Background
The students in 5th and 9th period Project Based Physics with Mrs. Carpenter started learning with Arduinos. The Arduinos that are being used were funded through a very generous grant from Micron.
What is an Arduino
An Arduino is a small, programmable microcontroller board used to control electronic devices and systems. At its core, it contains a microprocessor (or more accurately, a microcontroller) that can read inputs, process data, and send outputs based on a program uploaded by the user. Inputs can come from sensors, buttons, or other electronic components, while outputs can control things like LEDs, motors, or displays. Arduino boards are designed to be simple and accessible, making them popular for beginners, students, and engineers alike. They are programmed using the Arduino IDE, which uses a simplified version of C++. Because of their versatility, Arduinos are widely used in robotics, automation, and prototyping projects. Overall, an Arduino acts as the “brain” of a system, allowing users to create interactive and automated electronic devices with relatively little hardware and coding experience.
The assignments
The students started with creating basic circuits and learning basic code, starting with making an LED blink, then sounding a buzzer and playing music with the buzzer. The students then got an LCD display (liquid crystal display) to turn on and display a message, all while having control over the brightness of the display.
More complexity
This point is where things got more complicated. The students started to use other components with the LCD to display the measured information. The first of the components was a thermometer. Following the thermometer was a barometer using a bmp180 or bmp280 chip. The code was getting more complex than ever before, but the students were powering through it.
Final big steps
Larger circuits were fabricated to turn the moderately complex circuits into alarm systems with lights and the possibility of a buzzer. Automation is now becoming a large part of the modern world. Evidently this was the next step. The students used servo motors and distance sensors to make a self opening garbage can. Automation is also being implemented into model houses that were made during a previous project.
Capstone project
Students have been given mostly free reign to make something that incorporates every part of circuitry and coding that was learned. Some examples of potential projects may include but are not limited to: an RC car, a rubiks cube solver, a 3d printer, a pinball game, or even a robot. The skills that have been taught throughout this unit are all crucial to the development of microchips, assembly of circuit boards, and are exactly what Micron is looking for in future employees.
Background
The students in 5th and 9th period Project Based Physics with Mrs. Carpenter started learning with Arduinos. The Arduinos that are being used were funded through a very generous grant from Micron.
Micron appreciation
Micron Technology is a company that makes memory and storage chips used in items like smartphones, computers, gaming systems, and data centers. These chips are important because they help devices store and process large amounts of data quickly. As technology continues to grow, especially with artificial intelligence and cloud computing, the demand for memory chips is increasing. Because Micron is one of the major companies producing this technology, it has a strong position in the market. Many investors think Micron is worth investing in because its products are essential for modern technology and will likely become even more important in the future. If it was not for the generous grant from them, then there would not be anywhere close to the amount of opportunities for students to learn about the future of technology. Micron is creating new jobs, and the skills that are needed are being taught through means purchased with the grant.