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Series45 chapters1270 min total

TinkerBlock Arduino Beginner Workshop

Forty-five lessons from installing the IDE to a finished integrated project, each one tied to a module already in the box.

Forty-five lessons, in order, from an unopened Arduino IDE to an integrated project. Each one is tied to a specific TinkerBlock module, so there is nothing to buy between chapters and nothing to substitute.

The structure repeats deliberately: wire it up, understand what the program is doing, type the code yourself, then a change to make and a table of what goes wrong. One or two new pieces of syntax per lesson, and always the ones the module in front of you needs.

Lessons 1 to 20 cover the language and the digital and analog basics. Lessons 21 to 37 add displays, buses and memory. The last eight are projects that combine what came before.

Chapters

  1. 01 · 20 minArduino IDE Installation & Environment SetupComplete download, installation, and basic setup of Arduino IDE on Windows for programming with the TinkerBlock kit.
  2. 02 · 20 min · XL LEDFirst Program: BlinkWrite your first program to make TK01 blink; understand setup/loop and digital output.
  3. 03 · 20 min · Push Button + XL LEDDigital Input: ButtonUse the button as digital input; learn to combine digitalRead() with digitalWrite().
  4. 04 · 20 min · Traffic LightTraffic LightControl three LEDs in sequence; learn multi-pin digital output and #define.
  5. 05 · 20 min · Push Button + XL LEDSerial Monitor DebuggingLearn to use the serial monitor and Serial to print.
  6. 06 · 20 min · RGB LEDRGB LEDControl three RGB LED channels; learn multi-channel digital output and #define.
  7. 07 · 20 min · Latching Button + XL LEDLatching ButtonLearn the latching button and state hold.
  8. 08 · 20 min · Collision Sensor + XL LEDCollision SensorLearn the collision sensor.
  9. 09 · 20 min · TTP223 Touch Sensor + XL LEDTouch SensorLearn the touch sensor.
  10. 10 · 20 min · Tilt Sensor + XL LEDTilt SensorLearn the tilt sensor.
  11. 11 · 20 min · Rotary Potentiometer + XL LEDPotentiometersLearn analog input and variables; use analogRead() to read the potentiometer and achieve outcome: when you turn the knob the serial monitor shows 0–1023, and the LED on D9 changes brightness (optional).
  12. 12 · 20 min · NTC ThermistorNTC ThermistorLearn to read NTC with analog input and do simple conversion; outcome: serial continuously shows raw value (0–1023) and converted voltage (0–5V); values change when you warm the module.
  13. 13 · 20 min · Ambient Light SensorAmbient Light SensorLearn to read light with analog input; outcome: serial shows light value (0–1023)—cover light and value drops, shine light and value rises.
  14. 14 · 20 min · Knock Sensor + XL LEDKnock SensorLearn the knock sensor; outcome: tap the module and the LED turns on; stop and it turns off.
  15. 15 · 20 min · Rotary Potentiometer + Push ButtonMultiple Sensors with SerialReview: combine potentiometer and button; outcome: serial shows potentiometer value and button state (pressed/released) at the same time, and the button still controls the LED.
  16. 16 · 20 min · XL LEDPWM Fading LEDLearn PWM and analogWrite(); use a for loop for outcome: LED fades from dim to bright and back to dim—a breathing light.
  17. 17 · 20 min · Passive BuzzerPassive BuzzerLearn tone() and noTone(); outcome: buzzer plays Do, Re, Mi in sequence then stops; can be extended to simple melodies.
  18. 18 · 20 min · Active BuzzerActive BuzzerLearn to control the active buzzer with digitalWrite() and const; outcome: buzzer on 0.5 s, off 0.5 s, repeat.
  19. 19 · 20 min · Vibration MotorVibration MotorLearn to control the motor with digitalWrite() or analogWrite(); outcome: motor vibrates 0.5 s, stops 0.5 s, repeat; optional PWM for strength.
  20. 20 · 20 min · RGB LEDRGB Color MixingLearn to control RGB with analogWrite() on three channels; outcome: cycle through red, green, blue, white, yellow, purple, cyan, about 1 s each.
  21. 21 · 30 min · TM1637 4-Digit Display (0.56 inch)TM1637 4-Digit DisplayLearn library install and use; control the 4-digit display with TM1637Display library; outcome: display counts up from 0 to 9999, changing every 0.5 s, then repeats.
  22. 22 · 30 min · 8x8 LED MatrixMatrix LEDLearn to control the 8×8 matrix with LedControl library and arrays; outcome: matrix shows a heart pattern for about 1 s, then clears, repeat.
  23. 23 · 30 min · XL LED + RGB LEDCustom FunctionsLearn custom functions; outcome: wrap “on 200 ms, off 200 ms” in myBlink(), call it from loop, LED blinks at a fixed rhythm.
  24. 24 · 30 min · 1.8-inch TFT Display + Logic Level Converter1.8 Inch TFT DisplayLearn to drive the TFT with Arduino_GFX library; outcome: screen first shows "Hello!", then cycles "TFT Screen" and full-screen red, green, blue.
