This page is an example of the first lab assignment a student completes in Microcontroller 1. In a course like this I always start assuming a student knows nothing. It's always interesting to discover terminology or skills that we assume a student knows coming in, but then discover later that they do not. I try to make sure that instructions are clear, and make sure they are consistent across labs, modules, and courses. This not only creates a better student experience, but also makes my life easier as an instructor. Most of the lab submissions are done through video submission, and there are times when I have had 40-50 students submissions to grade per day. Most of the time I have around 10-15 submissions per day across all courses which I can complete with meaningful feedback within about an hour. Please note, when I did a copy and paste of the HTML code from Canvas into Weebly, it seems to be removing some of the spacing in different browser windows.
Lab 1-1 Blink digitalWrite - 30 min
How to Connect and Install the Arduino with Your System
In this lab you will learn the following:
Lab Instructions:
Lab Submission:
***Failure to complete ALL elements of the lab will result in an incomplete for the entire lab. Asking if it's "good enough" or "can't I just skip that one thing" will result in a fail for the lab. If there is a legitimate problem with the lab, contact your instructor immediately.
Videos:
How to Connect and Install the Arduino with Your System
In this lab you will learn the following:
- Make an Arduino board communicate with a computer
- How to create a basic program that turns the built in LED on and off for a defined amount of time.
- How to load and run your first program
- How to adjust delay times in your code
Lab Instructions:
- Watch the videos below and setup your board and code. (Click here to learn more about how to power your project.)
- Change the code to make the LED on pin 13 blink faster or slower.
- In your own words, add comments to your code describing what is happening on each line.
Lab Submission:
- Create a video of the working lab and upload into canvas as a VIDEO SUBMISSION. You should start by talking directly into the Camera so that I can verify that it's you. Your video should take no more than 30 seconds, and you should answer all of the KEY QUESTIONS below.
- Please submit your code from this project as a TEXT ENTRY. In your own words, use comments to write your explanation for each line in your code so that you have something to refer to as you explain the KEY QUESTIONS in your video.
- KEY QUESTIONS:
- What is a VOID SETUP?
- What is a VOID LOOP?
- What do the "digitalWrite", "pinMode", and "delay" commands do?
- If you need to redo an answer to key questions, you don't need to do another video. Feel free to submit your answer as a TEXT ENTRY in Canvas.
***Failure to complete ALL elements of the lab will result in an incomplete for the entire lab. Asking if it's "good enough" or "can't I just skip that one thing" will result in a fail for the lab. If there is a legitimate problem with the lab, contact your instructor immediately.
Videos: