Contributors:
D___Run___,
Gina Likins Troubleshooting
Here's some things to look for if your project isn't working (and for some great illustrations and further explanations of these, see "Common Mistakes when Using a Breadboard" on the Science Buddies site.)
| If your LED won't light: |
| 1. Check your connections |
Common sources of connection errors
- Components are not on same terminal strip (they're not on the same row of holes) -- the terminal strips are pretty close together so it's hard to see sometimes.
- Not seating components fully in the breadboard. A component should go into the breadboard at least 4-5 mm (or a little less than the thickness of a pencil) when it's fully inserted
- Check the polarity of all the polarized components (LED, battery, and sensor) and make sure they match the instructions.
- Make sure you haven't reversed positive (+) and (-) connections -- the power rails are small and it's easy to mistakenly plug into the wrong one
- Check for shorts: when components get accidentally connected it can cause a short circuit. Make sure that the legs of your LED aren't touching one of the pins at the end of a jumper wire, for instance.
|
| 2. Check your power |
- Make sure your batteries are all oriented correctly.
- Try new batteries.
|
| If your plants aren't growing: |
Check for mold. |
If your seeds are fuzzy and your felt is white or green, you may have added too much water.
Remember: the seeds don't need much water; the felt helps to retain moisture; and that's why you built a "Water-Me Sensor", right?
If you add too much water, your seeds may mold.
If this happens, your best bet is to use your spare piece of felt and start over with some new seeds -- and less water! :-)
|
| See if your felt is completely dry. |
- If your LED is not lit up see "If your LED won't light", above
- If your LED is lit up, that means you need to water your seeds!
- If you're watering your farm every day and the felt still dries out too quickly, you can either use the scraps you saved from trimming your felt or use your spare piece of felt as an extra layer to help maintain moisture.
In this case, wet those those leftover bits and place them on top of your seeds to help keep them moist enough to grow.
|
| Are they getting enough light? |
Plants need light to grow. Check the information that came with your seeds to see how much light they need.
|
