Arduino Blink Challenge

Design Challenge

You are part of a team of engineers given the challenge of using Arduino to make a light blink on for 5 seconds and off for 2.  The instructions and code on the Student Worksheets will help you see how to program the Arduino to blink for one second on and one second off.

Criteria

• Light must turn on and off at a 5 second on and 2 seconds off interval.

Constraints

Use only the materials provided.

1. Break class into teams of 2.
2. Hand out the Arduino Blink Challenge worksheet, as well as some sheets of paper for sketching designs.
3. Discuss the topics in the Background Concepts Section. Consider asking the students how stoplights are timed to change for traffic.
4. Review the Engineering Design Process, Design Challenge, Criteria, Constraints and Materials.
5. Provide each team with their materials.
6. Explain that students must set up their Arduino Board and program it to “blink.” The LED light must turn on and off at a 5 second on and 2 seconds off interval.
7. Instruct students to set up their Arduino Boards. Use the Step-by-Step Arduino Setup Tutorial under the “Testing Materials and Process” Section.
8. Teams program their Arduino Boards
9. Teams test their Arduino Boards by demonstrating turning the light on and off at a 5 second on and 2 seconds off interval.
10. As a class, discuss the student reflection questions
11. For more content on the topic, see the “Digging Deeper” section.

Extension Idea

Require students to make the Arduino blink in the pattern of S-O-S…or have them select three other activities (run a fan, make a stoplight, etc.).

Student Reflection (engineering notebook)

1. What challenges did you have, if any, to programming the Arduino to blink on and off at 1 second intervals? How did you resolve any challenges you encountered?
2. Were you able to adjust the code to change the intervals to 5 seconds on and 2 seconds off?
3. Do you think that this activity was more rewarding to do as a team, or would you have preferred to work alone on it? Why?
4. What do you think about the Arduino? Was it a good way for you and your team to explore basic computer programming?
5. How complicated or different do you think code would be to provide instructions to a cell phone to play a particular ringtone?
6. Do you think that stop lights use computer programming to provide a pattern for lights changing at intersections?  How do you think stoplights were coordinated prior to computer technology?

The lesson can be done in as little as 1 class period for older students. However, to help students from feeling rushed and to ensure student success (especially for younger students), split the lesson into two periods giving students more time to brainstorm, test ideas and finalize their design. Conduct the testing and debrief in the next class period.

• Arduino: An open-source physical computing platform based on a simple microcontroller board, and a development environment for writing software for the board.
• Computer Programming (often shortened to programming or coding): The process of designing, writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining source code of computer programs.
• Constraints: Limitations with material, time, size of team, etc.
• Criteria: Conditions that the design must satisfy like its overall size, etc.
• Engineers: Inventors and problem-solvers of the world. Twenty-five major specialties are recognized in engineering (see infographic).
• Engineering Design Process: Process engineers use to solve problems. 
• Engineering Habits of Mind (EHM): Six unique ways that engineers think.
• Iteration: Test & redesign is one iteration. Repeat (multiple iterations).
• Prototype: A working model of the solution to be tested.

Internet Connections

• Arduino

Recommended Reading

• Beginning Programming (ISBN: 978-0672337000)
• Hello World! Computer Programming for Kids and Other Beginners (ISBN: 978- 1617290923)
• Programming Arduino Getting Started with Sketches (ISBN: 978-1259641633)

Writing Activity

Write an essay or a paragraph that identifies three major products or systems that have been overwhelmingly impacted by computer programming.

Alignment to Curriculum Frameworks

Note: Lesson plans in this series are aligned to one or more of the following sets of standards:  

• U.S. Science Education Standards (http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=4962)
• U.S. Next Generation Science Standards (http://www.nextgenscience.org/) 
• International Technology Education Association’s Standards for Technological Literacy (http://www.iteea.org/TAA/PDFs/xstnd.pdf)
• U.S. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics’ Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (http://www.nctm.org/standards/content.aspx?id=16909)
• U.S. Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (http://www.corestandards.org/Math)
• Computer Science Teachers Association K-12 Computer Science Standards (http://csta.acm.org/Curriculum/sub/K12Standards.html)

