Introduction
Connect a Potentiometer to a Bit Board and control a Piezo with code.
We'll explore how we can make sounds using a piezo speaker with a potentiometer.
Video Overview
Featured Document
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We'll use Maker Tape to connect the Potentiometer and the Piezo to the Bit Board on a LEGO baseplate.
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The Piezo will connect to Pin 8 and to Ground (GND) BUT! We're going to use the "gutter" between the LEGO baseplate studs so we can have two layers of tape that do not touch.
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See the photos to show how this works. It's a technique we'll use for certain projects. It can also be used when you're tight on space for tape paths.
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Once the Piezo is connected we'll need to connect the Potentiometer. One side goes to Ground (GND) and the other side to 3.3v
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We will then connect the center of the Potentiometer to Pin 0. (Note that Pin 0 is an analog pin.)
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You'll notice the Ground on the Bit Board (as well as the Potentiometer, Piezo, and other Crazy Circuits components we'll use) is color coded White.
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The 3.3v hole on the Bit Board is labeled and is actually two holes right next to each other on the Bit Board. (There is a small line showing the connection between them.)
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If you've never used a micro:bit before you'll want to check out this guide: Bit Board V2 Setup and Use
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We're going to load the following code for our Potentiometer Piezo Chooser program: https://makecode.microbit.org/_gCvJ9FeyK...
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The micro:bit (since the release of version V2) has included a built-in piezo speaker on the back. You can use the built-in Piezo on a V2 micro:bit or connect a Crazy Circuits Piezo with Maker Tape as we've shown in this guide.
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The micro:bit will play a different melody depending on the position of the Potentiometer dial.
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We're mapping the Potentiometer input from a scale of 0-1024 to 0-3 for a total of four positions, one which is silent and three which will play sounds.
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Once the code is loaded it should start running immediately.
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You can power the micro:bit via the USB cable you used to load the code or you can use a battery pack plugged into the Bit Board.
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Start with the dial all the way to the left (0) and it will not play a sound. Move it clockwise slowly and you'll hear different melodies played.
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Follow along with our recorded Live Stream!
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You can watch the full video of us walking through this project, along with explaining and exploring the code: https://youtube.com/live/g6-AnKVkcFk
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