal clock operating circuit and Input to the inverting Oscillator amplifier.

XTAL2

Output from the inverting Oscillator amplifier.

AREF

This is used as the analog reference pin for the A/D Converter.

AVCC

AVCC is the supply voltage pin for all the A/D Converter channels.

Communication and Programming

• Recall, this module supports different communication protocols i.e. I2C, and UART.
• The I2C is a two-wire communication protocol that carries two main lines called SCL and SDA. The former is a serial clock line required for the synchronization of all data transfer over the I2C bus. While the latter is a serial data line mainly employed to carry the data.
• And the UART is mainly used for serial communication and comes with two lines Tx and Rx where the former is used to transfer the serial data and the latter is used to receive the serial data.

Arduino IDE software is used to program all types of Arduino Boards. Attach micro USB to the Beetle and select Arduino Leonardo from your board type on the Arduino IDE software.

Arduino Beetle Applications

This tiny little beast is a full system in a small package as it incorporates almost all functions like Arduino Leonardo. The following are some applications of Arduino Beetle.

• Health and security systems
• Creating a wireless keyboard
• Industrial automation
• Embedded systems
• Student projects
• Automatic pill dispenser
• Water level meter.

You’ll find a lot of microcontrollers in the market that are more economical than the Arduino board. But still, most of the hobbyists and students prefer Arduino Board over microcontroller. The reason is clear. Arduino board comes with a big community that shares expertise and knowledge for a wide range of audiences. Help is readily available that you’ll never find in the case of microcontrollers. Moreover, when you select Arduino board over microcontroller, you don’t need additional components and extra peripherals to connect with the board, as this board comes with a lot of built-in functions, setting you free from the hassle of connecting a lot of components. Simply, you need to plug the device with the computer and play with it on the fly. That’s all for today. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this article. If you’re unsure or have any questions, you can pop your comment in the section below, I’d love to help you the best way I can. Feel free to share your valuable suggestions and feedback around the content we share so we keep coming up with quality content customized to your exact needs and requirements. Thank you for reading the article.

Interfacing Flame Sensor with Arduino

Hello everyone! I hope you all will be fine and having fun. Today I am going to tell you that how can you make a simple program for Interfacing Flame Sensor with Arduino. Flame sensor is used in offices, home and at different places to detect the fire. First of all I would like to tell you about the working principle of the flame sensor. Flame sensor is a device designed for the detection of the fire and to respond it. They are usually designed for the detection of most frequently used industrial fuel e.g. diesel, gasoline, karosene, ethylene, hydrogen etc. They are designed in way to distinguish between the radiations from the sunlight and the actual flames. There different types of flame sensors e.g. Ultraviolet (UV) detectors, Infrared (IR) flame detectors, UV/IR detectors, IR/IR flame detectors, closed circuit video cameras. The purpose of these all flame detectors/sensors is almost similar i.e. to detect the fire and responding quickly to it. The flame sensors have a wide range of applications in our daily life e.g. fume cupboards, felt manufacture, nuclear industry, pharmaceutical industries, printing, spray booths, generator, storage tanks, industrial heating and drying systems etc.

Where To Buy?
No.	Components	Distributor	Link To Buy
1	Flame Sensors	Amazon	Buy Now
2	Arduino Uno	Amazon	Buy Now

Interfacing Flame Sensor with Arduino

In this section of the tutorial Interfacing Flame Sensor with Arduino, I will explain you the step by step procedure to make a simple algorithm or program in Arduino software for the interfacing of flame sensor with Arduino. The algorithm is pretty simple. I will set a threshold limit, when the temperature exceeds that limit, an LED will be turned on to show the there is something wrong. You can also attach a buzzer with the Arduino. When the fire will be detected buzzer will be turned on automatically. First if all I would like to share the complete source code for Interfacing Flame Sensor with Arduino with all of you guys.

• You can download the complete source code here by clicking on the button below.

• Just download the .rar file, extract it and enjoy the complete simulation.

Components Required

Here, I am going to show you the list of all the components used in this project.

• Arduino UNO
• Flame Sensor
• LED
• Soldering Iron
• Soldering Gum
• Power Supply (12V)
• Jumper Wires
• Varrow Board

Brief Description of the Components

• Arduino UNO acts as the back bone of the project. It manipulates the whole source code uploaded to the board, prints the desired data on the serial monitor and also prints the executed commands on the LCD. Arduino UNO is shown in the figure below.

• Power Supply of 12V is used to turn the entire system ON. Because, we can not test and verify our system until we have not switched it ON. Power supply used for this project is shown in the figure below.

