Adding Arduino Digital/ Analog Ports

Building arduino projects are a fun & informative way to learn more about programming & gives the user skills in hobby level home automation and project management. From autonomous drones to a garden watering circuit, the complexity of projects is incredibly vast. But with only 13 digital pins & 5 analog pins, what are you to do when you don’t have enough pins for your arduino? Simple, use the MCP23017 & the CD74HC4067.

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DIY Jumper Wires

Many people start off in the microcontroller hobby by buying jumper wires to electrically connect various hardware to the Arduino and other electronic/electrical components. While an acceptable means of starting out, eventually the expense adds up with each project assembled; especially since you’re unable to customize the wire length. In this article I’ll show you the easiest and most efficient way to make your own jumper wires.

 

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LiPo Powered Arduino Volt Meter

After building projects for your home, you’ll eventually want to take your progress to the next level and install them outside your house. Maybe to monitor an outdoor garden or a DIY barn temperature sensor to know when the horses need their blankets on. Accomplishing this requires a battery, and though there are many out there, one that I recommend is a LiPo, or Lithium Polymer battery. So in this tutorial I’ll not only teach you how to power your arduino via LiPo battery, I’ll also show you how to detect the battery’s voltage level and how to charge it.

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DS18B20: Water Proof Temperature Sensor

The DS18B20 is a waterproof temperature sensor capable of being used for an automated aquarium, terrarium, or any environment in which the DHT22 cannot be deployed due to rust or other damage susceptibility. While DHT22’s are very accurate and give a variety of data such as humidity, heat index, etcetera, the problem is that it’s incapable of being protected from corrosion. This tutorial explains how to hookup, code, and deploy the DS18B20 waterproof temperature sensor.

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Building An Arduino Motion Detection Unit

The passive infrared sensor (PIR) is a sensory unit that detects infrared (heat) energy and can be configured to trigger events based upon it being active or inactive. We will be using the Elegoo micro-controller to manipulate its output, as well as learning some hardware information.

Required Materials:

Passive Infrared Sensor (PIR)       Male-Male Jumper Wires (x9)         Elegoo Micro Controller

RGB LED                                          100Ω Resistor (x2)

The PIR sensor is a cheap and easy to use unit that requires minimal effort on behalf of the user; with a few wires and taps of the keyboard you’ll be well on your way to implementing more complicated heat/ intrusion detection systems down the road.

Let’s first look at the PIR’s hardware and detail each of their functions:

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