In this post, I’ll describe how to change the color of an anode RGB LED with a potentiometer. I’ll be using an Arduino UNO, and components from this RadioShack components kit. The motivation for this post was to have an LED change color in response to the reading from a thermistor next to my stove, but when I read about how I’d first need to calibrate the thermistor with some kind of thermometer, my motivation scurried under the sofa like a terrier in a thunderstorm. As a compromise I substituted the thermistor with a trim-pot, reasoning that a variable resistance was a variable resistance.

Continue reading Controlling an RGB LED with a Potentiometer →

I didn’t finish the two posts I was editing this week, but I did draw a shoddy Arduino in GIMP with a Wacom tablet that you can use if you’d like. Below are PNG and XCF files with white and transparent backgrounds.

PNG, white background
PNG, transparent background
XCF, white background
XCF, transparent background

I bought one of the Arduino Sidekick component kits from RadioShack this weekend and I’d like to build a few circuits with those parts over the next few posts. I’ll be using Mike Margolis’ Arduino Cookbook which is the best text on tinkering with Arduinos that I have found, and I highly recommend it.

Continue reading Wiring a Tilt Switch →