Arduino Basic Tutorial: Get Started with Arduino LED Blink
Description:
An LED blink is a basic project that many beginners start with when learning to work with an Arduino board. It involves connecting an LED to the board and programming it to blink on and off at a certain interval. This project can be completed with just a few simple components and is a great way to get started with Arduino programming.
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To begin, you’ll need the following components
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About LED:
An LED (Light Emitting Diode) is a semiconductor device that emits light when a current flows through it. It is a type of diode that is designed to produce light when activated. LEDs are widely used in a variety of applications such as indicator lights, display panels, and decorative lighting, among others. They are highly efficient, durable, and consume low power.
Regarding the pinout of a 5V LED, it generally consists of two pins, an anode (+) and a cathode (-).
The anode is typically the longer leg, and the cathode is the shorter leg. This is a standard convention that applies to most LEDs. However, it is always best to check the datasheet of your specific LED to confirm the pinout.
When connecting a 5V LED to a power source, it is important to ensure that the anode is connected to the positive (+) terminal of the power source, and the cathode is connected to the negative (-) terminal. If you reverse the polarity of the LED, it will not light up and may be damaged.
It’s worth noting that some 5V LEDs may also have additional pins, such as a third pin for a built-in resistor or a fourth pin for RGB (red, green, blue) color mixing. In such cases, the pinout may vary depending on the LED’s design, and it is essential to refer to the datasheet to ensure the correct connection.
a 5V LED is a type of LED that is designed to work with a 5V power source. It typically has two pins, an anode (+) and a cathode (-), and it is important to connect these pins correctly to the power source to avoid damage to the LED. Additionally, some 5V LEDs may have additional pins, and it is essential to refer to the datasheet to confirm the pinout.
How Led works:
A 5V LED works by converting electrical energy into light energy through a process called electroluminescence. When a current flows through the LED, electrons and holes are injected into the semiconductor material of the LED. These electrons and holes then recombine, releasing energy in the form of photons, which produces visible light.
The color of the light produced by the LED depends on the energy band gap of the semiconductor material used in the LED. Different semiconductor materials have different energy band gaps, which result in different colors of light being emitted.
The voltage required to light up a 5V LED is typically around 2V to 3.5V, depending on the color of the LED. To ensure the LED operates safely, a current-limiting resistor is used in series with the LED.
The resistor limits the current flowing through the LED to prevent it from overheating and getting damaged.
a 5V LED works by converting electrical energy into light energy through electroluminescence. When a current flows through the LED, electrons and holes are injected into the semiconductor material, which then recombine and produce photons, resulting in visible light. To ensure safe operation, a current-limiting resistor is used in series with the LED.
LED Blink Using Arduino
Now that we know what an LED is, let’s explore how to blink it using Arduino. Blinking an LED using Arduino is a basic project that serves as a starting point for many other projects. The basic idea behind LED blink is to turn on and off an LED at regular intervals, creating a blinking effect.
To blink an LED using Arduino, you will need the following components:
Arduino board
LED
Resistor (220 Ohm or 330 Ohm)
Jumper wires
Circuit diagram of 5v led with Arduino:
Here’s how to wire up the circuit:
- Take the 5V LED and identify the positive leg (anode) and the negative leg (cathode). The positive leg is typically longer and may have a flat edge around the base of the LED. The negative leg is usually shorter and has a rounded base.
- Connect the positive leg of the LED to the digital pin of the Arduino board that you want to use to control the LED. For this example, we will use digital pin 10.
- Connect the negative leg of the LED to the resistor.
- Connect the other end of the resistor to the ground (GND) pin of the Arduino board.
Note: It is important to use a resistor in the circuit to limit the amount of current flowing through the LED. Failure to use a resistor can cause the LED to burn out or damage the Arduino board.
Once the circuit is wired up, you can program the Arduino board to control the LED using the digital pin you connected the LED to.
