Blog: Physical Computing
ITPG-GT 2301-005
Tutor: Tom
WEEK 1
Part I:
The process of setting up the basic circuit.
Doing the labs, learning the basics & LED which lights...
A first look at my set-up at home... I'll have to admit that I don't recognize most of the stuff, at all.
Yes I have selected Physics, learned and passed during my GCSE years. But that was like 100 years ago, and as a film & art student I've forgotten all those circuit-related knowledge.
After reading and watching the reading materials and videos, I finally start to recall something. So, yeh, starting with the power:
So I took a power jack, connected it with a 12-V power, and the other end with two wires; I used a piece of tape to tie them together so it could be easily connected to the breadboard.
I took a measurement using the multimeter. It read 12.54 V, so it seemed to be fine.
In order to get 3 V power to match the LED, I attached the voltage regulator to the breadboard.
This is how everything looked... But somehow it was WRONG. I believed that all the puts were connected correctly, and I turned the power on.
Mudamuda.
The reading was wrong. The regulator was hot as a pan on the cook top. I switched the side and there was not much difference.
I believe, that I had used the wrong regulator.
Thanks to the power I bought, and I cheated:
So I checked the voltage and it read around 3V. Here I find it difficult to take pictures when doing the lab, as both of my hands were quite busy. I should consider to get a tripod or something.
Anyway with the help of the power, along with the circuit, I set up my first breadboard, using several wires, a LED light and a 220 Ohm resistor:
It was simple, but I believed it's working fine. Just for me to understand how the current flew, I did several different versions like the following:
The rest were some try-outs and messing around. Using different metal lids and using their connections as switches, or using the Arduino as the power.
The labs definitely gave me an idea of what a basic set-up was like, and what it could be developed into is something I really need to be thinking of.