Chapter 2: Light on- Lights

of
Presentation based on:

"What's a Microcontroller ?"

By Andy Lindsay
Parallax, Inc

Presentation developed by:

Martin A. Hebel

Southern Illinois University Carbondale

College of Applied Sciences and Arts
Electronic Systems Technologies
9/02/03

Presentation Index
Use and Copyright
Indicator Lights
The LED as a Light
Voltage and Current
Ohm's Law
The Resistor
LEDs
Breadboard Area
Activity #1 Building and Testing the Light C
ircuit
Continued on next Slide
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 Activity #2: On/Off Control With the BASI

C Stamp
Sequential Flow & Looping
Pseudo-Code & Flowcharts
Where's the program?
Activity #3: Counting and Repeating
Variables
Activity #4: Second LED Circuit.
Activity #5: Using a Bi-Color LED
Chapter 2 Review
Links
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Use and Copyright

This presentation supplements "What's a
Microcontroller" by Andy Lindsay. (Link to text)
This presentation is not a replacement for the text.
Important concepts of the text are highlighted.
In some cases, additional material has been added
to augment the text. Denoted by titles colored
gold.
gold
Full program listings are generally not provided in
the presentation.
Distribution:
This presentation may be freely distributed without
modifications. Modifications are permitted by
schools and organizations for internal use only.
Credits, use and copyright slides must remain.
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COPYRIGHTS AND TRADEMARKS

This documentation is Copyright 2003 by Parallax, Inc. By downloading or
obtaining a printed copy of this documentation or software you agree that it
is to be used exclusively with Parallax products. Any other uses are not
permitted and may represent a violation of Parallax copyrights, legally
punishable according to Federal copyright or intellectual property laws. Any
duplication of this documentation for commercial uses is expressly prohibited
by Parallax, Inc. Check with Parallax for approval prior to duplicating any of
our documentation in part or whole for any use.
BASIC Stamp is a registered trademark of Parallax, Inc. If you decide to use the
name BASIC Stamp on your web page or in printed material, you must state
that "BASIC Stamp is a registered trademark of Parallax, Inc." Other brand
and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective holders.
DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY
Parallax, Inc. and Southern Illinois University are not responsible for special,
incidental, or consequential damages resulting from any breach of warranty,
or under any legal theory, including lost profits, downtime, goodwill, damage
to or replacement of equipment or property, or any costs of recovering,
reprogramming, or reproducing any data stored in or used with Parallax
products. Parallax is also not responsible for any personal damage, including
that to life and health, resulting from use of any of our products. You take full
responsibility for your BASIC Stamp application, no matter how life
threatening it may be.
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Indicator Lights
Indicator lights are so common to almost
be not noticed.

Using lights for indication is simply a

matter of connecting and disconnecting
them from a power source.
6

The LED as a Light

An LED (pronounced L-E-D), Light Emitting
Diode, is a very popular choice as an
indicator light because of its low power use
and extremely long life.

It is quite simple to control with the low

voltage of the BASIC Stamp but requires:
A resistor to limit the current.
Being connected in the correct orientation.
7

Voltage and Current

Voltage and current can be compared
to water pressure and flow. When
the valve is opened, what will
happen? What determines how fast
the water will flow?

Of course water will flow from the fuller tank

because it has greater pressure than the
empty tank.
The flow rate is dependent on:
The difference in pressure between the two
tanks.
The amount of restriction to flow in the pipe
and valve.
The water that flows from your facet is
dependent on the height of your town's
water tank, the size of the pipes, and how
far you open the faucet.
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In a battery, there is surplus of electrons on one side, and a deficiency of

electrons on the other side (holes).

When a circuit is completed, such as putting an LED in it, a flow exists from one
side to the other. This is called Current.

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Current can be viewed in one of 2 ways:

Electron Flow: Electrons flow from the
negative side(-) to the positive side.
OR
Hole Flow or Conventional Flow:
Holes, or the absence of electrons, move
from positive to negative as the electrons
move.
Holes (+)

+
-

+
-

+
-

Electrons (-)

+
-

+
-

An atom with an
excess of electrons
has a charge. One
with a deficiency of
electrons has a +
charge.
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Which version of flow is used doesn't

matter. How much flows does. Just
as with the water tanks:
The greater the pressure, or the
difference in potential (Voltage), the
greater the amount of current that
can flow in a unit time (Amperes).
The greater the restriction to flow
(Ohms), the lower the amount
current that can flow.
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Ohm's Law
Ohms Law states: The amount of
current (I) that will flow is
proportional to the voltage applied
(V), and inversely proportional to the
resistance (R) of the circuit.
I = V/R
As Resistance increases, current
decreases.