National Science Education Standards Grades 5-8 (ages 10-14)

CONTENT STANDARD A: Science as Inquiry

As a result of activities, all students should develop

• Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry 

CONTENT STANDARD B: Physical Science

As a result of their activities, all students should develop an understanding of

• Properties and changes of properties in matter 
• Transfer of Energy

CONTENT STANDARD E: Science and Technology

As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all students should develop

• Abilities of technological design 
• Understandings about science and technology

CONTENT STANDARD F: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

As a result of activities, all students should develop understanding of

• Risks and benefits 
• Science and technology in society 

CONTENT STANDARD G: History and Nature of Science

As a result of activities, all students should develop understanding of

• Science as a human endeavor 
• History of science 

National Science Education Standards Grades 9-12 (ages 14-18)

CONTENT STANDARD A: Science as Inquiry

As a result of activities, all students should develop

• Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry 

CONTENT STANDARD B: Physical Science 

As a result of their activities, all students should develop understanding of

• Interactions of energy and matter 

CONTENT STANDARD E: Science and Technology

As a result of activities, all students should develop

• Abilities of technological design 
• Understandings about science and technology 

CONTENT STANDARD F: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

As a result of activities, all students should develop understanding of

• Science and technology in local, national, and global challenges 

National Science Education Standards Grades 9-12 (ages 14-18)

CONTENT STANDARD G: History and Nature of Science

As a result of activities, all students should develop understanding of

• Science as a human endeavor 
• Historical perspectives 

Next Generation Science Standards Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-11)

Energy

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

• 4-PS3-4. Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.

Engineering Design 

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

• 3-5-ETS1-1.Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
• 3-5-ETS1-2.Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
• 3-5-ETS1-3.Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.

Next Generation Science Standards Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-14)

Engineering Design 

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

• MS-ETS1-1 Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.

CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards Grades 6-9 (ages 11-15)

Computational Thinking: 

• 13. Understand the notion of hierarchy and abstraction in computing including high level languages, translation, instruction set, and logic circuits.

Collaboration: 

• 1. Apply productivity/multimedia tools and peripherals to group collaboration and support learning throughout the curriculum.
• 3. Collaborate with peers, experts, and others using collaborative practices such as pair programming, working in project teams, and participating in group active learning activities.
• 4. Exhibit dispositions necessary for collaboration: providing useful feedback, integrating feedback, understanding and accepting multiple perspectives, socialization.

CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards Grades 6-9 (ages 11-15)

Computing Practice & Programming: 

• 1. Select appropriate tools and technology resources to accomplish a variety of tasks and solve problems.
• 2. Use a variety of multimedia tools and peripherals to support personal productivity and learning throughout the curriculum.
• 5. Implement problem solutions using a programming language, including: looping behavior, conditional statements, logic, expressions, variables, and functions.
• 8. Demonstrate dispositions amenable to open ended problem solving and programming (e.g., comfort with complexity, persistence, brainstorming, adaptability, patience, propensity to tinker, creativity, accepting challenge).
• 9. Collect and analyze data that is output from multiple runs of a computer program.

Computers & Communications Devices: 

• 1. Recognize that computers are devices that execute programs.
• 3. Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between hardware and software.

CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards Grades 9-10 (ages 14-16)

Computational Thinking: 

• 2. Describe a software development process used to solve software problems (e.g., design, coding, testing, verification).

Collaboration: 

• 1. Work in a team to design and develop a software artifact.
• 4. Identify how collaboration influences the design and development of software products.

Computing Practice & Programming: 

• 3. Use various debugging and testing methods to ensure program correctness (e.g., test cases, unit testing, white box, black box, integration testing)
• 4. Apply analysis, design, and implementation techniques to solve problems (e.g., use one or more software lifecycle models).
• 8. Explain the program execution process.

Computers & Communications Devices: 

• 4. Compare various forms of input and output.

CSTA K-12 Computer Science Standards Grades 10-12 (ages 16-18)

Collaboration: 

• 3. Evaluate programs written by others for readability and usability.

Standards for Technological Literacy – All Ages

The Nature of Technology

• Standard 3: Students will develop an understanding of the relationships among technologies and the connections between technology and other fields of study.

