SPARKONICS

SESSION 1
TINKERCAD &
SENSORS

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 INTRO TO TINKERCAD
 Tinkercad is an online platform for
3D design, electronics, and
coding, suitable for beginners.
 It is accessible for students,
hobbyists, and professionals,
allowing easy creation and
experimentation.
 The platform features tools for 3D
modeling, circuit design, and code
blocks for project visualization.
 Tinkercad promotes learning in
STEM fields by providing hands-on
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simulations and design
WHY SIMULATE ????
 It allows real-time feedback, displaying how current
flows, voltages across components, and how various
elements interact.

 Circuit simulation helps detect errors, optimize design,

and understand circuit behavior before physically
building the circuit.

 It eliminates the risk of damaging components and

saves time and resources by testing designs digitally
before physical implementation.

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COMPONENTS AVAILABLE

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 Simulation Circuit View Schematic Component
Name View List

Component

Workspace

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Circui
t
EXPLORING THE
WORLD OF
SENSORS
Sensors are revolutionizing how we interact
with the world. From smartphones to smart
homes, these tiny devices play a big role.
1. ACCELEROMETER

What It • Measures linear acceleration in multiple

directions (X, Y, Z).
Does • Tracks motion, orientation, and tilt.

• Works on Newton's Second Law of Motion (F =

m * a).
Basic • MEMS Accelerometers use tiny structures inside

Principle that move with acceleration. These movements

change the capacitance or resistance, which is
converted into measurable signals.
• Smartphones: Automatically rotates the screen
Real-Life when tilted.
• Fitness Trackers: Counts steps by detecting the
Application up-and-down motion of walking or running.

s • Airbags in Cars: Detects sudden deceleration in a

crash and triggers the airbags.
• Smart Prosthetics: Where accelerometers help
Future monitor and adapt movements in real-time.
• Health Monitoring: Wearable devices that track
Vision even minute changes in motion for early diagnosis
of health conditions. 12
2. GYROSCOPE

What It • Measures angular velocity or rotation along an axis.

• Tracks rotational movements to help stabilize and
Does orient devices.

• Based on the Coriolis Effect, where a rotating mass

Basic inside the sensor experiences forces that are
proportional to the rate of rotation. These forces are
Principle measured by the MEMS sensor.
• Measures rotation in multiple axes (pitch, roll, yaw).

• Drones: Stabilizes flight by detecting rotations and

Real-Life adjusting the propellers accordingly.
• Virtual Reality (VR): Tracks head movements to
Application provide immersive experiences.
• Gaming Controllers: Used in devices like the
s Nintendo Wii to detect players' hand motions for
interactive gaming.

• Autonomous Vehicles: Gyroscopes help maintain

Future vehicle orientation and balance in self-driving cars.
• Augmented Reality (AR) Glasses: Enhances user
Vision experience by precisely tracking head and eye
movements.
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3. EMG (ELECTROMYOGRAPHY) SENSOR

What It Does: Tracks electrical signals generated by muscle

contractions.

Basic Principle: Measures electrical activity from muscles

and translates it into usable data.

Imagine this in Action:

• Wearable exoskeletons controlled by your muscle movements, giving
new life to rehabilitation.

Where You See It:

• Prosthetic limbs, Rehabilitation tools, Sports science
(monitoring muscle fatigue).

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4. ECG (ELECTROCARDIOGRAM) SENSOR

What It Does: Measures the heart's electrical

activity.

Basic Principle: Captures electrical signals of

the heart to produce a waveform representing
heart rhythms.

Your smartwatch silently

tracking your heart rate and
Imagine this in Action: alerting you if it detects any
irregularities, potentially saving
lives.

Smartwatches, Medical
Where You See It: diagnostics (detecting heart
issues early), Fitness trackers.

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 5. EEG (ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHY) SENSOR

What It Does: Captures electrical activity in the brain.

Basic Principle: Detects voltage changes in the brain's

neurons.