• Jumper Wires are used to make the connections of the all the components in order to make the complete circuit with proper working. Jumper wires are shown in the figure below.

• Flame Sensor is used for the detection of the temperature and for showing the immediate response when the temperature is above the threshold. Flame sensor is shown in the figure below.

Circuit Diagram

• Circuit diagram for the tutorial Interfacing Flame Sensor with Arduino is shown in the figure below.

• You can run this project properly, by making the circuit first, identical to the circuit diagram shown in the figure above.
• The analog pin A5 of the Arduino UNO will help us in reading the data from the sensor.
• The other two pins of the sensor are connected to the supply of 5V and ground respectively as you can see from the above figure.

Block Diagram

• The block diagram for the project Interfacing Flame Sensor with Arduino is shown in the figure below.

• Power supply is provided in order to run the project properly.
• Arduino is the backbone of the whole system and controls all of the devices used.
• When the temperature crosses the adjusted threshold the LED will be turned ON to indicator that the fire is detected.
• In normal condition LED will remain Off.

Source Code Descritption

• Source code for Interfacing Flame Sensor with Arduino is given below.
• Just copy the entire code and paste it in your Arduino software and upload it to the Arduino board.

#include<SoftwareSerial.h>//library for software serial object

int sensorPin = A0; // flame sensor is attached to A0 pin of Arduino

int sensorValue = 0; // Initial value of the sensor is 0

int led = 9; // an LED is attached to the pin no 9 of Arduino

void setup() //method used to run the code for the one time
{

pinMode(led, OUTPUT);//changint the mode of LED as an output

Serial.begin(9600);//rate at which arduino communicates with laptop

}

void loop()//method used to run the code repeatedly

{

Serial.println("Welcome to TechPonder Flame Sensor Tutorial");//prints on the serial monitor

sensorValue = analogRead(sensorPin);//reads the analog data from the sensor

Serial.println(sensorValue);//prints the sensor data on serial monitor

if (sensorValue < 100)//threshold for the LED indication

{

Serial.println("Fire Detected");//prints on the serial monitor

Serial.println("LED on");//prints on the serial monitor

digitalWrite(led,HIGH);//turning on the LED

delay(1000);//delay of 1 second

}

digitalWrite(led,LOW);//turning of the LED

delay(sensorValue);

}

• First of all I have declared library of software serial.
• Then I have defined the pins of Arduino UNO at which the flame sensor and LED are connected.
• Then I have changed the mode of LED to output.
• Then I have started reading the analog data from the flame sensor.
• I have adjusted a threshold, when the temperature exceeds that value LED will be turned on.
• When the temperature is below the threshold LED will remain off e.g in normal conditions.

So, that is all from the tutorial Interfacing Flame Sensor with Arduino. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. If you face any sort of problem you can ask me in comments anytime without even feeling any kind of hesitation. I will try my level best to solve your issues in a better way, if possible. I will explore Arduino by making different projects on it and will share all of them with you as well in my later tutorials. Till then, Take care :)

Interfacing Temperature & Humidity Sensor with Arduino

Hello everyone! I hope you all will be absolutely fine and having fun. In the tutorial Interfacing Temperature & Humidity Sensor with Arduino I will tell you that how can you interface temperature and humidity sensor named as DHT11 with Arduino and how can you observe the temperature and humidity level using this sensor. This sensor has usually three pins but some of its types has four pins but only the three pins are of importance for us e.g. VCC, GND and the third pin for reading the data from the sensor. In the tutorial Interfacing Temperature & Humidity Sensor with Arduino, I will make a simple Arduino program which will estimate the level of temperature and humidity continuously and will display the value of both temperature and humidity on the serial monitor. You will see that the sensor will give different readings for the different environments.

Where To Buy?
No.	Components	Distributor	Link To Buy
1	LCD 16x2	Amazon	Buy Now
2	DHT11	Amazon	Buy Now
3	Arduino Uno	Amazon	Buy Now

Temperature & Humidity Sensor with Arduino

I will tell you the step by step procedure that how can you interface DHT11 sensor with Arduino and how to make a simple program in Arduino software to read the data continuously from the sensor and how to display the obtained data on the serial monitor. You can also display this data on Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) as I have discussed in detail in my previous tutorial DC Motor Direction Control using Arduino, DC Motor Speed Control using Arduino, Stepper Motor Direction Control in Arduino and Stepper Motor Speed Control using Arduino.

• You can download the complete source code here by clicking on the button below.
• Download .rar file, extract this file and enjoy the complete simulation code.

