Microcontrollers are integrated circuits (IC) chips that are able to process input and control machines and devices based on their written program. One example is the rice cooker. A microcontroller in the cooker controls the heating coil and with its array of sensors, emulates the manual cooking of rice on a stove. In our current lifestyle, it is rare to find a product that does not involve a microcontroller at some stage of its operation. Teachers will: learn about components – LEDs, piezo buzzers, light dependent resistors (LDRs), resistors. learn basic programming structure, terminology and simple codes. prototype circuits using the breadboard. Participants will also be introduced to more electronic components and programming syntax. They will learn more advanced methods of controlling the same components to achieve more complex results. Concepts such as Charlieplexing and multiplexing will also be introduced and these will come in handy in future workshops when dealing with 7-segment LED displays or LED cube projects. Teachers will: learn about components – Servo motors, RGB LEDs, potentiometers. learn concepts such as multi-plexing, Charlieplexing and persistence of vision (POV) |