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Microcontrollers: Lesson One

Extracurricular, Kennedy Building - The Hackspace, 2024

This lesson aims to teach the electronic equivalent of “hello world” – blinky. We start with the basics - installing the IDE and connecting the ESP32 to the computer. We then explore the syntax and layout of a C++ program, and how to build a basic circuit to blink our LED.

Microcontrollers: Lesson Two

Extracurricular, Kennedy Building - The Hackspace, 2024

This lesson aims to move a servo with the push of a button. We mostly focus on controlling the servos through code. As an extension, we touch on the theory behind servo control - PWM. For fun, I often bring in my oscilloscope for this class. Doing so provides a visual for all the theory, but really it is so I can show off oscilloscope music. It’s a big hit, and my favourite part of the class.

Microcontrollers: Lesson Three

Extracurricular, Kennedy Building - The Hackspace, 2024

This lesson aims to explore the use of ultrasonic sensors. This lesson makes use of our work from lesson one. When we move our hand closer to the ultrasonic sensor, an LED will glow brighter. We also look at the physics behind the code, noting how we use the speed of sound and the time it takes for the pulse to return to calculate the distance of an object from the sensor.