Block Diagram

• First of all, I would like to explain you the algorithm with the help of a block diagram.
• It will help in better understanding of an algorithm.
• The block diagram for interfacing of temperature and humidity sensor with Arduino is given in the figure below.

• Power supply in necessary to turn the whole system ON.
• DHT11 is connected with the Arduino UNO.
• Arduino UNO reads the data from the DHT11 sensor and displays the obtained data on the serial monitor.
• That data will also be displayed on the LCD.

Circuit Diagram

• The complete wiring diagram for this project is shown in the figure below.

• You can run this project properly, by making the circuit first, identical to the circuit diagram shown in the figure above.
• The analog pin A3 of the Arduino UNO will help us in reading the data from the sensor.
• The other two pins of the sensor are connected to the supply of 5V and ground respectively as you can see from the above figure.

Flow Chart

• The flow chart will help you to understand the flow of the program while executing.
• The flow chart for this project is shown in the figure below.

• The data from the sensor can be estimated on the serial monitor only after opening the serial port
• Then data will be displayed on the LCD and at end serial port must be closed in order to avoid the exchange of unwanted commands.

Source Code Description

• The source code for this project is given below.
• You have to just copy and paste the code given below in your Arduino software after properly interfacing DHT11 with the Arduino.
• After uploading the code onto your Arduino board you will be able to observe the humidity and temperature and humidity level on serial monitor.

#include<dht.h>// DHT11 humidity sensor library
#include<LiquidCrystal.h> //LCD library
dht DHT; //Creating sensor object
#define DHT11_PIN A3 // Sensor is connected to Arduino pin 3
LiquidCrystal lcd(8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13);// LCD connected with Arduino on these pins
void setup()
{
  Serial.begin(9600); //setting baud rate
  Serial.println("   =====================================================");
  Serial.println("   ||   Welcome to Temperarue and Humidity Detector   ||");
  Serial.println("   =====================================================");
  Serial.println("");
  lcd.begin(20, 4); // initialinzing the LCD order
  lcd.setCursor(4,1); //Setting the cursor on LCD
  lcd.print("Welcome to");//printing on LCD
  lcd.setCursor(2,2);
  lcd.print("Humidity detector");
  delay(2000);//adding delay of 2 secons or 2000 msec
  }
void loop()//method used to run the code repeatedly
{
  int chk = DHT.read11(DHT11_PIN); //Reading data from sensor
  Serial.print(" Humidity = ");//prints on the serial monitor
  Serial.print(DHT.humidity);// prints obtained humidity on serial port
  Serial.print(" g/m^3");

  lcd.clear();//clears all the data on LCD
  delay(1000);//adding delay of 1 second
  lcd.display(); //starting the display of LCD after clearing
  lcd.setCursor(0,0);
  lcd.print("Humidity=");
  lcd.print(DHT.humidity);
  lcd.print(" g/m^3");
  
  Serial.print("    \tTemperature = ");//prints on the serial monitor
  Serial.print(DHT.temperature, 1);//prints obtained temperature on serial port
  Serial.println(" degrees");

  lcd.setCursor(0,1);
  lcd.print("Temperature=");//prints on LCD
  lcd.print(DHT.temperature, 1);//prints the obtained temperature on LCD
  lcd.print(" deg");

  lcd.setCursor(1,2);
  lcd.print("www.TheEngineering");
  lcd.setCursor(4,3);
  lcd.print("Projects.com");

  delay(2000);//adding the delay of 2 seconds
  }  

• I am going to explain you that how this code is working!
• First of all I have added the library in the libraries folder at the destination where the Arduino software is installed.
• I have defined DHT11’s library in the source code then.
• Then I have defined the library for LCD.
• I have defined the pin at which DHT11 is attached with the Arduino board.
• Then I have defined the Arduino pins at which the LCD in interface.
• Then by opening the serial port I have started to print the level of temperature and humidity on the serial monitor as well as on the 20×4 LCD.
• At the end, I have added the delay of 2 seconds so that the speed of the data to be printed on the serial monitor can be reduced to some extent in order to observe properly.
• This was the brief description of the source code.

That is all from the tutorial Interfacing Temperature & Humidity Sensor with Arduino. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. If you are facing any problem regarding any of my tutorials, you can ask me freely in the comments without even feeling any kind of hesitation, I will try my level best to solve you issues in a better way, if possible. I will explore Arduino by making further projects and will share them with you as well. So, till then, Take Care :)

Interfacing Arduino with HC-05

Hello friends, i hope you all are fine and enjoying. Today i am going to share a new tutorial which is Interfacing Arduino with HC05 Bluetooth module. First of all lets have a little introduction about HC-05 Bluetooth module. HC-05 is a bluetooth module, which was designed for wireless data communication. This little module is capable of both sending and receiving data but it performs only one thing at a time, which means at a particular time it can only send or receive data but can't do the both tasks.