5v Led blinking code:
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int ledPin = 10; void setup() { pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT); // set digital pin 10 as output } void loop() { digitalWrite(ledPin, HIGH); // turn on LED delay(1000); // wait for 1 second digitalWrite(ledPin, LOW); // turn off LED delay(1000); // wait for 1 second } |
Code Explanation:
int ledPin = 10; // define the LED pin as pin 10
void setup() {
 pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT); // set pin 10 as an output pin
}
The first line of the code declares an integer variable called “ledPin” and initializes it with a value of 10. This tells the Arduino board that we want to use pin 10 to control the LED.
In the “setup” function, the “pinMode” function is called to set pin 10 as an output pin. This function tells the Arduino board that we want to use pin 10 to output electrical signals to control the LED.
void loop() {
 digitalWrite(ledPin, HIGH); // turn on LED
 delay(1000); // wait for 1 second
 digitalWrite(ledPin, LOW); // turn off LED
 delay(1000); // wait for 1 second
}
The “loop” function is the main part of the code that runs repeatedly. In this example, the function contains two “digitalWrite” statements, which turn the LED on and off.
The first “digitalWrite” statement turns on the LED by setting the voltage of pin 10 to HIGH. This sends a signal to the LED, telling it to turn on and emit light.
After the LED is turned on, the “delay” function is called with a value of 1000, which tells the Arduino board to pause for 1 second. During this time, the LED remains on and emits light.
Next, the second “digitalWrite” statement turns off the LED by setting the voltage of pin 10 to LOW. This sends a signal to the LED, telling it to turn off and stop emitting light.
Finally, the “delay” function is called again with a value of 1000, which causes the Arduino board to pause for another 1 second. During this time, the LED remains off and does not emit light.
After this, the “loop” function repeats, turning the LED on again and repeating the process indefinitely.
Code Uploading:
To upload the code to the Arduino board, follow these steps:
- Connect the Arduino board to your computer using a USB cable.
- Open the Arduino IDE software on your computer.
- In the IDE, select the correct board type and serial port from the Tools menu.
- Copy the code into the IDE and click the upload button.
The code will be compiled and uploaded to the Arduino board, and the LED will start blinking according to the program.
How to Run Arduino code in Proteus:
To run Arduino code in Proteus, you need to follow these steps:
- Open Proteus software and select the Arduino board model that you want to use.
- Next, open the Arduino Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and write the code for your project.
- Once you have written the code, compile it by clicking on the “Verify” button in the IDE.
- After verifying the code, click on the “Upload” button to upload the code to the Arduino board.
- Now, open Proteus and add the Arduino board to the schematic diagram by selecting it from the components library.
- Double-click on the Arduino board to open the properties window and select the “Program File” option.
- In the “Program File” section, click on the “…” button to browse and select the hex file generated by the Arduino IDE.
- Once you have selected the hex file, click on the “OK” button to save the settings.
- Now, you can simulate your Arduino project by running the simulation in Proteus.
Note: Before running the simulation, make sure that you have properly connected all the components and wires in the schematic diagram. Also, ensure that the Arduino board is properly powered and connected to the computer.
Arduino led blink code testing in Proteus
Summary:
In this article, we learn about LED technology, how it works and how to use it to blink an LED using an Arduino board. We also learned about the components required for the project, including an Arduino board, an LED, a resistor, jumper wires, and a breadboard. Additionally, we discussed the pinout of a 5V LED, the voltage required to light it up, and the current-limiting resistor used to prevent the LED from getting damaged. The article provided a circuit diagram and code to control the LED using an Arduino board, which involves connecting the positive leg of the LED to a digital pin of the Arduino board, connecting the negative leg of the LED to a resistor, and connecting the other end of the resistor to the ground (GND) pin of the Arduino board. The code involved defining the LED pin as pin 10 and using the digitalWrite() function to turn the LED on and off at regular intervals. if you want to learn how to interface the LED Bar Graph with Arduino then read this article.
