Arduino and basic electronics

Complete the challenge

Get an Arduino that has the ThinkerShield attached.

Open a new Arduino window.

Save your Arduino sketch. Name it C2-level3.

Copy the sketch below into your Arduino window. Remember to delete the other sketch first.

void setup() {
    pinMode(12, OUTPUT);    // set up pin 12 as an output.
}

void loop() {
    digitalWrite(12, HIGH); // turn the LED on
    delay(1000);            // wait for 1 second
    digitalWrite(12, LOW);  // turn the LED off
    delay(1000);            // wait for 1 second
}

See if you can work out how to make the LED blink on and off for 1 second, and then on and off for half a second. It should blink like this:

Animation illustrating LED on and off for 1 second and then on and off for 0.5 seconds

I can give you some hints if you need them, but have a go by yourself first.

Inside the loop() function you will need 8 lines of code. Copy the four lines you have and paste them right after the last delay(1000).

Now change two of the delays.

Your loop function needs to look like this before you start changing the delays:

void loop() {
    digitalWrite(12, HIGH); // turn the LED on
    delay(1000);            // wait for 1 second
    digitalWrite(12, LOW);  // turn the LED off
    delay(1000);            // wait for 1 second
    digitalWrite(12, HIGH); // turn the LED on
    delay(1000);            // wait for 1 second
    digitalWrite(12, LOW);  // turn the LED off
    delay(1000);            // wait for 1 second
}

Change the last two delays to delay(500).

Claim your achievement

I did it!

That’s fantastic!

Now claim your achievement.

Copy the saved sketch to your Year 8 Digital Tech folder on Google Drive. Here are instructions about how to do this.
Complete a claim slip. The code is C2 and the level is 3.

Activity C2 — Blink (the delay function)

Level 3 — Blink a pattern

Complete the challenge

Claim your achievement