{"page":"\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/resources-572d6a42.css\" /\u003e\n\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/lp_boclips_stylesheets-f4d0de30.css\" media=\"all\" /\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-title='Tutorial 08: analogRead() and the Serial Port: Arduino Course for Absolute Beginners (ReM)' data-url='/boclips/videos/62a0e488e5902514c0697529' data-video-url='/boclips/videos/62a0e488e5902514c0697529' id='bo_player_modal'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='boclips-resource-page modal-dialog panel-container'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='react-notifications-root'\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-header'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-type'\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fai fa-regular fa-circle-play'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\nVideo\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch1 class='rp-title' id='video-title'\u003e\nTutorial 08: analogRead() and the Serial Port: Arduino Course for Absolute Beginners (ReM)\n\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-actions'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='mr-1'\u003e\n\u003ca class=\"btn btn-success\" data-posthog-event=\"Signup: LP Signup Activity\" data-posthog-location=\"body_link_boclips\" data-remote=\"true\" href=\"/subscription/new\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGet Free Access\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e for 10 Days\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-body'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-info'\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Hide resource details' class='rp-hide-info' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u0026times;\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Expand resource details' class='rp-expand-info fai fa-solid fa-up-right-and-down-left-from-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Compress resource details' class='rp-compress-info fai fa-solid fa-down-left-and-up-right-to-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-rating'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='resource-pool'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-label'\u003ePublisher:\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-name'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='text'\u003e\u003ca data-publisher-id=\"30358947\" href=\"/search?publisher_ids%5B%5D=30358947\"\u003eProgramming Electronics Academy\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-description'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='short-description'\u003eArduino Course for Absolute BeginnersKnowing if something is on or off can be extremely useful, but often you will want to know more.  How bright is the light?  How fast is the satellite moving?  These types of answers are often analog -...\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='full-description hide'\u003eArduino Course for Absolute Beginners\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eKnowing if something is on or off can be extremely useful, but often you will want to know more.  How bright is the light?  How fast is the satellite moving?  These types of answers are often analog - they cover a large range of values, not just on or off.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThe Arduino handles analogs inputs with 6 dedicated pins, labeled A0 through A5.  These pins have access to an analog-to-digital converter, which takes the range of input values and creates a digital version by cutting up the range into tiny pieces.  All this is handled behind the scenes - all you have to do is use some very simple functions and you will get  what you need.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eYou Will Need\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003ePotentiometer (any resistance range will work)\u003cbr/\u003eJumper Wires - at least 3\u003cbr/\u003eSolderless breadboard\u003cbr/\u003eBicycle tire\u003cbr/\u003eStep-by-Step Instructions\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003ePlace your potentiometer into your breadboard.\u003cbr/\u003eRun a jumper wire from the 5-Volt pin of the Arduino either one of the outside pins of your potentiometer.\u003cbr/\u003eRun another jumper wire from one of the ground pins on your Arduino (labeled GND) to the other outside pin of your potentiometer.\u003cbr/\u003eRun the final jumper wire from pin A0 on your Arduino to the middle pin of the potentiometer.\u003cbr/\u003ePlug your Arduino into your computer.\u003cbr/\u003eOpen up the Arduino IDE.\u003cbr/\u003eGo to File, Examples, 01.Basics, AnalogReadSerial\u003cbr/\u003eClick the Verify button on the top left side of the screen. It will turn orange and then back to blue once it has finished.\u003cbr/\u003eClick the Upload button (next to the Verify button). It will turn orange and then back to blue once it has finished.\u003cbr/\u003eOn the menu bar, go to Tools, Serial Monitor - this will open the Serial Monitor window - you should see numbers rolling down this screen.\u003cbr/\u003eNow adjust the knob of your potentiometer and watch the serial monitor window, the numbers should adjust between 0 and 1023.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eCircuit Talk\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eCurrent will run from high voltage to low voltage, thus current will move from the 5-volt pin to the ground pin - through the potentiometer.  The two outer pins on the potentiometer are connected through a resistive \"ring\".  The center pin of the potentiometer is connected to a wiper that moves along the resistive ring when you adjust the knob.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eAs you adjust the resistance by turning the knob on your potentiometer, the voltage being applied at the center pin changes. This voltage is what your analog pin is detecting as input.  The analog-to-digital converter takes this input signal and changes it to the discreet range of 0 to 1023, which can be read with the function analogRead() that we will discuss shortly.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eIn the further reading section at the end, I have linked to a good tutorial explaining potentiometers if you want more info than the minuscule description I have here.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis sketch starts with a multi-line comment describing the sketch and the circuit.  You will probably notice that the first block of code is the setup() function - we do not declare or initialize any variables at the beginning of this sketch - instead we will do this inside the loop() function, as in the last example. Inside the curly braces of setup() we revisit the Serial library and use the function Serial.begin().\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eIf you recall from the last lesson, Serial.begin() takes the baud rate as an argument (this will almost always be 9600).  This function allows you to setup a communication channel between the computer and the Arduino. 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