Low-Cost Automation Control with Arduino for Just 15 Yuan

JZGKCHINA

Industrial Control Technology Sharing Platform

1

Introduction

In today’s era of rapid technological development, automation control systems play a crucial role in various fields. Traditional automation control solutions are often expensive and difficult to master. This article introduces a low-cost automation control solution using Arduino Uno, which is not only affordable but also easy to use and has flexible expansion capabilities. However, compared to PLCs, its stability is slightly inferior, and there are no long-term stable operation cases. Nonetheless, for projects that do not have high requirements for stability and safety, it can be a cost-effective choice.

2

Advantages

As an open-source hardware platform, Arduino Uno has the following advantages:

1. Low Cost: The manufacturing cost of Arduino Uno is relatively low, making it suitable for students, hobbyists, and makers, with the domestic version priced around 15 yuan.

2. Easy to Learn and Use: Arduino Uno supports C/C++ programming languages and has a rich library of functions, with good compatibility for various sensors and peripherals. It is easier for beginners without programming experience to get started.

3. Good Community: The community has a wealth of application cases and a great discussion atmosphere.

4. Expandability: Arduino Uno has a rich number of onboard pins and supports further expansion of functions through expansion boards (shields).

3

Role of Arduino Uno IO Interfaces

The schematic diagram is as follows:

1. Digital Ports (D0~D13): Can be used as switch quantities. Only the usual logic levels, high or low, are represented as high level 1 and low level 0.

2. PWM Ports (D3, D5, D6, D9, D10, D11): Pulse Width Modulation, simply refers to waveform pulses. Can control servos or stepper motors, with a maximum of 6 channels.

3. Analog Ports (A0~A5): Analog input and output. Has AD acquisition function, can collect the voltage of external circuits; analog output can only output 5V and 0V.

4. GND Port: Ground pin.

5. 5V, 3.3V Power Supply Ports: Provide power to external devices.

Other less commonly used ports will not be introduced here; interested friends can look up relevant materials.

4

Tutorial Case

Below is a simple tutorial example that teaches you how to use Arduino Uno to control the switch of an LED light.

Required Components:

• Arduino Uno Main Board

• Current Limiting Resistor (75 Ω)

• LED Light (Voltage 1.8V, Rated Working Current 20mA)

• Connecting Wires

Connection Method:

1. Connect one end of the resistor to digital pin 13 of the Arduino Uno.

2. Connect the other end of the resistor to the positive (long leg) of the LED light.

3. Connect the negative (short leg) of the LED light to the GND (ground) pin.

As shown in the figure below:

Code Example:

void setup() {  pinMode(13, OUTPUT); // Set pin 13 as output mode}
void loop() {  digitalWrite(13, HIGH); // Turn on LED light  delay(1000); // Wait 1 second  digitalWrite(13, LOW); // Turn off LED light  delay(1000); // Wait 1 second}

Code Explanation:

• pinMode(13, OUTPUT) sets pin 13 to output mode to control the LED light.

• digitalWrite(13, HIGH) turns on the LED light, setting pin 13 to high level.

• delay(1000) pauses the program for 1 second.

• digitalWrite(13, LOW) turns off the LED light, setting pin 13 to low level.

We can see that the use of IO ports is basically the same as that of PLC’s IO ports. If we replace the LED light with a relay, we can control devices with higher voltages.

5

Application Scenarios

The low cost and flexibility of Arduino Uno make it widely used in various fields:

1. Home Automation: Using Arduino Uno, you can build a smart home control system to achieve remote control and automated adjustment of lights, temperature, doors, and windows.

2. Agricultural Automation: By combining Arduino Uno with sensors, automatic irrigation, temperature and humidity monitoring, and automatic control of plant growth environments can be achieved.

3. Industrial Control: Arduino Uno can be used for controlling small industrial equipment, including temperature control, flow control, motor control, and more.

6

Conclusion

As a low-cost automation control solution, Arduino Uno offers advantages such as ease of learning and flexibility. By using Arduino Uno, you can meet various automation control needs in a cost-effective and highly customizable way. Moreover, Arduino Uno has strong community support and abundant resources, making it easy to find help and ideas to solve specific problems.

However, despite many advantages, Arduino Uno also has some limitations. Due to its limited processor and memory capacity, it may not handle more complex tasks. For projects requiring higher performance and expandability, you may need to consider other hardware platforms.

Nevertheless, Arduino Uno remains a powerful and affordable automation control solution. It provides beginners with an opportunity to enter the field of automation while also offering experienced users a flexible and customizable platform.

In this article, we used a simple LED light example to introduce the basic operation of Arduino Uno. However, the application potential of Arduino Uno goes far beyond this. By combining various sensors, actuators, and communication modules, you can create countless automation control solutions to meet various needs.

In summary, Arduino Uno, as a low-cost automation control solution, offers a good choice for achieving automation control with its simplicity and flexibility. By using Arduino Uno, we can creatively and economically build various automation systems.

I hope this article can help you and provide some inspiration for understanding and using Arduino Uno.

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