I’m Stuck!#
STOP!#
Before you move forward on this page, make sure you have put a good-faith effort in to finding a solution to your potential problem. Below you will find some points we have found in the past that students struggle with, and having some extra guidance could have been helpful. If you feel you have exausted your other resouces, select the lab below to find more insight.
Lightbulb Lab#
There is an IC on the board that you might not have expected, can you find the datasheet on it or similar chips?
Why must that IC be present as opposed to connecting the LEDs directly to power?
What would happen if the capacitor were removed? How does the capacitor interact with the large resistor?
Need a bit more of a push? Check out this link it should help https://hackaday.com/2021/05/27/investigating-a-new-chip-in-a-minimalist-led-lamp/
Thermostat Lab#
What component within the thermostat housing could be causing the thermostat to turn on and off with temperature?
Why have modern thermostats moved away from analog temperature control to digital control?
How does the temperature adjustment work on the analog thermostat? Why can’t it be adjusted with buttons?
Microcontroller Lab#
Arduino maintains a robust references page where you can find explanations of many built in functions you might be looking for. https://docs.arduino.cc/