Arduino Uno Starter Kit

Capacitors - store and discharge

energy: they're generally used to
regulate voltage or smooth out a
signal. A specific example of this is
"debouncing" a button press. While
pressing a button may seem like a
simple, quick action to you, on an
electrical level it can in fact generate
a series of very quick high and low
electrical noise. Debouncing is the
process of smoothing this so that a
single button press is just that.
H-Bridge - An H-Bridge is an
integrated circuit that allows voltage
to be applied in either direction.
These are typically used in
conjunction with a DC motor to allow
it to spin both forward and
backward. The L239D IC that comes
in the SunFounder Starter Kit is
actually a dual H-Bridge, so you can
drive two DC motors (great for
robots) or a single stepper motor.
Stepper Motor - A stepper motor is a
special type of DC electric motor used
for precise control of position and
rotation. Steppers are used in
applications that require accurate
positioning and where there is no need
for back-and-forth motion. The stepper
motor converts electrical input signals
into discrete steps, each step being a
uniform angular distance. There are
two basic types of stepper motors:
unipolar and bipolar stepper motors.
Servo Motor - The rotary servo in
the kit contains a DC motor,
potentiometer, and gearing system
that can be used for precision
control of the position of its "horn"
using PWM (pulse-width
modulation) signals from the
Arduino. Servos may be used in
devices such as robotic arms and
steering systems.
5V Relay - A relay is an
electromechanical switch that
allows you to close and open
circuits without mechanical contact.
Optocouplers are typically cheaper,
more reliable, and faster than a
relay, but they are also incapable of
handling higher loads. Relays come
in handy when you need to control
a large amount of current or voltage
using a small electrical signal.
Thermistor - A thermistor is a resistor
whose resistance is highly dependent
on temperature, more so than standard
resistors. It is made up of highly
conductive materials. Thermistors are
subdivided into two classes: Negative
Temperature Coefficient (NTC)
thermistors and Positive Temperature
Coefficient (PTC) Resistors. The
resistance of an NTC thermistor
decreases with temperature, while that
of a PTC resistor increases.
Photoresistor - A photoresistor,
also known as a light-dependent
resistor (LDR), is an electronic
component that changes its
electrical resistance in response to
the intensity of light. The
resistance of a photoresistor
decreases as the amount of light
that falls on it increases, and vice
versa.
7-segment display - is an
integrated package of LEDs that
act as a digital readout for projects
that need a display of numbers.
The SunFounder Kit includes both
a single-digit and four-digit
version. While it can't handle
images or the like, this kind of
display is ideal for projects such as
electric dice, an alarm clock, or
even a countdown timer.
Humiture Sensor - The digital
humiture sensor contained in this kit,
a DHT11, is a composite sensor that
measures both the relative humidity
and temperature of the surrounding
area. These sensors are commonly
used in environmental monitoring and
control systems, as well as in various
industrial and scientific applications
where accurate measurements of
humidity and temperature are
important.
Potentiometer - Though visually
similar to a rotary encoder, a
potentiometer has a fixed range of
motion and produces an easy-to-read
analog output to show exactly where
it's been rotated to. The main
difference is that a potentiometer has
a fixed start and end point, and often
a shorter life span. A potentiometer
may be better suited for projects that
don’t require exact precision, such as
controlling LEDs or servo motors.
Shift Register- A shift register is a kind
of short-term memory chip that receives
data in series, then "shifts" it all out
once. In practical terms, this means you
can free up I/O pins on the Arduino.
Crucially, shift registers can also be
daisy-chained together, allowing you to
drive many more outputs than would
otherwise be possible. They're a bit
harder to program, but they can come in
handy in Arduino projects that require
delay or pulse stretching.
LCD Screen- The LCD screen
features a 16x2 character display
that can show static or scrolling
messages. Typically, you'd use this
to output sensor readings or any
other simple text readout. Be
warned, though: the display uses
up a lot of output pins on the
Arduino, so you will only have a
few left to play with after hooking it
up.
PS2 Joystick - The Joystick PS2
module in this kit has analog
outputs for the X and Y axes,
along with a digital output for when
you press the joystick down. It can
be used in robotics and gaming
projects.
Transistors - are the foundation of
modern electronics. Both PNP
(positive, negative, positive) and
NPN (negative, positive, negative)
transistors are controlled by
electrical current and act as a
digital switch—used in digital logic
and signal-amplifying circuits.
Each type of transistor has a base,
collector, and emitter. The kit
includes two NPN transistors.
Push Buttons - A push button is a
simple tactile switch that makes or
breaks electrical contact when
pressed. This can be used to
initiate a variety of different effects
depending on the project. For
example, you could roll dice (for
display on an LCD or dot matrix),
sound a piezo buzzer, or start/stop
a LED light show.
Diodes- A diode lets electrical
current flow in only one direction.
Typically, this is used to protect
components or circuits from
reverse current surges, such as
from a motor that continues to turn
after the power has been switched
off.
Piezo Buzzer - A piezo buzzer is
basically a tiny speaker that can
beep in different tones. They come
in two types: active and passive.
The active buzzer included in the
kit emits a solid tone whenever it's
connected to power, but you can
program it within the code to
change the length and frequency
of the sounds emitted.