Learning Arduino: Pulse Width Modulation

Power your DIY electronics projects with Arduino and pulse width modulation. Learn how to program servos, motors, and LEDs to react to the world around them.

Introduction

• Welcome
• What you should know
• Using the exercise files
• Challenges

1. Introduction to Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM)

• Exploring the fundamentals of PWM
• Using basic PWM output
• Faking PWM on a non-PWM pin
• Challenge: Matching PWM and non-PWM LED brightness
• Solution: Matching PWM and non-PWM LED brightness

2. Using Analog Inputs to Drive PWM Output

• Introducing various analog inputs
• Understanding the basics of analog input
• Finding logic bugs in your code
• Testing components with a multimeter
• Using the map function
• Challenge: Understanding the math behind the map function
• Solution: Understanding the math behind the map function

3. LED and PWM

• Fading an LED with PWM with code
• Calibrating an analog input to fade an LED precisely
• Challenge: Programming an LED that reacts to brightness
• Solution: Programming an LED that reacts to brightness
• Using an RGB LED
• Mixing colors on an RGB LED using three analog inputs
• Challenge: Fading through the rainbow with PWM
• Solution: Fading through the rainbow with PWM

4. Motor Control

• Comparing DC motors, servos, and stepper motors
• Implementing basic servo control
• Controlling a servo with an analog input
• Controlling a continuous rotation servo with an analog input
• Controlling DC motor speed with an analog input and transistor
• Diving deeper into H bridge control
• Controlling a DC motor with an H bridge
• Challenge: Controlling a DC motor with an H bridge and potentiometer
• Solution: Controlling a DC motor with an H bridge and potentiometer

Next steps

• Conclusion