Computer Reviewer

4th Quarter

TINKERCAD CIRCUITS

 Joystick

 Shift Register
 Stepper Motor
 Relay

 Project
ARDUINO TERMS

 API – Application Programming Interface: the interface used to interact

programmatically with a piece of software.
 AREF – Analog Reference: the reference max voltage for the Analog to
Digital Converter.
 ATSAMW25 – The SAM W25 Module is based on Atmel’s WINC1500 Wi-Fi
core combined with Atmel’s ARM Cortex –M0+ based microcontroller
technology. It allows building low power solutions for Internet of Things.
 Accelerometer – A sensor that measures acceleration. Sometimes, they
are used to detect orientation, or tilt.
 Access Point – A WiFi device that connects to the physical network and
allows to access the LAN through the wireless connection.
 Actuator – A type of component that changes an energy into motion.
 Alternating current – A type of current where electricity changes its
direction periodically. This is the sort of electricity that comes out of a wall
socket.
 Amperage (Amps or Amperes) – The amount of electrical charge flowing
past a specific point in your circuit.
 Analog – Something that can continuously vary overtime.
 Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) – A circuit that coverts an analog
voltage into a digital number representing that voltage.
 Anode – The positive end of a diode (remember that an LED is a type of
diode)
 Argument – A type of data supplied to a function as an input. For
example, digitalRead() to know what pin to check, it takes an argument
in the form of a pin number.
 Array – In programming, this is a group of variables that are identified by
one name, and accessed by an index number.
 Back-voltage – Voltage that pushes back against the current that
created it.
 Baud – Shorthand for “bits per second”, signifying the speed at which two
devices are communicating.
 Binary – Only two states are possible, like true/false or off/on.
 Bit – The smallest piece of information a digital device can manage.
 Boolean – A datatype that indicates something binary.
 Bootloader – The bootloader is a special piece of code that the
microcontroller executes at power-up or under specific conditions and
takes care of the loading of the code into Flash Memory.
 Calibration – The process of making adjustments to certain numbers or
components to get the best results from a circuit or program.
 Capacitance – The ability of a material to hold an electrical charge.
 Cathode – The negative end of a diode.
 Circuit – A circular path from a power supply, through a load, and then
back again to the other end of the power supply.
 Common cathode LED – Types of LEDs that have multiple colors in one
fixture, with one cathode and multiple anodes.
 Conductor – A material that allows electricity to flow, like a copper wire.
 Constant – A named identifier that cannot change its value in a program.
 Cryptochip, CryptoChip – It is a hardware chip that takes care of all the
calculations required by the modern cryptographic standards.
 Current – The flow of electrical charge through a closed circuit. Measured
in Amps.
 DAC – A Digital to Analog Converter is a circuit that converts a difgital
value into an analog voltage. It is used in fields like audio and music to
create sounds from digital values.
 DMA – Direct Memory Access is a technology that allows peripherals to
access directly areas of the memory without CPU intervention.
 Datasheet – A technical document that describes the functionality of a
component.
 Datatype – A classification system that determines what values a
particular constant, variable, or array will hold. Int, float, long, Boolean are
all types that can be used in the Arduino Software (IDE)
 Debugging – The process of going through a circuit or code, and finding
errors (also referred as “bugs”), until the expected behavior is achieved.
 Decoupling capacitors – Capacitors that are used to regulate spikes and
dips in voltage and current, often placed close to the circuit they are
referred.
 Digital – A system that deals with discrete values.
 Direct current – A type of current which always flows in the same direction.
 Drain – The pin of a Field Effect Transistor connected to the higher (n
channel) or lower (p channel) voltage of i.e load to be controlled.
 Dual In-line Package (DIP) – A type of packaging for integrated circuits.
 Duty Cycle – A ratio indicating the amount of time over a certain period
that a component is turned on. When using a PWM value of 127 (out of a
total of 256), you have a 50% duty cycle.
 EDBG – The Atmel Embedded Debugger (EDBG) is a chip that implements
a composite USB device.
 EEPROM – An Electrically Erasable Programmable Reading Only Memory is
a type of memory that retains its data without power, like a Read Only
Memory, and that can be erased and written.
 Electricity – A form of energy which we use to power machines and
electrical devices.
 Firmware – the Firmware is similar to software, but it is stored on non
volatile memory and can be executed in place – without being copied in
RAM – by a microcontroller.
 Flash Memory – It is electrically erasable. Made with different technologies
that offer different speeds and capacities (ML, SL, NAND, NOR)
 Float – A datatype used to represent a fraction. This entails the use of
decimal points for floating point numbers.
 Function – A block of code that executes a specific task.
 Gate – The pin of a Field Effect Transistor that allows to create a
conducting channel between Drain and Source if correctly driven.
 Global Variable – A named variable that can be accessed anywhere
inside your program. It is declared before the setup() function.
 Ground – The point of a circuit where there is 0 potential electrical energy.
Without a ground, electricity will not have a place to flow in a circuit.
 I2C – Inter Integrated Circuit – is two wires serial synchronous bus that
provides communication between two integrated Circuits, introduced in
1982 by Philips Semiconductor.
 ICSP – In-Circuit Serial Programming is the ability of a microcontroller to be
programmed directly on the board on which it is mounted. It is also a set f
signals and pins used for the programming.
 IDE – Stands for “Integrated Development Environment”. The Arduino IDE
for example, is the place where you write software to upload to an
Arduino Board.
 Index – The number supplied to an array that indicates which element
you’re referring to. Computers are zero-indexed, which means they start
counting at 0 instead of 1.
 Induction – The production of an electromotive force across a conductor
when it is exposed to a time varying magnetic field.
  Instance – A copy of a software object.
 Insulator – A material that prevents electricity to flow.
 Int – A datatype that holds a whole number between 32, 768 and 32, 767.
 Integrated Circuit (IC) – A complex circuit of nano or micro scale with a
given package used for a specific purpose.
 Li-Po Battery – One of the most recent technologies for rechargeable
batteries. This Lithium – Polimer technology offers a very good ratio
between capacity and weight, no memory effect and low self discharge
rate. Li-Po Batteries are charged at constant current.
 Library – It’s a software extension of the Arduino API that expands the
functionality of a program.

