Analog Input - Photoresistor

In this example we use a photoresistor, we read its value using one analog input of an
Arduino or Genuino board and we change the blink rate of the built-in LED
accordingly. The resistor's analog value is read as a voltage because this is how the
analog inputs work.

Hardware Required
 Arduino or Genuino Board
 10K ohm photoresistor and 10K ohm resistor
 built-in LED on pin 13 or 220 ohm resistor and red LED

Circuit

For this example, it is possible to use the board's built in LED attached to pin 13. To
use an additional LED, attach its longer leg (the positive leg, or anode), to digital pin
13 in series with the 220 ohm resistor, and it's shorter leg (the negative leg, or
cathode) to the ground (GND) pin next to pin 13.
The circuit based on a photoresistor uses a resistor divider to allow the high
impedence Analog input to measure the voltage. These inputs do not draw almost any
current, therefore by Ohm's law the voltage measured on the other end of a resistor
connected to 5V is always 5V, regardless the resistor's value. To get a voltage
proportional to the photoresistor value, a resistor divider is necessary. This circuit uses
a variable resistor, a fixed resistor and the measurement point is in the middle of the
resistors. The voltage measured (Vout) follows this formula:

Vout = Vin * (R2/(R1+R2))

where Vin is 5V, R2 is 10k ohm and R1 is the photoresistor value that ranges from 1M
ohm in darkness to 10k ohm in daylight (10 lumen) and less than 1k ohm in bright
light or sunlight (>100 lumen).

Schematic
Code
At the beginning of this sketch, the variable sensorPin is set to to analog pin 0,
where your potentiometer is attached, and ledPin is set to digital pin 13. You'll also
create another variable, sensorValue to store the values read from your sensor.

The analogRead() command converts the input voltage range, 0 to 5 volts, to a

By turning the shaft of the potentiometer, you change the amount of resistance on
either side of the center pin (or wiper) of the potentiometer. This changes the relative
resistances between the center pin and the two outside pins, giving you a different
voltage at the analog input. When the shaft is turned all the way in one direction, there
is no resistance between the center pin and the pin connected to ground. The voltage
at the center pin then is 0 volts, and analogRead() returns 0. When the shaft is turned
all the way in the other direction, there is no resistance between the center pin and the
pin connected to +5 volts. The voltage at the center pin then is 5 volts,
and analogRead()returns 1023. In between, analogRead() returns a number
between 0 and 1023 that is proportional to the amount of voltage being applied to the
pin.

That value, stored in sensorValue, is used to set a delay() for your blink cycle. The
higher the value, the longer the cycle, the smaller the value, the shorter the cycle. The
value is read at the beginning of the cycle, therefore the on/off time is always equal.

int sensorPin = A0;    // select the input pin for the potentiometer

void setup() {
  // declare the ledPin as an OUTPUT:
  pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT);
}

void loop() {
  // read the value from the sensor:
  sensorValue = analogRead(sensorPin);
  // turn the ledPin on
  digitalWrite(ledPin, HIGH);
  // stop the program for <sensorValue> milliseconds:
  delay(sensorValue);
  // turn the ledPin off:
  digitalWrite(ledPin, LOW);
  // stop the program for for <sensorValue> milliseconds:
  delay(sensorValue);
}