13

LEDs have minimal resistance to current

flow. A 5 volt source can destroy an
LED if current is not restricted. From
Ohm's Law, if R is 1 , how much
current will try to flow? An LED drops
approximately 1.4V, leaving 3.6V.
I = (5V-1.4V)/1 = 3.6 A
The maximum current a typical LED
can handle is around 30mA, or .030 A.
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The Resistor
The resistor is a device used to limit the
amount of current in a circuit. Because it is
so small, color bands are used to identify the
value.

Schematic
Symbol

Part
Drawing

1st Band: 1st Digit

2nd Band: 2nd Digit
3rd Band: Multiplier
4th Band (if present): Tolerance.
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For the resistor shown:

Yellow = 4, 1st Digit
Violet = 7, 2nd Digit
Brown = 1, add 1 zero.
470 Ohm or 470
Tolerance is how far off it
could be from the labeled
value:
Gold: 5%
Silver: 10%
none: 20%
16

Using the 470 resistor in series with

the LED, how much current will be
able to flow with a 5V source?
(5V-1.4V)/470 = 0.0077 Amps or
7.7mA

17

What is the resistance of a resistor

colored Brown-Black-Orange?
(Click slide for answer)

Answer: Brown = 1, Black = 0, Orange = 3

1, 0 , + 3 zeros = 10,000 ohms or 10K Ohm
18

LEDs
A Diode is light a one-way check valve in that
current can flow in only one direction. An
LED is a diode that emits light as current is
passed through it (Light Emitting Diode).
Note the connections on the
LED:
Anode: Connected to + side of
voltage. Typically has a longer lead.
Cathode: Connected to side
of voltage. Typically has a
shorter lead AND a flat portion
on the lens.
19

Breadboard Area
A Breadboard is an electrical testing area for
prototyping by quickly connecting
components.
The rows are electrically
connected to make connections
between devices.
Headers are provided
on 2 sides for:
I/O connections to the BASIC
Stamp (P0-P15)
Vdd: + Voltage
Vss: - Voltage
Use of Vin should be used
Vin: Supply Voltage
only as directed as it can
from battery or
damage the BASIC Stamp or
components.
wall transformer
20

Example connections of devices. Do

Not Build. Note how the rows of
sockets make complete paths of
current between devices and from
I/O headers and Vdd or Vss.

21

Activity #1 Building and Testing the Light

Circuit

Construct the circuit per your text.

As the current path from Vdd(+) to Vss(-) is
completed, the LED will light.

What happens if the LED is reversed?

What happens if a 1K ohm resistor is used?
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What happens when both sides are

connected to the same supply? With
no difference in potential (electrical
pressure), no current will flow, and
the LED will not light.

23

Activity #2: On/Of Control With the BASIC

Stamp

With the BASIC Stamp the

Input/Output pins (P0-P15) are
controlled to supply either the Vdd
(+) or Vss (-) potential. This will
control whether a device has a path
for current to flow or not.

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Connect the circuit per your text.

25

Enter the code to control and run per

the text:

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 The LED should be flashing on and off once

per second.
Key Commands:
HIGH 14: Places I/O pin P14 High. This
correlates to 5V or Vdd (digital 1). Current flows
between P14 and Vss energizing the LED.
PAUSE 500: BASIC Stamp pauses operation for
the specified time in milliseconds.
500 milliseconds = 0.5 seconds
LOW 14: Places I/O pin P14 Low. This correlates
to 0V or Vss (digital 0). Current does not flow
between P14 and Vss, LED is not energized.
DO and LOOP: Creates a looping structure for
repetition.
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Sequential Flow & Looping

Sequential Flow: Computer programs
generally start at the 'top' of the program
or routine and progress line by line
executing each instruction.

Looping: An instruction causes execution

to
branch to an earlier point.

28

Pseudo-Code & Flowcharts

As programs become more complex,
programming tools are beneficial in
the planning of the code.
Pseudo-Code: Descriptive
statements to describe what the
program will do.
Flowcharts: Graphical representation
of what the program will do.
29

Pseudo-Code Example
An example of Pseudo-Code for the LED on/off
program may be:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Start
Turn on LED
Wait for second
Turn off LED
Wait for second
Go back to start

A program for this pseudo-code could be

written in any number of computer
languages.
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Flowcharts
Flowcharts use symbols to represent the type of
action that is taking place at each step of a
program, and graphically illustrate the flow.
Oval - Start/Stop: Beginning or end of a
program or routine.
Rectangle - Process: Indicates a process
being performed that is internal to the
controller/ computer.
Parallelogram Input/Output: Indicates
reading an input or controlling an output.
Diamond Decision: The state of a condition
is checked, and execution branches to 1 of 2
directions based on the result True or False.
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The LED On/Off

program flowchart
would be the
following.

Start

LED On
Wait 0.5
Seconds

Note how the Flow

Lines show the
sequence and
direction.

