MISSION 12 · INTERMEDIATE ARDUINO
Choose a need, reuse a tested sensor and explain the rule you changed.
4 · Your Useful Signal
Your new skill: Adapt one tested program and demonstrate its limits.
Revisit the skill you will reuse: Previous main-path mission
Match the names to your parts before you build. New parts appear when you first need them. You can point, say the name or show a grown-up.
This reusable building board joins some holes with hidden metal strips, so we can connect parts without soldering.
Look for: Find the centre gap, row numbers and power rails. The gap separates the two halves.
Before using it: Five holes in one numbered strip usually join; the strip across the gap does not. Some power rails have a break. Match your board diagram.
Your turn: Point to two holes on the same connected strip, then two that are separated by the gap.
A wire makes an electrical connection between two points. A clip lead grips a terminal.
Look for: Jumpers have small plug ends; clip leads have metal jaws. Colour helps us track a connection.
Before using it: Colour does not change a wire's job. Check both ends and keep bare metal away from other terminals.
Your turn: Follow one wire from start to finish and name what it joins.
A resistor limits current in a path. Beside our LED it helps protect the light from too much current. Its resistance is measured in ohms.
Look for: Look for a small body with two legs and coloured bands; match its labelled value to the mission.
Before using it: A resistor can face either way. Values such as 1 kΩ and 10 kΩ are different: k means one thousand. Keep the specified value.
Your turn: Point to the resistor in the LED path. Explain why replacing it with a plain wire is not our test.
An LED turns electrical energy into light and works in one direction. We use it to show what a circuit is doing.
Look for: An untrimmed ordinary LED often has a longer anode leg and a shorter cathode leg. A flat rim often marks the cathode.
Before using it: Confirm polarity with the part card if legs are trimmed. Use the mission's resistor in series; never connect an LED straight across the battery.
Your turn: With power off, identify the two legs and point to its protective resistor.
This programmable board reads inputs and controls outputs by following a program called a sketch.
Look for: Find the USB socket, the labelled digital and analog pins, 5V and GND. The microcontroller is a small computer chip on the board.
Before using it: Our course uses the 5V Uno and USB supply. GND is the shared electrical reference, not a special part or an instruction to connect to a wall socket.
Your turn: Point to the built-in LED, a digital pin and an analog input pin without plugging in any wires.
The computer lets us write and upload a sketch. A USB data cable carries the upload and supplies the Uno in these missions.
Look for: Match the board socket and computer socket. Some cables charge only and cannot transfer a sketch.
Before using it: Use Arduino IDE and the selected Uno board and port. Disconnect USB before moving circuit wires.
Your turn: Find the upload button and the board selection before running the first sketch.
Glue and tape join parts. A stretched or twisted rubber band can store energy for a small moving model.
Look for: Find the joining material and band named in the mission.
Before using it: Let glue set; use small gentle twists and never aim a stretched band at anyone. Change only the joint or band test the mission names.
Your turn: Point to a joint that must stay fixed and a part that must stay free to move.
A video demonstration will appear here when it is ready. You can follow the written step now.
Before we build, match these names to the parts in front of you. Breadboard. This reusable building board joins some holes with hidden metal strips, so we can connect parts without soldering. Find the centre gap, row numbers and power rails. The gap separates the two halves. Five holes in one numbered strip usually join; the strip across the gap does not. Some power rails have a break. Match your board diagram. Jumper wire and clip lead. A wire makes an electrical connection between two points. A clip lead grips a terminal. Jumpers have small plug ends; clip leads have metal jaws. Colour helps us track a connection. Colour does not change a wire's job. Check both ends and keep bare metal away from other terminals. Resistor. A resistor limits current in a path. Beside our LED it helps protect the light from too much current. Its resistance is measured in ohms. Look for a small body with two legs and coloured bands; match its labelled value to the mission. A resistor can face either way. Values such as 1 kΩ and 10 kΩ are different: k means one thousand. Keep the specified value. LED or light emitting diode. An LED turns electrical energy into light and works in one direction. We use it to show what a circuit is doing. An untrimmed ordinary LED often has a longer anode leg and a shorter cathode leg. A flat rim often marks the cathode. Confirm polarity with the part card if legs are trimmed. Use the mission's resistor in series; never connect an LED straight across the battery. Arduino Uno. This programmable board reads inputs and controls outputs by following a program called a sketch. Find the USB socket, the labelled digital and analog pins, 5V and GND. The microcontroller is a small computer chip on the board. Our course uses the 5V Uno and USB supply. GND is the shared electrical reference, not a special part or an instruction to connect to a wall socket. USB data cable and computer. The computer lets us write and upload a sketch. A USB data cable carries the upload and supplies the Uno in these missions. Match the board socket and computer socket. Some cables charge only and cannot transfer a sketch. Use Arduino IDE and the selected Uno board and port. Disconnect USB before moving circuit wires. Glue tape and rubber bands. Glue and tape join parts. A stretched or twisted rubber band can store energy for a small moving model. Find the joining material and band named in the mission. Let glue set; use small gentle twists and never aim a stretched band at anyone. Change only the joint or band test the mission names. Pause and point to the part that will do the main job in this mission. If it is missing or looks different, ask a grown-up before building.
WHAT YOU'LL USE
Kit list: match the named parts to your box and its component cards. Home list: gather these before starting; some may also be supplied in your kit. Reuse components between missions. Stop and ask a grown-up if an essential part or label is missing.
BEFORE YOU BUILD
Disconnect USB before moving any wire. Use USB to power the Uno. Every separate LED needs its own 1 kΩ series resistor. Never connect a motor, servo, or unknown buzzer to an I/O pin. Keep liquids below and away from the board. An adult checks the wiring against the printed component labels before power is connected.
YOUR REWARD
PREDICT BEFORE YOU BEGIN
What will the output do when you change the input? Say, point or draw your prediction.
YOUR CHALLENGE
NEW POWER-UP
Adapt one tested program and demonstrate its limits.
You have just practised turn a single threshold into a bounded range. Now: adapt one tested program and demonstrate its limits.
Each coloured strip is one connected group. Different numbered rows stay separate. This explains the board; use the mission’s exact connection reference for component positions. Check rail breaks on your supplied board.
BUILD PATH
STEP 1 OF 6
Choose one completed main-path program: darkness light, distance beacon, room reporter or two-clue light. Use its exact circuit and complete code. Choose a playful job, such as a cardboard tunnel light or a target-distance game.
A video demonstration will appear here when it is ready. You can follow the written step now.
Choose one completed main-path program: darkness light, distance beacon, room reporter or two-clue light. Use its exact circuit and complete code. Choose a playful job, such as a cardboard tunnel light or a target-distance game.
WHAT'S REALLY HAPPENING?
A smart model earns its claim through a tested input, explicit decision rule and useful output. Reusing one reliable program is a sound starting point for invention.
FAIR-TEST CHALLENGE
Change one feature, keep the rest the same and repeat your comparison.
CLEAN, RESET AND STORE
Disconnect USB before removing wires. Keep sensors dry. Recover and store the reusable parts.
NEXT SKILL
You have reached the end of the main path. Share what you made, then choose an optional challenge.