Imagine this in Action:

Brain-Computer Interfaces allowing people to control
devices just by thinking.

Where You See It:

Neurological research, Epilepsy diagnosis,
Cognitive neuroscience (understanding brain activity
in real-time).
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6. SMOKE SENSOR

What It Does: Detects smoke particles in the air to prevent

fire hazards.

Basic Principle: Uses photoelectric or ionization

technology to detect smoke particles by measuring light
scattering or current disruption.

Imagine this in Action:

Smoke detectors in your home or office that trigger alarms

before you even notice danger.

Where You See It:

Fire alarms, Industrial safety systems, Smart homes.

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7. SOIL MOISTURE SENSOR

What It Does: Measures water content in soil.

Basic Principle: Measures changes in the dielectric constant

or electrical conductivity of the soil to indicate moisture
levels.

Imagine this in Action:

Smart irrigation systems that water plants when they’re
thirsty—saving water and optimizing growth.

Where You See It:

Agriculture, Gardening automation, Environmental
monitoring

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8. RAIN SENSOR

What It Does: Detects rainfall and triggers automatic responses.

Basic Principle:
Senses rain via changes in resistance or capacitance when raindrops
hit a surface.

Imagine this in Action:

Your car’s wipers start automatically when it starts raining—no
hands needed.

Where You See It:

Automatic car wipers, Smart irrigation systems, Weather
stations.

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9. COLOR SENSOR

What It Does: Identifies colors by measuring light reflected

off surfaces and converting it into RGB values.

Basic Principle: Detects light intensities in the Red, Green,

and Blue spectrum to determine color.

Imagine this in Action:

Automatic car wipers, Smart irrigation systems,
Weather stations.
Where You See It:
Manufacturing quality control, Robotics, Color matching
systems.

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10. RFID (RADIO-FREQUENCY
IDENTIFICATION) SENSOR
What It Does: Wirelessly identifies and tracks
objects using electromagnetic fields and RFID
tags.

Basic Principle: RFID readers emit radio

waves that activate tags, which send back
data (like an ID or serial number).

You walk into a building

Imagine this in and your RFID access card
Action: automatically unlocks the
door.

Access control systems,

Inventory management,
Where You See It: Contactless payment
(e.g., metro cards, credit
cards).
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11.FLEX SENSOR

The sensor's
resistance changes
Measures the
as it bends. The
What It Does: amount of bend or Basic Principle:
more it bends, the
flex in a material.
higher the
resistance.

Prosthetic limbs with

Robotics (detecting more natural
Real-Life joint movement), movements,
Future Vision:
Applications: Wearable Devices, Wearable technology
Gaming Controllers. that adapts to user
posture.

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12.SOUND SENSOR

What It Does:

Measures the sound levels in an environment.

Basic Principle:

Uses a microphone to convert sound waves into electrical signals.

Real-Life Applications:
Voice-activated systems, Environmental monitoring, Smart home
systems.
Future Vision:
Advanced voice recognition, Real-time sound analysis for public
safety.

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13.ULTRASONIC SENSOR

What It Does:

Measures the distance between the sensor and an object by using sound waves.
2cm – 4-5m.

Basic Principle:

Emits high-frequency sound waves and measures the time it takes for them to bounce back
from an object.

Real-Life Applications:

Distance measurement in robotics, Parking sensors in cars, Object detection in automation.

Future Vision:

More accurate autonomous navigation systems, Advanced object recognition.

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14.TOUCH SENSOR

What It Does:

Detects physical touch or proximity.

Basic Principle:

Works on capacitive or resistive principles; changes in capacitance or resistance

signal touch.

Real-Life Applications:

Smartphones, Touchscreen devices, Interactive displays.

Future Vision:

Smarter, more responsive touch interfaces, Touch sensors in medical

equipment.

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15.PIR SENSOR
What It Does:

Detects motion by measuring infrared light from objects in its field of view.
5 to 12 meters, 90-110 deg view.

