9. Simple Electronic Circuits

In this section we will have simple tutorials of building electronic circuits and interfacing them with a microprocessor

The examples will have code and wiring for both Arduinos and Picos.

Debugging Circuits and code

A problem you can face with combining microprocessor code with electronic circuits is Where is the fault, code or circuit?

Here are some hints on how to solve this:

1. Remember that to provide a voltage you must COMPLETE THE CIRCUIT.

   • There must be a voltage in (either from a GPIO or a voltage out) and it must go to ground. Though never connect the voltage pins directly to ground, this will pull too much current through the microprocessor. Make sure a component is in the circuit to limit the current

This images shows a simple circuit, note how it is completed

1. Simplify the circuit.

   • For example, if trying to light an LED take the 3.3V output directly to power the LED instead of from a GPIO.If it doesn’t light then trouble shoot. Check the LED is the right way around, check everything is inserted correctly etc…

2. Simplify the code.

   • Make simple version of the code to check it interacts with the circuit correctly. Build back up the complexity