In order to send or to receive data, you have to make one module as a master and the other module as a slave. If both the modules are acting as master then, data will not transmit and if both the modules are acting as a slave then, again data will not transmit or receive. The hardware of Bluetooth module contains a large no of features. For example it is much sensitive and it is sensitive up to -80dBm and it catches a Bluetooth signal even from far away. If you wish to transmit data through it then, it also have much power to transmit data to a wider range. You can image its transmitting power from the digits that it has transmitting power of +4dBm. This module operates on a low voltages, that's why the power rating of this module is very low. The hardware of the module comes with a integrated antenna and also its hardware contains edged pins. These edged pins gives us the ease that it becomes very easy to plug in or plug out the wires. and also if you are going to use it within a circuit then, it becomes very easy to connect the cable with module. Above was a little introduction about Bluetooth module and its features. now lets move to the basic theme of our project, which is to do interfacing between arduino and HC-05.

Note:

• If you have HC-06 or any other module in HC series then you don't need to get worried as they all work quite same. So you can also follow this tutorial for other HC series bluetooth modules.

Pin Configuration of HC-05

HC-05 Bluetooth module has total 6 pins. A simple HC-05  Bluetooth module is shown in the image given below and you can also see its pin configuration from this image. The pin configuration and the purpose of each pin is listed below as:

1. They pin#1 is abbreviated a KEY pin. The function of this key is to show paired devices. In HC-05 module this pin is used to perform the module in AT mode.
2. Pin#2 of HC-05  module is named as VCC pin. This module requires 3.3 volts to operate. If you will connect it directly with 5 volts then, this module will burn out.
3. Pin#3 of this module is named as GND. At this pin the common ground of the circuit is provided.
4. pin#4 is named as TXD. This pin is used when you have to transmit data to some external device. Asynchronous data transfer is performed by this module.
5. pin#5 is named as RXD. This pin is used when the module have to receive wireless data from some external source. Asynchronous data is received through this module.
6. The last pin of the module which is in fact pin#6 of the module and it is named as STATUS pin. The basic function of this pin is to check the status of the Bluetooth module. If the module is connected to some other device then, output of the system becomes HIGH and if the connection of Bluetooth drops then, this module generates a output pulse.

Interfacing with Arduino

So, now let's start with interfacing Arduino with HC05 bluetooth module. Its quite easy to interface as it works on Serial protocol. As mentioned above it has two pins named as TX and RX through which we can send or receive the data. Moreover, it works exactly the same as any mobile's bluetooth, you can connect your mobile with any device and can share data between these devices, similarly you can share the data with this device as well.

• First of all, connect your HC05 bluetooth module with Arduino as shown in the below figure.

• In the above figure, the connections are quite easy , we have provided power to the bluetooth module from Arduino and also connected TX pin of bluetooth module with RX pin of Arduino and RX pin of bluetooth module with TX of Arduino.
• Now we are done with the connections so next part is to upload the code into Arduino.

Code for interfacing HC-05 with Arduino

Now upload the below code into your Arduino and you are ready to get the first data from your Bluetooth module.

Applications of HC-05 Module

• The biggest application is that it is used to transmit or receive data wirelessly.
• You can play your favorite sound tracks through bluetooth in your car using this module.
• The modern Android phones contains a wireless GPS option. IN fact this module is being used in that phones and it works to seek the bluetooth location.
• This module makes you able to chat with some android phone using Bluetooth.

Alright friends, that all for today. If you have any question, fell free to ask. Till next tutorial Take Care!!! :)

Introduction to Arduino Sensor Shield

Hi Guys! Hope you’re well today. I welcome you on board. Happy to see you around. In this post today, I’ll detail the Introduction to Arduino Sensor Shield. Arduino Sensor Shield is a board compatible with the Arduino Boards and comes with the standard header layout. It is used to connect sensors, servos, LCD with the Arduino board without soldering. This board is connected with the Arduino Board using the jumper wires. I suggest you read this post all the way through as I’ll be discussing the complete Introduction to Arduino Sensor Shield. Let’s get started.

Introduction to Arduino Sensor Shield

• Arduino Sensor Shield is a board used to connect sensors, servos, LCD with the Arduino Board without the requirement of soldering.
• Using Arduino Board separately you’ll find a few of 5V and GND connections. Arduino Sensor Shield gives you the ability of dedicated one 5V and GND connection for every Arduino signal pin.