Basic Principle:

Senses changes in infrared radiation levels when an object moves.

Real-Life Applications:

Security systems, Motion-activated lights, Home automation.

Future Vision:

Smarter motion detectors for enhanced security, Motion detection in wearable

devices.

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16.TILT SENSOR
What It Does:

Detects changes in the angle of an object relative to the ground.

Basic Principle:

Uses a rolling ball or liquid to detect tilt by shifting positions when

angled.

Real-Life Applications:

Gaming controllers, Mobile devices (screen orientation), Industrial

equipment.

Future Vision:

More precise orientation sensing for drones, Advanced tilt

detection in robotics.

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17. LIGHT SENSORS

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A. PHOTODIODES

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B. PHOTORESISTORS

• The resistance of a photoresistor

decreases with increasing incident light
intensity (photoconductivity).
• It won’t respond if the light is not exactly
focused on its surface.

Applications :
Agriculture, Weather monitoring, Temp.
Control

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C. INFRARED SENSORS

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Applications :
Obstacle avoidance, Line Follower, TV
remote, infrared thermometer

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18. TEMPERATURE SENSORS
A. THERMISTOR

Applications :
Consumer electronics, Battery
management system, medical devices,
engine temp. monitoring 33
B. THERMOCOUPLE

Applications :
Industrial Process,
Aerospace, Food
processing, Power
generation, exhaust gas
monitoring

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19. HALL EFFECT SENSORS

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 Applications :
Security systems, Anti – lock
Breaking systems(ABS) , rotating
speed sensors, automatic fuel level
indicator

Anti–lock breaking system

Rotating speed sensor

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20. ENCODERS

Applications: CNC,
Robotic arms, Position
Optical Encoders
sensing
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21. POTENTIOMETERS

Applications: Volume
control in audio equipment,
Position sensing (Joystick)
Tuning Circuits
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Guess what circuit does??

Circuit

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BASICS BEFORE WE DIVE IN.

Microcontrolle
r
vs
Microprocesso
r 40
  Microcontroller  Microprocessor
 A small computer on a single  A central processing unit (CPU) that
integrated circuit that includes a requires external components like
processor, memory, and peripherals. memory, and input/output peripherals
to function.

 ATmega328 (Arduino), ATtiny85,  Intel Core i7, ARM Cortex-A53, AMD

ESP8266 Ryzen

 Embedded systems, simple  PCs, smartphones, servers, gaming

automation tasks, IoT devices consoles

 Integrated (Flash memory, RAM, and  External (Needs external RAM, ROM,
EEPROM on the chip) etc.)

 Typically, low (designed for power  Higher (requires more power for
efficiency) performance)

 8-bit, 16-bit, or 32-bit (simpler  Mostly 32-bit or 64-bit (for complex

designs) tasks)

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ATTINY85
 ATtiny chips are tiny and easy to use
in small projects.

 They use very little power, making

them great for battery-operated
devices.

 ATtiny microcontrollers are

inexpensive and widely available.

 Ideal for projects like small robots,

sensors, and simple electronics.

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 GPIO PINS
• Also known as General Purpose Input Output Pins, GPIO pins
are a standard interface to connect microcontrollers with other
electronic devices.
• GPIO pins can be configured as either input (receiving data) or
output (sending data). Some pins can also support analog
input or PWM output.
• GPIO pins are versatile and used for many purposes, such as
reading sensor data (input) or controlling devices like LEDs and
motors (output).
• When configured as output, GPIO pins send high (1) or low
(0) signals to connected devices.

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 ANALOG AND DIGITAL PINS
Analog I/O Pins Digital I/O Pins

Can output varying voltages from 0V Can only output 0V or 5V (binary)

to 5V

analogRead(), analogWrite() digitalRead(), digitalWrite()

Can only read digital signals

Can read both analog and digital
signals

Used for devices that need variable Used for on/off control, like turning
control (e.g., light dimming, motor LEDs or relays on and off
speed control)

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PWM (PULSE WIDTH
MODULATION)
PWM is used to send analog signals through a digital I/O pin.
This is achieved by sending pulses of power within a very short interval of time.

