Wilteq WILTEQArduino Self-Study
Week 1 · Getting Started

Session 1: Bench safety and first measurements

Teach & build120 minLesson 01: Bench Safety, Breadboards & First Measurements

Learning outcomes

  • Apply the course safety rules for extra-low-voltage bench work and Uno pin current limits
  • Calculate an LED series resistor for a 5 V Uno pin
  • Build the D8 LED circuit with each lead in its own breadboard node
  • Measure a logic output with the multimeter and a 1 Hz square wave with the oscilloscope

Kit and components

  • Arduino Uno and USB data cable, with the lesson's blink sketch already uploaded (D8)
  • Breadboard, red LED, 330 Ω resistor and jumper wires
  • Digital multimeter and oscilloscope with probe

Pre-reading about 20 min

Students read these on their phones before class. They are listed on the student Before class page.

  1. Lesson 01: Why this lesson comes first
  2. Lesson 01: Choosing an LED series resistor
  3. Lesson 01: Breadboard connections
  4. Theory Reference: Power and safety rules

Session plan

  1. 0:0015 min
    Discuss

    Welcome, course map and kit check

    Show the home page modules, the student Before class page and Code Along. Students check their kit against the list and label their instruments.

  2. 0:1520 min
    Demo

    Pin limits and the LED resistor

    Work the course example on the board: 5 V pin, 2 V LED, 10 mA target, 300 Ω calculated, 330 Ω chosen. An Uno pin is a signal, not a supply - design for 20 mA or less.

  3. 0:3530 min
    Build

    LED on D8

    Students wire D8 → 330 Ω → LED → GND. Before power, a partner checks each lead sits in its own node and the rails are not split. A dark LED gets reversed once.

  4. 1:0535 min
    Measure

    Meter and oscilloscope on D8

    Multimeter on DC volts from D8 to GND shows about 5 V while HIGH. Then the scope: ground clip on GND, probe on D8, 2 V/div and 200 ms/div. Students use the measurement menu for period and frequency and record both.

  5. 1:4015 min
    Code Along

    First look at Code Along

    Everyone opens Code Along on a lab PC or phone, runs the Hello example and passes the first exercise - proof that phones work before homework depends on them.

  6. 1:555 min
    Wrap-up

    Before the next session

    Point students to the Before class page and the pre-reading for session 2.

Checkpoint: ready to move on?

Every student has a working LED on D8 with a correctly placed resistor, can state the current it draws, and has recorded a 1 Hz period measured on the scope.

Extension for fast finishers

Use the lesson's oscilloscope table: predict and measure the period at delay(50), and calculate a resistor for a 3.0 V blue LED at 8 mA.

Catch-up path

Pair the student with a confident partner for the build, and ask them to redo the resistor calculation at home from the lesson's worked example.

Homework and practice

Code Along 1.1 and 1.2 on a phone, and the pre-reading for S2.

Facilitator notes

  • Upload the blink sketch (D8) to every board before the session - the IDE is taught in S2.
  • Read the probe-ground warning in the Theory Reference oscilloscope entry aloud before anyone connects a scope.
  • Send the S1 pre-reading link with the joining instructions; students who have not read it can still follow the demo.
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