• Arduino.cc introduced the two versions of Arduino Sensor Shield i.e. V4 the old one and V5 the newer one. Both boards come with similar important connections, however, they appear different.

• The V5 latest sensor shield comes with an external power connector, helping you get rid of the overloading of the Arduino board while working with too many actuators and sensors.
• The 3-way male pin header is used to connect servo motors with the Arduino Board. This is a plug and play device. You can read data from the sensors connected with the shield and use it to drive servo motors with the Arduino boards.

1. Pins Distribution

Pins on the Sensor Shield are distributed into two main categories: a: Digital Pins b: Analog Pins

a. Digital Pins

Digital pins on the board are placed in the pack of three.

• Where top pin represents GND (0V)

• The middle pin represents Vcc (5V)
• The bottom pin represents Signal (Arduino Digital Signal Pin No.)

The following figure shows the numbering of digital pins that are arranged from right to left on the board. The Digital Pins are configured from the following Arduino Language Instruction:

• digitalWrite (Pin4,1);

And for reading following Arduino Language Instruction is used:

• digitalRead(Pin4)

b. Analog Pins

The following figure shows the arrangement of Analog Pins that are sequenced from left to right.

• Similar to digital pins, analog pins are also arranged in the pack of three.
• Where the top one is GND (0V)
• The middle one is Vcc (5V)
• The bottom one is Signal (Arduino Analog Signal Pin No.)

2. Arduino Sensor Shield V5 Features

The following are the features of Arduino Sensor Shield V5.

• The Arduino Sensor Shield V5.0 is used to connect sensors, servos, buttons, relays, and potentiometers with the Arduino Board. Incorporates IIC interface
• Comes with RB URF v1.1 ultrasonic sensors interface
• It is compatible with Arduino UNO and Mega Boards

• Contains Bluetooth module communication interface
• Carries SD card module communication interface
• Contains APC220 wireless RF module communication interface
• Carries 32 servo controller interface
• Contains 128 x 64 LCD parallel interface

3. Connecting Sensors and Output Devices

When it comes to connecting the sensor shield with sensors and output devices, power pins must be connected the right way as follows

• G goes to 0V or G or Gnd or GND on the sensor
• V goes to 5V or V or Vcc or VCC on the sensor

• S goes to the signal pin - IN or OUT
• Some output-devices and sensors come with 2 signal pins (or more) with two or more 0V & +5V.
• In that case pick one of the signal pins to connect the Signal, 0V, and +5V with the S, G, and V pins on the sensor shield and choose the S pins on another port for establishing the other signal connections.

4. Photo-Resistor Sensor

Some sensors like 4-wire Photo-resistor Sensor comes with 2 wires for power, as above, but carry two signal pins, one is marked as “DO” and another is marked as “A0” This is the same signal available in two versions.

a. Analog Signal

• The AO is an analog signal that represents the light level where 0V shows the maximum light level and 5V shows the dark light.
• analogRead instruction is used to read this signal and is commonly connected to the analog input of the sensor shield.
• The A0 analog signal is read as 1023 for dark light and 0 for maximum light.

b. Digital Signal

• The DO is a digital signal that represents the light level and is available in two different states i.e. logic low (0V) and logic high (5V)
• The variable resistor available on the sensor module is used to set the switchover level. This digital signal is commonly connected to the digital input on the sensor shield.
• The digitalRead instruction is used to read this signal where 1 represents the dark and 0 represents the light.

That’s all for today. I hope you find this read helpful. If you have any questions you can ask me in the section below. I’d love to help you the best way I can. Feel free to keep us updated with your valuable feedback and suggestions, they help us create quality content customized to your exact needs and requirements. Thank you for reading the article.

Introduction to Arduino Esplora

Hi Guys! Hope you’re well today. I welcome you on board. In this post today, I’ll walk you through the Introduction to Arduino Esplora. Looking like a videogame controller, the Arduino Esplora is an electrical device that contains an Arduino Leonardo board (microcontroller) and a number of outputs and inputs. There are a colored LED and a buzzer as outputs. And there is a light sensor, four buttons, a joystick, a microphone, an accelerometer, and a temperature sensor as inputs. In other words, it is just like another Arduino Board with integrated actuators and sensors. Just stay with me for a little while, as I’m going to document the complete Introduction to Arduino Esplora covering pinout, working, pin description, how it’s different than other Arduino boards, and applications. Let’s jump right in.