LED Off
Wait 0.5
Seconds

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Where's the program?

Now that the LED is blinking per the
program, test this:
Disconnect the serial cable from the
BASIC Stamp. What happens? Why?
Turn off power to your BASIC
Stamp count to 10 turn it back
on. What happens? Why?

33

The program was transmitted to the

BASIC Stamp, stored in a permanent
memory (EEPROM-- programmable,
non-volatile ROM) and the computer is
no longer required.
The BASIC Stamp could now be placed
into some device to become
Embedded Control for the device.
A program CANNOT be retrieved from a BASIC
Stamp, so make sure you save yours!
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What happens as the arguments for

the PAUSE instructions are changed?
What happens if the DO and LOOP
instructions are commented out
(placing apostrophes in front of
them)?

35

Activity #3: Counting and

Repeating
Counting and making decisions based
on a value are key components to
many programs.
It is desired to make the LED blink 10
times through looping and then stop.
Consider the pseudo-code and
flowchart on the next slide.

36

Flow for LED On-Of 10 times

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Start
Begin count at 1
Turn LED On
Pause second
Turn LED off
Pause second
Increment count
Count < 10?

Start
Counter = 1
LED On
Wait 0.5 Sec
LED Off
Wait 0.5 Sec

True, loop back to

step 4

9. End
Program
The diamond
decision symbol evaluates
Counter and flow branches one of two
directions based on the result.

Add 1 to
Counter

True
Counter
<= 10
False
End
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Using a DO-LOOP WHILE

One way the code could be written is to use a
DO-LOOP WHILE structure. The Loop will
continue as long as the condition of Counter
<= 10 is true. This is a Conditional Loop.

Note that the counter

is:

Initialized
Updated
Checked
What is the value of
Counter when the loop

38

Counting with a FOR-NEXT Loop

A FOR-NEXT Loop is a simple structure to
count between 2 values. The NEXT
increments the value and the loop (NEXT)
will repeat if not at the end value.
Notice that code
inside a loop is
indented. This is
a visual aid to
assist in seeing
blocks of common
code, such as in a
loop.

39

Code with full comments:

The flowchart and pseudo-code do not change

(neglecting the added DEBUGs which would be
outputs), just the code to complete the task
has.
40

Variables
Variables are named locations in RAM memory that
hold data values. The general format for defining
a variable is: Name VAR Type
The name you select should be representative of what
the variable holds and has the following
limitations:
1. Cannot be a word used by PBASIC, such as END or
LOOP.
2. Cannot contain spaces.
3. May contain numbers or underscores, but cannot
start with those.
4. Must be less than 33 characters long.
By convention, variables start with upper-case for
each word in it. Examples:
MyValue, ValueIn, Left_Drive
41

Variable type defines how large a

value a variable can hold. The larger
the variable, the greater the amount
of RAM memory used.
Variable Type

Value Range

Bit

0 to 1

Nib (short for Nibble) 0 to 15

Byte

0 to 255

Word

0 to 65535

42

Create a variable to hold the number

of pups born in a litter.
(click for example code)

Pups_In_Litter

VAR

Nib

A Nib was chosen because a typical

maximum is 8, and a Nibble is the
smallest type which could hold this
value.
43

What happens as you change the

start and end values of the FOR
loop?
What does the STEP command do for
a FOR-NEXT?
FOR Counter = 1 TO 120 STEP 10

44

Activity #4: Second LED Circuit.

Add a second LED on P15.
Test code to control this LED and
both LEDs.

45

Activity #5: Using a Bi-Color LED

A Bi-Color LED is one which will light 2
different colors, such as red or
green, depending on direction of
current flow through it. An example
is a security light.

46

The bi-color LED is simply 2 LED

elements in a single package
connected in opposite ways.

47

By using 2 I/O
Pins and
defining which
is Vss (LOW)
and which is
Vdd (HIGH)
the direction
of current flow
can be
controlled.
48

LEDs are just one example of a device

that can be controlled with simple
HIGHs and LOWs from the BASIC
Stamp.
You will find many more in your
education and experimentations!

49

Chapter 2 Review
Why are LEDs are popular choices as indicator
lights.
In what direction can current flow in an LED?
What defines the amount of current that can
flow in a circuit?
What is the purpose of a resistor?
BASIC Stamp I/O pins can act as ___ or __ to
control devices.
How many times will a simple DO-LOOP
repeat?
What are 2 examples of conditional loops?
___________ and _________ are programming
tools for code development.
What a variables, and what sizes can they be?
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Links
BASIC Stamp Home
Stamps In Class Home
BASIC Stamp Software
BASIC Stamp Robots
BASIC Stamp Yahoo Group
Stamps In Class Yahoo Group
SIUC EST Degree

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