Bottom IR Sensors

Step 1

Set up the pins

The first thing you’ll need to do is assign the bottom IR sensor pins (11-18) as inputs, or a place where information can enter the system. Write the code below within void setup(). Hint: copying and pasting will help you from writing the same thing over and over!

pinMode(11,INPUT);
pinMode(12,INPUT);
pinMode(13,INPUT);
pinMode(14,INPUT);
pinMode(15,INPUT);
pinMode(16,INPUT);
pinMode(17,INPUT);
pinMode(18,INPUT);

Step 2

Set up the serial monitor baud rate

Set up your serial monitor’s baud rate in void setup() so it can read the state of each sensor. The state will always be at 0 or 1!

Serial.begin(9600);

Step 3

Main code

What you need this code to do is display the state of the IR sensors from pins 11-18 and then print those states in the serial monitor. Make sure to include a delay so the data comes out at a pace that you can actually read!

Before you get too confused:

Pins 14 and 15 are connected to the same bottom IR sensor.
The top blue LEDs and the bottom IR sensors share the same pin numbers. This is because they share the same pins, so you might not be able to control the LEDs and IR sensors at the same time.

In order to get everything printed in the serial monitor, enter the code below into void loop():

Serial.println(" pin 11 ");
Serial.print(digitalRead(11));

Serial.println(" pin 12 ");
Serial.print(digitalRead(12));

Serial.println(" pin 13 ");
Serial.print(digitalRead(13));
 
Serial.println(" pin 14 ");
Serial.print(digitalRead(14));
 
Serial.println(" pin 15 ");
Serial.print(digitalRead(15));
 
Serial.println(" pin 16 ");
Serial.print(digitalRead(16));
 
Serial.println(" pin 17 ");
Serial.print(digitalRead(17));
 
Serial.println(" pin 18 ");
Serial.print(digitalRead(18));
 
delay(15);

Step 4

Final code

Upload your code and open up the serial monitor in Arduino IDE so you can see which IR sensors are being activated. Try to aim your board at the sun to the see if sunlight triggers the sensors!

void setup()
{
    pinMode(11,INPUT);
    pinMode(12,INPUT);
    pinMode(13,INPUT);
    pinMode(14,INPUT);
    pinMode(15,INPUT);
    pinMode(16,INPUT);
    pinMode(17,INPUT);
    pinMode(18,INPUT); 
    Serial.begin(9600);
}
 
void loop()
{
    Serial.println(" pin 11 ");
    Serial.print(digitalRead(11));

    Serial.println(" pin 12 ");
    Serial.print(digitalRead(12));
    
    Serial.println(" pin 13 ");
    Serial.print(digitalRead(13));

    Serial.println(" pin 14 ");    
    Serial.print(digitalRead(14));

    Serial.println(" pin 15 ");
    Serial.print(digitalRead(15));

    Serial.println(" pin 16 ");
    Serial.print(digitalRead(16));

    Serial.println(" pin 17 ");
    Serial.print(digitalRead(17));

    Serial.println(" pin 18 ");
    Serial.print(digitalRead(18));

    delay(15);
}

This lesson works with:

Grade level:

Approx. time required:

CSTA

CCSS

Set up the pins

Set up the serial monitor baud rate

Main code

Final code