Introduction to Arduino Esplora

• Introduced by Arduino.cc, the Arduino Esplora is an electrical device that is based on the Arduino Leonardo board and contains integrated actuators and sensors.
• Similar to the Arduino Leonardo, the Esplora board is incorporated with an Atmega32U4 AVR microcontroller that carries a 16 MHz crystal oscillator.

• The Esplora comes with onboard light and sound outputs, and many input sensors, like a temperature sensor, an accelerometer, a joystick, a slider, a light sensor, and a microphone.
• It also contains two Tinkerkit input and output connectors to enhance its capabilities and a socket used for the LCD screen.
• Arduino Boards like Arduino Esplora are developed to provide both hardware and software platforms in one place. You can control the board with Arduino software as you like better. Plug and play with the device without getting hands-on experience in electronics.
• It can mimic a keyboard or mouse that gives you the ability to use it with any 3D software.
• Arduino Esplora board contains two actuators and 11 inputs. It carries a light sensor, an accelerometer, a multiplexer, and a mic, an RGB LED, and a buzzer.

• This board contains all built-in sensors and actuators, the reason it’s easy to program and easy to handle through Arduino IDE software.
• The Arduino Esplora is a great package for beginners, with built-in features, giving you the ability to plug and play with the device and get desired results on the fly.
• This board is not compatible with the Arduino Shields, but you can connect this device with the external LCD module.
• To connect the other modules, this device carries two output and two input ports. These ports are compatible with the signal, voltage, and ground pins and are known as 2 pin TinkerKit ports.
• The Arduino Esplora is an ideal pick for creating a remote control device for your electrical project. You can develop external communication with your project without any hassle.
• A micro USB cable is attached to the board, and it carries almost everything to get you started without having to combine and assemble anything from outside.
• Information is extracted from the inputs and is used to write the program in the software which is then used to control the outputs on the board or your computer just like a remote controller.
• Arduino Esplora is compatible with the Arduino IDE (Integrated Development Environment) like other boards.
• Plus, you can also run this device with Arduino Web Editor that is hosted online and is incorporated with the latest support and features for all boards. Read this guide on how to use this browser and upload your sketches online.
• And if you want to use this board offline, you need to install the Arduino IDE desktop version.
• This board contains everything built-in to get you started. You need to simply connect the board with the computer through USB cable and start your work.

• The reset pushbutton is located at the upper left corner that is used to restart the board.

Esplora carries four LEDs as follows:

• ON LED is colored green that identifies if the board is getting a power supply
• Accessible through pin 13, L is a yellow LED that is directly connected to the microcontroller.
• RX and TX are yellow LEDs that determines the information received or transmitted through USB communication.

Arduino Esplora Features

The following are the sensors available on the Esplora board:

• Joystick
• push-button of the joystick
• microphone
• light sensor
• 2 TinkerKit input connectors
• temperature sensor
• 4 separate push-buttons
• Accelerometer

The following are the actuators present on the board:

• RGB LED
• Buzzer
• 2 TinkerKit connectors

Arduino Esplora Set up with Windows

• First, you require a standard software developed by Arduino.cc known as Arduino IDE. This software is used to program and control the board through your system.

• Now connect the board with the computer through micro USB that is used to transfer the program from the computer system to the board.
• As you connect the cable the green power LED (labeled ON) will turn on and then the yellow LED will start glowing that is marked ‘L’. The yellow LED will go blinking on and off after 8 seconds indicating your board is connected with the computer.
• When you connect the board, the Windows will automatically start its driver installation process. It the installation process doesn’t start automatically, go to the windows device manager then (Start > Control Panel > Hardware) and go to the Arduino Esplora listing. Right-click this listing and pick Update driver.

•  At the next popped up window, select "Browse my computer for driver software", and click Next

• Now click the ‘Browse’ option. It will return another window: find the folder with the Arduino software that you have installed. Choose the drivers folder and click OK, then click the ‘Next’ button

• You will get a notification that reads, “the board has not passed Windows Logo testing.” Click on the option “Continue Anyway.”

• After a while, a window will open that reads “Windows has finished installing the driver software for this device” Now click the ‘close’ button.

These instructions are for the system having Windows 7 operating system. If you have a MAC or Linux then read this post on how to connect Arduino Esplora with the system. All pictures placed here are from Arduino.cc

Applications

The following are the applications of Arduino Esplora.