ARDUINO COMPONENTS

 Resistor

- Restricts the flow of electricity in a circuit, reducing the voltage and

current as a result.
 LED

- Light-Emitting Diode that lights up when electricity passes through it in

the correct direction.
 Pushbutton

- A switch that closes a circuit while pressed.

 Potentiometer

- A type of resistor whose resistance changes at the turn of a knob.

 Capacitor

- Stores and releases electrical energy in a circuit.

 Slideswitch

- A switch with two positions: open or closed.

 9V Battery

- A common battery great for higher power applications like motors.

 Coin Cell 3V Battery

- A small battery great for low power applications like lighting up LEDs.
 1.5V Battery

- Standard AA or AAA batteries, with each battery providing 1.5v.

 Breadboard Small

- A half-size breadboard with 30 rows, 10 columns, and two pairs of

power rails.
 Micro:bit

- A programmable board you can use to build interactive circuits.

 Arduino Uno R3

- A programmable board you can use to build interactive circuits.

 Vibration Motor

- A motor that vibrates when powered.

 DC Motor

- A motor, which converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.

 Micro Servo

- A motor whose position can be controlled using a microcontroller like

an Arduino.
 Hobby Gearmotor

- A geared motor that is often used to drive robot wheels.

 NPN Transistor (BJT)

- A component used to amplify or switch electronic signals. Commonly

used with motors.
 LED RGB

- A type of LED that combines Red, Blue, and Green to produce any
color.
 Diode

- Allows electricity to flow in only one direction.

 Photoresistor

- A sensor whose resistance changes based on the amount of light it

senses.
 Soil Moisture Sensor

- A sensor whose signal voltage changes as it gets wet.

 Ultrasonic Distance Sensor

- A sensor that uses sound waves to determine how far away an object
is from it.
 PIR Sensor

- Passive infrared motion sensor used to sense motion in front of it.\

 Piezo

- A type of buzzer that makes noise at different frequencies.

 Temperature Sensor [TMP 36]

- A sensor that outputs different voltages based on the ambient

temperature.
 Multimeter

- A tool for measuring voltage, current, and resistance in your circuit.