10. Tilt Sensor

This lesson uses: Arduino UNO R3 board, TinkerBlock TK62 Tilt Sensor module, TinkerBlock TK01 XL LED module, jumper wires (or breadboard). Learn the tilt sensor. Outcome: when the module is tilted the LED turns on; when it is level the LED turns off.

1. Wiring

• TK62 tilt sensor: VCC → 5V, GND → GND, SIGNAL → D2, NC leave unconnected
• TK01 LED: GND → GND, SIGNAL → D13

2. New sketch

1. Arduino IDE: File → New (or Ctrl/Cmd + N) to create a blank sketch
2. Confirm board and port are selected (same as Lesson 01)
3. Type the code below into the default setup() and loop() yourself

3. Program structure

Same as last lesson: two fixed blocks setup() and loop().

• setup(): Tell the board “pin 2 for reading the tilt sensor, pin 13 for the LED”; runs once.
• loop(): Keep repeating “read pin 2 → if tilted then LED on, else LED off → short delay”.

Type the code in; tilt the module and the LED turns on, level it and it turns off—tilt detection is that simple.

4. Code to write

Type the code below line by line into setup() and loop() (do not copy-paste; typing it yourself helps you remember):

// Tilt sensor on D2, LED on D13: output HIGH when tilted, LED on
#define TILT_PIN 2
#define LED_PIN 13

void setup() {
  pinMode(TILT_PIN, INPUT);   // D2 read tilt sensor
  pinMode(LED_PIN, OUTPUT);   // D13 control LED
}

void loop() {
  int state = digitalRead(TILT_PIN);   // TK62 is HIGH when tilted, LOW when level

  if (state == HIGH) {
    digitalWrite(LED_PIN, HIGH);
  } else {
    digitalWrite(LED_PIN, LOW);
  }
  delay(100);   // debounce
}

Program notes

Overall idea: Digital input on D2; when tilted TK62 outputs HIGH so LED on, when level LOW so LED off. Same logic as button, touch, collision and other digital sensors.

5. Hands-on

1. After entering the code, click Verify (✓) to compile
2. Click Upload (→) to upload to the board
3. Tilt detection:
   • Tilt the TK62 module by some angle: TK01 LED should turn on
   • Level the module: LED should turn off
4. Try different tilt angles and see when it triggers

Expected result:

Note: If your kit has the TK19 4-Directions Tilt Sensor, you can try it; it can detect tilt in four directions (up, down, left, right).

Proceed to Lesson 11.

6. Common issues

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