Arduino Foundations and Tools

This unit introduces students to the Arduino ecosystem, basic microcontroller hardware, essential tools, and foundational electronics concepts. Students will learn to build, measure, program, and document simple circuits and sketches (LEDs, buttons, motors, PWM, diodes), practice safe tool use and soldering, and prepare for more advanced embedded development in subsequent units.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze the Arduino Uno and common peripheral components (LEDs, resistors, diodes, buttons, shields) by identifying pins, power requirements, and signal flow to create a labeled hardware map.
• Demonstrate safe selection and operation of hand and bench tools (soldering iron, wire strippers, multimeter) and perform basic soldering and connection tests to produce mechanically and electrically sound prototypes.
• Apply Ohm’s Law and basic circuit equations to design, build, and measure simple circuits that drive LEDs and motors, calculating required resistor values and verifying voltage, current, and resistance with a multimeter.
• Implement, upload, and debug Arduino sketches that use digital I/O, analog inputs, PWM, and button inputs to control outputs, and document development and troubleshooting steps in a project blog or log.