Working with Sensors

We’ve figured out our Particle board and worked with some basic outputs (LEDs), now it’s time to turn our attention to sensors.

Sensors allow us to convert environmental considitions to electicity which our Particle board. They let us know the world around our board - reading light levels, noise, temperature and even gas particles in the air!

In this section, we’re going to exlore how to get useful information from the world around our board through this wonderful things!

Components you will need

• Particle Microcontroller

• Breadboard

• Jumper Wires

• A 1kΩ Resistor

• Sensors like a Photoresistor, a PIR Sensor, temperature Sensor or a Force Sensitive Resistor (FSR).

Some background

• Guide: Understanding Sensors
• Guide: Reading from Sensors: Using analogRead
• Guide: Resistive Sensors and Pull Down Resistors
• Guide: Particle Cloud and Variables
• Guide: Working with Sensor Data: map()

Step By Step

Follow these primers for working with different types of sensors:

In your Kit

1. Tutorial: Using a photoresistor
2. Tutorial: Using a TMP36 Temperature Sensor
3. Tutorial: Using a FSR
4. Tutorial: Using a Flex/Bend Sensor

In the Lab

1. Tutorial: Using a DS18B20 Temperature Sensor

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Table of contents

• What are sensors?
• Reading from Sensors: Using analogRead
• Resistive Sensors and Pull Down Resistors
• Particle Cloud and Variables
• Using map()
• Tutorial: Using a photoresistor
• Tutorial: Using a Flex Sensor
• Tutorial: Using a FSR
• Tutorial: DB18B20 Temperature Sensor
• Tutorial: Using the TMP36
• Practice Exercise II