• Used in Arduino Wifi remote controller
• Used in robotics and electronics
• Incorporated to identify free-fall detection using an accelerometer
• Employed to emulate mouse or keyboard

That’s all for today. I hope you find this read helpful. If you have any questions, you can approach me in the section below, I’d love to help you the best way I can. Feel free to keep us updated with your valuable feedback and suggestions, they help us generate quality work customized to your exact needs and requirements. Thank you for reading the article.

Analog Vibration Sensor Library for Proteus

Hi Guys! Glad to see you here. I welcome you on board. In this post today, I’ll be discussing Analog Vibration Sensor Library for Proteus. I have already shared the digital Vibration Sensor Library for Proteus, you should check that as well. I’ve been adding brand new libraries for proteus covering sensors and Arduino boards. I’ve recently discussed Analog PIR Sensor Library for Proteus and Analog Flex Sensor Library for Proteus. You may be stuck into thinking I’ve previously shared those libraries but they were libraries covering digital PIR and digital Flex sensors, here we discussed analog libraries for both PIR and Flex sensors. Before I pen down how to download and simulate Analog Vibration Sensor Library for Proteus, let’s discuss what is vibration sensor first. A vibration sensor is mainly used to monitor the vibration of industrial machines. It is also called a piezoelectric that plays a crucial role in the proper working of industrial machinery. If vibration values increase from the industry standards, they can severely affect the overall working of the machine and in the worst case can put the machine at a grinding halt. To avoid this, we use vibration sensors that give the warning signal if vibration exceeds the desired values. These sensors are attached to the alarm system that produces audible sound indicating the machine is in danger, thus results in the deactivation of the entire machine. Vibration sensors are based on the piezoelectric effect to observe the small changes in pressure, acceleration, force, and temperature. These changes are converted into an electrical signal. Air fragrance can also be monitored by vibration sensors. They monitor the air fragrance and detect its capacitance and quality. I hope you’ve got a clear idea about the vibration sensor now we’ll download and run the Analog Vibration Library for Proteus. I’ve added both a simple simulation of the vibration sensor and a simulation with the Arduino Board. Let’s get started.

Analog Vibration Sensor Library for Proteus

• Click the link given below to download the Analog Vibration Sensor Library for Proteus.
• As you download this file, it returns further two files named Proteus Library and Proteus Simulations.

Analog Vibration Sensor Library for Proteus Click the Proteus Library folder that contains four files as follow:

• VibrationSensorAnalogTEP.HEX
• VibrationSensorTEP.HEX
• VibrationSensorTEP.IDX
• VibrationSensorTEP

Now copy all files given above and place them into the library folder of your Proteus software.  

• In case you don’t have proteus software in your system, you can read this post covering how to download and install proteus software.
• After adding the above files, start the proteus software and if it’s already running, close the software and restart again.
• Now click the ‘P’ button to search for the ‘analog vibration sensor’ libraries that you’ve recently placed.

• As you search it, it will return the figure as given below:

• Select the sensor and click OK. Now you’ll see your cursor has now started blinking with the sensor that shows you can place your analog vibration sensor anywhere in the workspace available on the proteus software.
• As you place your sensor, it will show the figure below:

Now we'll look into the analog vibration sensor pinout.

Vibration Sensor Pinout

The vibration analog sensor contains 4 pins as follows.

• OUT = First is an OUT pin that is connected with a voltmeter that represents the output voltage against the variable resistor attached to the TestPin.
• GND = Second is a ground pin that is attached to ground voltage.
• Vcc = Third is the voltage supply pin that gets 5V to power the vibration sensor.
• TestPin = Forth is the TestPin. This pin is only available in the proteus simulation. You don’t find it on the analog vibration sensor in real. When this pin is LOW, it shows no vibration and when this pin is HIGH it represents the vibration on the machine.

Adding HEX File

Now we’ll add the HEX file to run our vibration sensor simulation. Right-click the sensor and reach the ‘edit properties’ option and double-click the sensor it will pop up the same edit properties panel. Browse the Sensor’s HEX file option and look for the HEX file. You can find the HEX file in the library folder. Same HEX file that we have recently placed in the library folder. Select this HEX file and click OK. Now we’ll attach a simple circuit with the vibration sensor to run our simulation.

LC Circuit

• We need to design a simple circuit to run this sensor in the proteus workspace. We’ve designed and attached the LC circuit with the OUT pin of the vibration sensor.
• And TestPin is connected with a variable resistor. Both variable resistance and voltage we get on the voltmeter attached with the OUT pin are inversely proportional to each other.

• When variable resistance is set to the maximum value the voltage on the voltmeter will be zero and when variable resistance is set to the minimum value (zero) it shows the maximum voltage i.e. 4.98V on the voltmeter.