Technology and Society

• Standard 4: Students will develop an understanding of the cultural, social, economic, and political effects of technology.
• Standard 6: Students will develop an understanding of the role of society in the development and use of technology.
• Standard 7: Students will develop an understanding of the influence of technology on history.

Design

• Standard 8: Students will develop an understanding of the attributes of design.
• Standard 9: Students will develop an understanding of engineering design.
• Standard 10: Students will develop an understanding of the role of troubleshooting, research and development, invention and innovation, and experimentation in problem solving.

Abilities for a Technological World

• Standard 11: Students will develop abilities to apply the design process.
• Standard 12: Students will develop abilities to use and maintain technological products and systems.
• Standard 13: Students will develop abilities to assess the impact of products and systems.

The Designed World

• Standard 17: Students will develop an understanding of and be able to select and use information and communication technologies.

Engineering Teamwork and Planning

You are part of a team of engineers given the challenge of using Arduino to make a light blink on for 5 seconds and off for 2.  The instructions and code below will help you see how to program the Arduino to blink for one second on and one second off.

Research Phase

Read the materials provided to you by your teacher. If you have access to the internet ahead of the activity, explore the Arduino website and become familiar with the logic of the programming code.

Building the Circuit

To build the circuit, attach a 220-ohm resistor to pin 13. Then attach the long leg of an LED (the positive leg, called the anode) to the resistor. Attach the short leg (the negative leg, called the cathode) to ground. Then plug your Arduino board into your computer, start the Arduino program, and enter the code below. Note: Most Arduino boards already have an LED attached to pin 13 on the board itself. If you run this example with no hardware attached, you should see that LED blink.

You may also set up your blinking light using a breadboard as in the image above.  In this case, you’ll use the connectors to link the Arduino to the breadboard and make a complete circuit by having another connector going back to Arduino.  You would need to include a separate light on the breadboard too.  You can do this lesson either way…with or without the breadboard — it just depends on what materials you have provided to you and if your team wishes to gain some experience on the breadboard.

Note: Some content and images on this page are derived from Arduino.cc via their Arduino getting started guide (http://arduino.cc/en/Guide/HomePage)

Schematic

This illustration or schematic shows how the circuit for the light works in the Arduino.

Code

In the program below, the first thing you do is to initialize pin 13 as an output pin with the line

pinMode(13, OUTPUT);

In the main loop, you turn the LED on with the line:

digitalWrite(13, HIGH);

This supplies 5 volts to pin 13. That creates a voltage difference across the pins of the LED, and lights it up. Then you turn it off with the line:

digitalWrite(13, LOW);

That takes pin 13 back to 0 volts, and turns the LED off. In between the on and the off, you want enough time for a person to see the change, so the delay() commands tell the Arduino to do nothing for 1000 milliseconds, or one second. When you use the delay() command, nothing else happens for that amount of time.

/*
Blink
Turns on an LED on for one second, then off for one second, repeatedly.

This example code is in the public domain.
*/

// Pin 13 has an LED connected on most Arduino boards.
// give it a name:
int led = 13;

// the setup routine runs once when you press reset:
void setup() {
// initialize the digital pin as an output.
pinMode(led, OUTPUT);
}

// the loop routine runs over and over again forever:
void loop() {
digitalWrite(led, HIGH); // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)
delay(1000); // wait for a second
digitalWrite(led, LOW); // turn the LED off by making the voltage LOW
delay(1000); // wait for a second
}

Reflection

Complete the reflection questions below:

1) What challenges did you have, if any, to programming the Arduino to blink on and off at 1 second intervals? How did you resolve any challenges you encountered?

2) Were you able to adjust the code to change the intervals to 5 seconds on and 2 seconds off?

3) Do you think that this activity was more rewarding to do as a team, or would you have preferred to work alone on it? Why?

4) What do you think about the Arduino? Was it a good way for you and your team to explore basic computer programming?

5) How complicated or different do you think code would be to provide instructions to a cell phone to play a particular ringtone?

6) Do you think that stoplights use computer programming to provide a pattern for lights changing at intersections? How do you think stoplights were coordinated prior to computer technology?

• Swahili