For this lab we needed to create LED's in series and Parallel, along with crafting a custom switch and a creative enclosure that conceals our breadboard and hardware.
LEDs in Series
For the first circuit, we were provided with a shematic, but we needed to draw one ourselves, this was very helpful because at first I didn't know what the symbols on the shematic represented. The drawing served as a guide when putting together the circuit. My power supply is 9V, so a voltage regulator is needed because the regulator outputs 5V. I picked 2 yellow LEDs, they both have a voltage of 2.0V. OHM's law helps you determine the type of resistor that is needed to power the circuit.
V= I*R ---->. R=V/I -----> R= Vs-Vf/I -----> 5-2-2/.02 ----> 50 ohms
I couldn't find a 56 Ohms resistor so I decided to use a resistor that was 100 Ohms instead.
At first my LED's did not turn on, I then realized that the longer leg of the LED needed to be next to the resistor instead of the short leg. I looked at the shematic and made sure that there was a cable going from IN to power.
LED's in Parallel
The parallel circuit is different from the series because the current is divided between pathways instead of having a single path of electricity. Once again, My power supply is 9V, so a voltage regulator is needed because the regulator outputs 5V. I used the same 2 yellow LEDs, they both have a voltage of 2.0V. I used OHM's law to determine the resistors needed
V= I*R ---->. R=V/I -----> R= Vs-Vf/I -----> 5-2-/.02*2 ----> 75 ohms
I still couldn't find 56 Ohms resistors so I decided to use two 100 ohms resistors
I kept many things on the breadboard the same from when I created the series. I added the second resistor and moved the LEDs. I also needed to add another cable, so each LED would be next to a cable.
DIY switch
The second part of this lab is creating a DIY switch. I looked at the switches reading and decided to create a sandwich switch. The only materials I needed for this was Copper tape, 2 wires, and foam. Copper is conductive material and foam is nonconductive.I cut holes in the foam so the copper pieces would touch when the switch was pressed.
I decided to add more LEDs because I wanted more light to show through
I decorated the switch and tested the circuit, it worked!
Custom Enclosure
For the enclosure,I had the idea of creating a paper car/van that would cover the breadboard and the hardware. The breadboard is the "engine" and the trunk of the van is open so that the power supply can be plugged in.
I decorated the switch so it would look like a gasoline can. When you press the gasoline, the inside of the van lights up, and it can be seen through the windshield. The construction of the van was simple, I used colored paper, tape and a plastic bag. I took pictures of the van in two types of lighting.
