Digital Electronics Project

Reflection:

Over the past semester, I have developed programs by using an application called tinkercad. After weeks of practice, I learned how to use arduino and develop complex programs that will serve a purpose in the real world. I am grateful for this class since it gave me the opportunity to make my ideas come to life. While I may not be the best at the topic, there is nothing more satisfying than running your program on tinkercad and not seeing an error pop up. That alone is evidence that I have improved a lot since the beginning of January. Even though this project was not a success, I still enjoyed it very much as it taught me skills that will be valuable not only in this class but in my life as well. For instance, later on in the page, I will explain how one sensor that could not be found in Monterrey changed the outcome of my project. That little sensor taught me that even the most tiny things can make a huge different. All in all, it is a bittersweet ending to this semester but I am glad I got the opportunity to take this class.

- Arduino Uno

- Breadboard

- 3 1000 ohm resistors

- 2 LED lights (one red, another green)

- YOU MUST GET AN LM35 TEMPERATURE SENSOR

- Piezo

- LCD (16 by 2)

- Wires

Problem:

I wanted to create a cheap fire alarm that anybody could use. It is rare that one finds a fire alarm in a home. Usually, you find this technology in schools or in hospitals. Therefore, I wanted to create a home-made fire alarm for my family to use. You never know when it could come in handy. Those seconds of warning may save lives.

Planning:

I created several possible models using different components. I decided that the best fit for my project was the one in the picture above.

Restraints:

One restraint that was very influential was the fact that this project was very time consuming. In the final weeks of school, when everything was so chaotic, this project didn't seem like such a worry. Due to the lack of good time management as well as the fact that I changed projects like 10 times, I was unable to buy the part that I needed the most.

After knowing what I wanted to do, I went on to tinkercad and began creating my project. By clicking the following link, you will be able to see a video of my tinkercad and my code.

VIDEO (INCLUDES CODE AND DIAGRAM)

After searching in maybe every possible store in Monterrey, I failed to find the temperature sensor that I needed. Therefore, I bought a humidity and temperature sensor. While it was still a temperature sensor, it was much harder to connect. I needed to download a library called DHT sensor library. Then, I needed to change the code to something I simply didn't understand because I had never used a DHT11 sensor. Ultimately, I was able to connect everything where it needed to be. After countless hours I fixed my code so it had no errors. Nontheless, I was unable to make the LCD nor the LED's to function. For that reason, I will not be able to include a video of my project.

While I may be disappointed that the end result was not what I expected, I still consider this project to be a success. I successfully transferred an idea into becoming a real project. I was able to investigate to find how to code certain things and I learned a lot throughout this process. It is a shame that I was unable to find the piece I was looking for because this project seemed to be my best work in this class so far.

Thank You.