Voltage output=Voltage supplied by the pin x Duty cycle

PWM is commonly used for controlling motor
speed, dimming LEDs, and generating audio
signals.
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 ARDUINO UNO
 USB Interface: Connects the board to your
computer for uploading code and also
powers the board.
 Power Input (7-12V): Can power the board
through an external DC power supply if not
using USB.
 Reset Button: Manually resets the
microcontroller to restart your program.
 Digital I/O Pins (0-13): These pins can be
used as either input or output and are used
to interface with external components like
sensors, LEDs, or motors. Pins 3, 5, 6, 9,
10, and 11 support PWM.
 Analog Pins (A0-A5): Used to read analog
signals (e.g., from sensors like temperature
or light sensors) and convert them to digital
values.
 ARDUINO UNO
 Power Pins: Provides 3.3V, 5V, GND, and a
reset pin for powering external circuits.
 TX/RX LEDs: Indicate serial communication
(data transmission and reception).
 ATmega328P: The main microcontroller
that runs your code.
 Minimum Input: 7V (Below this, the onboard
regulator may not be able to supply a stable
5V).
 Maximum Input: 12V (Going beyond 12V
could cause the regulator to overheat,
although the absolute maximum is 20V, but
not recommended).
ARDUINO UNO
I2C (Inter-Integrated
Circuit)
 Allows the Arduino to
communicate with multiple
devices (like sensors or displays)
using just two wires.
 Pins: A4 (SDA) and A5 (SCL).
 One device acts as a master
(usually the Arduino) and others
as slaves. Data is sent over the
SDA line, and the SCL line keeps
everything in sync.
 Example: Connecting an LCD
screen or a temperature sensor.
ARDUINO UNO
SPI (Serial Peripheral
Interface)

 Faster communication for

connecting things like SD cards or
displays.
 Pins: 10 (SS), 11 (MOSI), 12
(MISO), and 13 (SCK).
 Devices communicate faster
using separate lines for sending
and receiving data. The SS pin
decides which device to talk to.
 Example: Reading from an SD
card or controlling an OLED
display.
ARDUINO UNO
UART (Serial
Communication):

 Allows the Arduino to

communicate with your computer
or another device.
 Pins: 0 (RX) and 1 (TX).
 Data is sent and received using
two pins—one for sending (TX)
and one for receiving (RX).
 Example: Sending data to a
Bluetooth module or displaying
serial data on your computer.
HELLO TO THE ARDUINO WORLD
Runs once, when you
power/reset; usually
contains the definition
of input output pins,
communication begin
etc..

Runs the code in a loop,

used for repetitive
tasks such as running a
motor etc..
WORKING WITH ARDUINO

Setting up Led pin

number, Pin 13 is
defined as led pin by
default.

Code to give max

power for 1 second and
no power for the next 1
second.
 FUN LITTLE GAME ON LCD

Play
 RESOURCES
ThinkerCAD Official - https://www.tinkercad.com/blog/official-guide-to-tinkercad-circuits
DroneBot Workshop –Don’t conclude this channel is just for drones from the
name, This guy made a very comprehensive Guide for Arduino and few other
micro controllers, many of his videos cover wide variety of sensors as well, do
check out.
-
Arduino Cloud -Getting Started with Arduino Cloud | Arduino Documentation
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWNDWPAClRVoIZzsX-SkR5Br0_ZtRsc
For
xZ those who want to go beyond Arduino we have ESP32 -
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWNDWPAClRVqNUIuJylljkQf
FSeIpuxUi
 CONNECT WITH
US

WHATSAPP INSTAGRA
M 55
THE END

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