Automatic Light Shade

For this project, we created a automatic light shade. It automatically opens a window curtain (t-shirt) when the sun comes up (light hits a sensor). Having an automatic light shade allows one to avoid small inconveniences, like double or triple checking if they opened their curtain or not. On a larger scale, this is something that office buildings, for example, could use to avoid having to open and close up to hundreds of blinds everyday.

1. Arduino and Breadboard (SparkFun Inventor’s Kit)
2. Includes:
3. Wires
4. Gear Motor
5. Photoresistor
6. Motor driver
7. Resistor
8. Wood
9. 2 – 12-inch 2x4
10. 1 – 28-inch 2x4
11. 1- 12-inch board with 2 opposite 45-degree cuts
12. 3 small scrap pieces used for mounting motor and tape roll bearing
13. Nails
14. 1 small framing nail used to fasten Arduino board to frame
15. Screws
16. 10 – 3-inch wood screws
17. PVC Pipe
18. 20 inches long, 1in outer diameter
19. Empty cardboard tape roll
20. Used as bearing
21. T-shirt
22. 18-inch-wide by 16-inch-tall piece of fabric
23. Hot glue gun and hot glue sticks
24. Duct Tape
25. Mechanical tools

Getting Started with Your TinkerCAD Arduino Project

First, open TinkerCAD and set up your Arduino circuit. You'll be building an Automatic Light Shade system using these key components:

1. 1 Gear motor (to control the shade movement)
2. 1 Motor driver (to power the motor)
3. 1 Photoresistor (to detect light levels)
4. 1 Resistor (to complete the circuit)

Refer to the image provided as a visual guide while connecting your components – it shows exactly how everything should be wired together.

For the coding part, you'll find helpful comments throughout the program linked below that explains what each section does. These notes will guide you through the logic as you program your light shade to respond automatically to changing brightness levels.

Tip: Take it step by step – first build the physical board, then implement the code. The detailed comments are there to help if you get stuck on any part of the programming process.

Time to Build Your Physical Arduino Board!

Now that your Tinkercad design is ready, it's time to bring it to life! We've prepared a detailed, step-by-step guide (linked below) that walks you through every connection and component placement.

As you work on the physical build:

1. Keep your Tinkercad simulation handy
2. The guide includes close-up photos of each wiring step
3. Take it slow and double-check each connection

Pro tip: Build in stages:

1. First place all components
2. Then do power connections
3. Finally add signal wires

Remember, if you get stuck, you can always cross-check with your Tinkercad model or ask for help!

Now its time to build!

A step by step instructional video is linked above. Here are the steps to creating the physical structure:

1. Build frame (2x4s)
2. Attach the two 12 inch 2x4 to the 28 inch top board
3. Attach the 12 inch angled board to one of the vertical 12 inch using it as a stand
4. Screw down mounting scrap boards to opposite sides of the top board using PVC pipe as a guide
5. Mount Arduino motor to the mounting board using tape or hot glue, position it towards the side of which you would like the curtain to drop
6. Hot glue PVC pipe to the outside of the Arduino wheel
7. Attach curtain (shirt) to the PVC pipe with hot glue
8. Connect PVC pipe and wheel assembly to the gear motor
9. Add on the Arduino board and connect it to gear motor