RETIRED - SparkFun Inventor's Kit Experiment Guide - v4.0
This Tutorial is Retired!
This tutorial covers concepts or technologies that are no longer current. It's still here for you to read and enjoy, but may not be as useful as our newest tutorials.
View the updated tutorial: SparkFun Inventor's Kit Experiment Guide - v4.0
Joel_E_B 
Project 1: Light
Welcome to your first SparkFun Inventor's Kit project. Each project is broken up into several circuits, each designed to help you learn about new technologies and concepts. The knowledge gained from each circuit will play a part in building each project. This first project will set the foundation for the rest of the projects in the guide and will aid in helping you understand the basic fundamentals of circuit building and electricity!
In Project 1, you will learn about light-emitting diodes (LEDs), resistors, inputs and sensors --- using all of those technologies to build and program your own multicolored night-light! The night-light uses a sensor to turn on an RGB (Red, Green, Blue) LED when it gets dark, and you will be able to change the color using an input knob.
New Components Introduced in This Project
Each of the components listed below will be described in more detail as you progress through each project.
- LEDs
- Resistors
- Potentiometers
- Photoresistors
New Concepts Introduced in This Project
Each of the concepts listed below will be described in more detail as you progress through each project.
- Polarity
- Ohm's Law
- Digital Output
- Analog vs. Digital
- Analog Input
- Analog to Digital Conversion
- Voltage Divider
- Pulse-width Modulation
- Functions
You Will Learn
- How to upload a program to your RedBoard or Arduino Uno
- Circuit building basics
- How to control LEDs with digital outputs
- How to read sensors you analog inputs