Mastering Arduino Serial Communication

• Arduino
• Higher Education (non-degree)

Mastering Arduino Serial Communication

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to understand and use Arduino Serial communication functions and analogRead.

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What do you already know about Arduino Serial communication?

Arduino Serial.print()

The Serial.print() function is used to send data from Arduino to the computer for debugging and monitoring.

Practical Example: Serial.print()

Write a program to send sensor readings to the serial monitor using Serial.print().

Practical Example: Serial.print()

 +5V --------------------- VCC (Motion Sensor)

 GND --------------------- GND (Motion Sensor)

 D2 (Digital Pin 2) ------- OUT (Motion Sensor)

Practical Example: Serial.print()

Understanding Serial.available()

Serial.available() checks if there are any incoming serial data available for reading.

Arduino Serial.read() and Serial.write()

Serial.read() reads the incoming serial data, while Serial.write() sends binary data to the serial port.

Practical Exercise: Serial.read() and Serial.write()

Create a program to read and write data through the serial port using Serial.read() and Serial.write().

Practical Exercise: Serial.read() and Serial.write()

Practical Exercise: Serial.read() and Serial.write()

Equipment Needed:

Two Arduino boards (e.g., Arduino Uno)

Two USB cables for programming and power

Two LEDs and resistors (e.g., 220Ω) for indicating the received data

Jumper wires

Practical Exercise: Serial.read() and Serial.write()

Practical Exercise: Serial.read() and Serial.write()

Practical Exercise: Serial.read() and Serial.write()

Practical Exercise: Serial.read() and Serial.write()

Observation:

Open the Serial Monitor for both Arduino boards (Tools -> Serial Monitor).

Observe how the potentiometer data is transmitted from the first Arduino to the second Arduino, controlling the LED brightness based on the received values.

This exercise helps you practice using Serial.read() and Serial.write() for communication between Arduino boards. You can further modify and extend this exercise by experimenting with different sensors, adjusting the control logic, or adding more components.

Introduction to analogRead

Arduino analogRead() is used to read analog voltage values from analog pins.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.