  25. 25 · 30 min · WS2812 RGB LED BarWS2812 RGB LED BarLearn to control the WS2812 bar with FastLED library; outcome: one red LED moves along the bar in sequence—a running light.
  26. 26 · 30 min · IR Receiver + IR SenderIR CommunicationLearn infrared communication (one board receives, one sends); outcome: sender sends IR codes on a timer, receiver prints received codes on serial; you can also point a normal remote at the receiver and see the key codes.
  27. 27 · 30 min · NTC ThermistorNTC Thermistor Temperature SensorLearn to use analog input and the Beta equation to convert NTC thermistor voltage to temperature.
  28. 28 · 30 min · EEPROM MemoryEEPROM MemoryFirst use of I2C: read/write EEPROM with Wire library; outcome: write a value (e.g. 123) to EEPROM, power off and on, read from the same address—data is still there, proving it survives power loss.
  29. 29 · 30 min · Analog to Digital SignalADC ConceptLearn ADC (Analog-to-Digital Conversion); outcome: serial prints A0 analog value (0–1023) and D2 digital value (0 or 1) together so you see continuous vs discrete, multi-level vs two-level.
  30. 30 · 30 min · Rotary Encoder + XL LEDRotary EncoderUse the rotary encoder for rotation direction and button; outcome: turn encoder to adjust LED brightness (CW brighter, CCW dimmer), press encoder button to toggle LED (off/on), and when turning on again the previous brightness is restored.
  31. 31 · 30 min · LM75 Temperature SensorI2C Temperature LM75Use Wire library for I2C to read LM75 temperature; outcome: serial continuously shows temperature (°C); warming the sensor makes the value rise.
  32. 32 · 30 min · Matrix Keypad with I2C Adapter (4x4, PCF8574)I2C Matrix KeypadUse Wire library to scan the matrix keypad over I2C; outcome: when you press a key, serial prints the character (0–9, A–D, , #).
  33. 33 · 30 min · Steam SensorSteam SensorUse analog input to read the steam sensor; outcome: serial shows steam value (0–1023); breathing on the sensor or spraying water vapor raises the value.
  34. 34 · 30 min · Five-Direction Joystick + XL LEDJoystickUse analog input to read joystick direction; outcome: serial shows “Up / Left / Down / Right / Press / Center”; when you push a direction the LED is on, when you press or center the LED is off.
  35. 35 · 30 min · VoltmeterVoltmeterUse analog input to measure voltage and convert to real value; outcome: serial shows voltage (V); with the module’s divider you can display about 0–25V.
  36. 36 · 30 min · Piezo-Ceramic SensorPiezo SensorUse analog input to read the piezo sensor; outcome: serial shows the vibration value (0–1023); a tap makes it jump.
  37. 37 · 30 min · Dual Bright LEDsExtreme Bright Dual LEDsUse PWM to control warm white (3000K) and cool white (6500K) separately; outcome: show warm white, then cool white, then mixed light, each about 2 s, repeat.
  38. 38 · 45 min · DHT11 Temperature and Humidity Sensor + TM1637 4-Digit Display (0.56 inch)Project: Temperature Humidity DisplayProject: read temperature and humidity and display; outcome: serial shows temperature and humidity continuously, or 4-digit display shows temperature (integer).
  39. 39 · 45 min · Push Button + Active BuzzerProject: Button Buzzer LEDProject: one button controls LED and buzzer; outcome: press = LED on and buzzer on, release = LED off and buzzer off.
  40. 40 · 45 min · Rotary Potentiometer + RGB LEDProject: Potentiometer ControlProject: use potentiometer to control output; outcome: knob controls LED brightness (or buzzer pitch), serial shows potentiometer value and brightness/frequency.
  41. 41 · 45 min · IR Receiver + XL LEDProject: IR Remote LEDProject: control LED with IR remote; outcome: one button turns the LED on, another turns it off; serial prints each button's command and the action.
  42. 42 · 45 min · Five-Direction Joystick + XL LEDProject: Joystick ControlProject: joystick direction and button control LED and buzzer; outcome: up = LED on, down = LED off, left = low tone, right = high tone, press = buzzer off; serial prints current action.
  43. 43 · 45 min · EEPROM Memory + Push ButtonProject: EEPROM SettingsProject: save LED on/off state in EEPROM; outcome: button toggles LED and writes state to EEPROM; after power off and on, state is read from EEPROM and LED is restored.
  44. 44 · 45 min · 1.8-inch TFT Display + DHT11 Temperature and Humidity SensorProject: TFT Sensor DisplayProject: show sensor data on TFT; outcome: screen refreshes periodically with current temperature and humidity (Temp: xxC, Humi: xx%).
  45. 45 · 45 minFinal Project: Free IntegrationFinal project: combine what you learned into one project; outcome: choose a theme (e.g. smart lamp, temp/humidity alarm, remote LED), finish wiring, code, and test—wrap up the course.

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