When you run the simulation it will return the result below:

• You can see the voltage appearing on the left vibration sensor placed on the proteus workspace is 2.56V because TestPin attached with the variable resistor is set to almost half of the resistance value.
• I told you earlier I’ll show you both simple simulation and the vibration sensor simulation with the Arduino Board. If you are interested in the Arduino Library for Proteus, check this post where I have added six Arduino Boards Libraries for Proteus.

Now connect the voltage on the OUT pin with the analog pin i.e. A0 of the Arduino Board: When variable resistance is maximum the voltage on the voltmeter will be zero and its equivalent analog value across LCD attached with the Arduino Board will be 0019 and when the resistance on the variable resistor is minimum the voltage will be 4.98V and its equivalent analog value on the LCD will be 1019. This is it. I hope, you’ve got a clear insight into how to download Analog Vibration Sensor Library for Proteus. If you have any questions, you can ask me in the comment section below. I’d love to help you with the best of my expertise. Feel free to pop your suggestions about the libraries you think should be included in the proteus library database, I’ll design and add them to the database. Thank you for reading this article.

Arduino Mega 1280 Library for Proteus

Hi Guys! Hope you’re well today. Thank you for viewing this read. In this post today, I’ll walk you through the Arduino Mega 1280 Library for Proteus. You may already be familiar with Arduino Boards, in case you don’t, they are the open-source easy to use hardware and software platform used in modern electronic projects. These boards receive inputs and convert them into outputs to activate motors, LEDs, electrical circuits, robots, and embedded systems. They are mainly designed for newbies and non-tech geeks who hesitate to construct the electrical circuits from the get-go and hate diving into the nitty-gritty of architecting electrical wires accurately to fashion electrical circuits. Arduino boards come with both ready-made electronic kit and software program IDE (Integrated Development Environment) that runs on the computer. You only worry about the running code on your system, without involving into the hassle of organizing and connecting everything perfectly on your electrical circuit. We’ve already discussed the Arduino Mega 2560 Library for Proteus. Both Mega 2560 and Mega 1280 are almost similar in working and execution with a slight difference in flash memory and microcontrollers incorporated on the boards. Arduino Mega 2560 carries Atmega 2560 microcontroller with flash memory 256kb while Arduino Mega 1280 carries Atmega 1280 with flash memory 128kb. These boards can be powered by both USB cable and external power source where AC-to-DC adaptor or battery is used to power them externally. Our team is designing and adding these new libraries in the proteus library database to help students better understand the working of Arduino boards in proteus workspace. Check this post where we’ve shared Arduino Library for Proteus that includes six Arduino Boards in a single library. If you don’t have proteus installed in your PC, check this post covering how to download and install proteus software. This is the brief introduction of Arduino boards, let’s dive in to download the Arduino Mega 1280 library for proteus.

Arduino Mega 1280 Library for Proteus

Click the link below and download Arduino Mega 1280 Library for Proteus.

• As you download this file, it will appear in zip format. Extract this file that houses two files named ArduinoMegaTEP.LIB and ArduinoMegaTEP.IDX.

Arduino Mega 1280 Library for Proteus

• Copy and paste these two files in the library folder of proteus software.

• After placing these files, start your proteus software, if it’s running already… restart. Now, click the ‘P’ button and look for the Arduino Mega 1280.

• As you search this, it will return the figure below.

• Select this file and click OK. As you click OK your cursor will start blinking with the Arduino Mega 1280, indicating you can place this board anywhere in the proteus workspace.

As you place this board in the proteus workspace, it will appear as below. Half work is done. Now we’ll include HEX file to run this board. To do this, right-click the board and select ‘edit properties’ or double click the board it will return window as below. Now browse the ‘PROGRAM FILE’ option to upload the HEX file. You can read this post in which I’ve briefly explained how to get a HEX file from Arduino.

• This is how you can get Arduino Mega 1280 library for Proteus.

Now we’ll construct a simple LED blinking circuit with Arduino Mega 1280 in the proteus workspace.

• We’ve designed a simple LED blinking circuit where we’ve attached LED with the pin 13 of the Arduino Mega 1280.

Open this blink example in the Arduino software and upload the HEX file. As you upload the HEX file and play the proteus software it will appear as figure given below. That’s all about How to download Arduino Mega 1280 Library for Proteus. You can use this library in your electronic projects. If you feel any difficulty in downloading this library, pop your comment in the section below, I’ll help you the best way I can. Feel free to share your suggestions about libraries you think should be a part of Proteus Library Database, I’ll design and include respective libraries. Thank you for reading this post.