Simple Fall Science Projects with Table Top Inventing

Beginner Arduino Project: Two Blinking LED Lights

This easy project will show you how to make 2 LED lights blink on and off, like an emergency vehicle using an Arduino board!  (You’ll still need to make the siren noise though:)

Supplies

• 2 LED lights
• 1 470 ohm resistor
• 1 Breadboard
• Couple of jumper wires
• 1 Arduino Board
• 1 USB Cable
• 1 Computer with Arduino software installed (http://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/software– Ask your parents first!!

Now we’re ready to hook things up!

Step 1: Hooking up the breadboard!

• First, attach the LEDs to the breadboard
• Now connect both cathodes of the LEDs together with a jumper wire.
• Next, add the 470 ohm resistor by setting it up so that the cathode sides of the LEDs are connected to the resistor, and then to a common ground.

Step 2: Hooking up the Arduino Board!

• First, plug one end of a wire into the #13 digital pin of the Arduino Board to the anode of the first LED.
• Next, plug another wire into the #12 digital pin of the Arduino to the anode of the 2nd LED.
• Finally plug one end of a wire into the ground (GND) digital pin to the other end of the 470 ohm resistor to complete the circuit.

  

Let’s do some programing!

Step 3: Programing the LEDs!

• Hook the Arduino board up to the computer
• Next, open the Arduino Sketch Program and copy the code below:

Now click the verify sketch button, and then click the upload button to upload the code to the computer.  Congratulations!  You now have alternating (emergency) lights!

 

Want to learn more about Ardiuno, electronics, computers, and more?  Visit ttinvent.com! 

This project came from http://robotmill.com.  If you enjoyed it, please check out the full project here.  Want to add more lights?  This http://www.instructables.com project has a similar project here.

Pepperdine University: EdD Learning Technologies Workshop

Table Top Inventing will be holding a workshop at the Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology – Learning Technologies EdD program.  Get ready to discuss the big questions around maker education and have fun while doing it!

When: September 16th at 5:00pm to September 17th at 12:00pm
Where: Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology
             6100 Center Dr 5th Fl, Los Angeles, California 90045

Check out TTI’s FaceBook Page here for more details!

 

Join TTI’s new FaceBook Group- TTI Educators!

The Table Top Inventing crew wants to connect the fantastic educators we met this summer to continue the important conversations we started along the way with a new FaceBook Group called TTI Educators. So many good ideas to share!  Currently we are asking the question: “Does encouraging creativity help students do well in other academic areas?”  Come on over to https://www.facebook.com/groups/TTIEducators/ and join the discussion!