Introduction
This project we are going to do LED Brightness control with potentiometer. A potentiometer is a simple mechanical device that provides a varying amount of resistance when its shaft is turned. By passing voltage through a potentiometer and into an analog input on your board, it is possible to measure the amount of resistance produced by a potentiometer (or pot for short) as an analog value. in this project we will explore how to control LED using a potentiometer (POT) and an Arduino board. this project is a great starting point for beginners who want to learn the basics of analog & digital output using Arduino.
Components Required
| 1 | Arduino board (e.g., Arduino Uno) |
| 2 | LED(s) – as many as you like |
| 3 | Potentiometer (also known as a variable resistor) |
| 4 | Resistors – appropriate for your LED(s) |
| 5 | Breadboard |
| 6 | Jumper wires |
Step 1: Setting up the Circuit
To get started, let’s set up the circuit. Connect the components as follows
| 1 | Connect the positive leg (longer leg) of the LED to a current-limiting resistor (e.g., 220-ohm resistor). |
| 2 | Connect the other end of the resistor to a digital pin on the Arduino board (e.g., pin 9). |
| 3 | Connect the negative leg (shorter leg) of the LED to the ground (GND) pin on the Arduino board. |
| 4 | Connect the wiper (middle terminal) of the potentiometer to the analog input pin (e.g., A0) on the Arduino board. |
| 5 | Connect one of the outer terminals of the potentiometer to the 5V pin on the Arduino board. |
| 6 | Connect the other outer terminal of the potentiometer to the ground (GND) pin on the Arduino board. |
Step 2: Writing the Arduino Code
Once the circuit is set up, we need to write the code to control the LEDs based on the potentiometer’s position. Follow these steps:
| 1 | · Open the Arduino IDE (Integrated Development Environment) on your computer. |
| 2 | · Create a new sketch. |
| 3 | · Begin by defining the LED pin and potentiometer pin: |
const int ledPin = 9; // Digital pin connected to LED
const int potPin = A0; // Analog pin connected to potentiometer
| 4 | In the setup() function, set the LED pin as an output: |
void setup() {
pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT);
}
| 5 | In the loop() function, read the value from the potentiometer and map it to a range suitable for the LED brightness: |
void loop() {
int potValue = analogRead(potPin); // Read potentiometer value
int brightness = map(potValue, 0, 1023, 0, 255); // Map potentiometer value to LED brightness range
analogWrite(ledPin, brightness); // Set LED brightness
}
Step 3: Uploading the Code and Testing
Now that the code is ready! upload it to your Arduino board:
| 1 | Connect your Arduino board to your computer using a USB cable. |
| 2 | Select the appropriate board and port in the Arduino IDE. |
| 3 | Click on the “Upload” button to compile and upload the code to the Arduino board. |
Once the code is uploaded you should see the LED brightness change according to the potentiometer position. turning the potentiometer(POT) clockwise direction will increase the LED brightness and turning counterclockwise will decrease the brightness.
Conclusion
Controlling LEDs with a potentiometer using Arduino is a fun and straightforward project that introduces you to analog input and digital output. by varying the potentiometer position you can adjust the LED brightness in real-time.
