Assignment: Robotics

For this assignment I was tasked with creating a device using an Arduino, and from that I was basically given free rein to make whatever I wanted. I decided to try to recreate as best I could a traffic light. Before I creating this though, I created a flowchart to map out my process and have stages that I could clearly follow.

Firstly, I decided to create a sketch of what this project would look like in tinker Cad, as well as create the basic code that would go with my project:

Next, I then started making the actual circuit, and made a design change to use a breadboard to help organize my wires instead of plugging directly. Once I had created the initial circuit, I then decided that I also wanted to add a button that when pressed, would make the red light time go from 5 seconds to 2.5 seconds, to simulate when someone presses the crosswalk button.

Here is the code if you would like to create this for yourself:

const int redLight = 12;

const int yellowLight = 11;

const int greenLight = 10;

const int buttonPin = 2;

const unsigned long defaultRedLightTime = 5000;  

const unsigned long yellowLightTime = 2000;      

const unsigned long greenLightTime = 5000;        

// Create a variable to store the actual red light time for each cycle

unsigned long redLightTime = defaultRedLightTime;

void setup() {

  // Set up the LED pins

  pinMode(redLight, OUTPUT);

  pinMode(yellowLight, OUTPUT);

  pinMode(greenLight, OUTPUT);

  // Set button pin as input with internal pull-up resistor

  pinMode(buttonPin, INPUT_PULLUP);

  Serial.begin(9600);

}

void loop() {

  digitalWrite(greenLight, HIGH);  

  digitalWrite(yellowLight, LOW);  

  digitalWrite(redLight, LOW);      

  delay(greenLightTime);            

  // *** YELLOW LIGHT PHASE ***

  digitalWrite(greenLight, LOW);    

  digitalWrite(yellowLight, HIGH);  

  digitalWrite(redLight, LOW);      

  delay(yellowLightTime);          

  // Check if button is pressed when entering the red light phase

  int buttonState = digitalRead(buttonPin);

  if (buttonState == LOW) {

    redLightTime = defaultRedLightTime / 2;  

    Serial.println(“Button pressed: Red light time halved to 2.5 seconds”);

  } else {

    redLightTime = defaultRedLightTime;      

    Serial.println(“Button not pressed: Red light time set to 5 seconds”);

  }

  digitalWrite(greenLight, LOW);    

  digitalWrite(yellowLight, LOW);  

  digitalWrite(redLight, HIGH);    

  delay(redLightTime);              

}

Additionally, if you would like to create this circuit you will need:

One Arduino

One Breadboard

3 Resistors

3 LED’s ranging in color

One button

Approximately 10 wires for connecting