Hardware with Arduino & JavaScript

• Mastering Arduino Basics: Learn how to set up and program the Arduino platform, including understanding key concepts such as wiring circuits and using LEDs, buttons, and sensors.
• Integrating JavaScript with Hardware: Gain the ability to control hardware devices using JavaScript, utilizing tools such as web sockets and fetch requests to manipulate real-time data.
• Working with Sensors and Actuators: Understand how to use various sensors like potentiometers, photoresistors, and piezos to interact with and respond to environmental data.
• Building Interactive Projects: Develop skills to create projects that tie together the physical and digital realms, leveraging JavaScript to enhance interactivity and functionality.
• Exploring Advanced Topics: Discover advanced techniques for using web APIs and integrating with web servers to communicate with hardware in real time.

This course offers a comprehensive introduction to hardware programming with Arduino and JavaScript, allowing learners to explore the possibilities of hardware hacking. By covering fundamental concepts and guiding through practical projects, participants will learn how to connect and program various components such as LEDs, buttons, and sensors. The course emphasizes real-time data manipulation, enabling students to create interactive applications that bridge the physical and digital worlds.

• JavaScript developers interested in exploring hardware and physical computing.
• Hobbyists and makers looking to integrate software with hardware.
• Students and professionals eager to learn about Arduino and electronics.

• Basic understanding of JavaScript and Node.js.
• No prior experience with hardware programming is required.

Introduction

• Overview of the Arduino platform and compatible third-party libraries for JavaScript integration.

Arduino Basics

• Getting Started with Arduino: Setting up the Arduino board and running a basic blink program.
• Electricity & Hardware Terminology: Understanding electrical concepts like Ohm's law and using resistors.
• Wiring a Circuit to the Breadboard: Introduction to breadboards for circuit prototyping.
• Porting Blinking Light to JavaScript: Using Firmata to control Arduino with JavaScript and Node.js.
• Pulsing the LED: Demonstrating Pulse Width Modulation for LED fading effects.
• Wiring Button with LED: Adding a button to the circuit and logging console messages.

Communicating with a Web Server

• Button with Web Server: Using Express and Johnny-Five to read data from the Arduino.
• Toggling LED from the Browser: Writing code to toggle an LED using a POST request from a client-side application.
• Communicating with Web Sockets: Setting up a web socket connection for real-time communication.

Sensors & Actuators

• Potentiometer: Using a potentiometer to emit values based on knob position.
• Changing Color with the Potentiometer: Adjusting webpage background color with sensor input.
• Detecting Light with the Photoresistor: Using a photoresistor to detect ambient light and adjust browser brightness.
• Playing Notes on the Piezo: Wiring a piezo to detect vibration and generate sound.
• Generating Audio with Face Detection: Using face detection to generate audio frequencies based on head position.

Further Exploration

• Face Expressions & LED Light Exercise: Changing LED color based on user expressions.
• Working with an LCD Screen: Wiring and configuring an LCD screen to display messages.
• Displaying System Information: Showing system stats like memory usage on the LCD.
• Displaying Messages from GitHub: Using webhooks and Express to display GitHub notifications.
• Web Serial API: Communicating with serial devices using the Web Serial API.