The tone() function in Arduino is a versatile and straightforward way to generate sound using a piezo buzzer or a speaker. This function allows you to produce a tone of a specified frequency on a pin for a specified duration or indefinitely. It is particularly useful for creating sound effects, alarms, or even simple melodies in your Arduino projects.

Understanding the tone() Function

The tone() function can be used to generate a square wave of the specified frequency (and 50% duty cycle) on a pin. The syntax for the tone() function is as follows:

tone(pin, frequency);
tone(pin, frequency, duration);

• pin: The pin on which to generate the tone.
• frequency: The frequency of the tone in Hertz.
• duration: (Optional) The duration of the tone in milliseconds.

Examples

Example 1: Basic Tone Generation

This example demonstrates how to generate a simple tone on pin 8 of the Arduino.

void setup() {
  // Start generating a 1000 Hz tone on pin 8
  tone(8, 1000);
}

void loop() {
  // Do nothing here
}

In this example, a continuous 1000 Hz tone is generated on pin 8. The loop does nothing, allowing the tone to play indefinitely.

Example 2: Tone with Duration

This example shows how to generate a tone for a specific duration.

void setup() {
  // Generate a 500 Hz tone on pin 8 for 1000 milliseconds (1 second)
  tone(8, 500, 1000);
}

void loop() {
  // Do nothing here
}

In this case, a 500 Hz tone will play on pin 8 for 1 second.

Example 3: Melody with tone()

This example demonstrates how to play a simple melody using the tone() function.

int melody[] = {262, 294, 330, 349, 392, 440, 494, 523}; // C4 to C5
int noteDurations[] = {500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500, 500}; // Duration for each note

void setup() {
  for (int i = 0; i < 8; i++) {
    int noteDuration = noteDurations[i];
    tone(8, melody[i], noteDuration);
    delay(noteDuration * 1.30); // Wait for the note to finish
    noTone(8); // Stop the tone on pin 8
  }
}

void loop() {
  // Do nothing here
}

This example plays a simple scale from C4 to C5 on pin 8. Each note is played for 500 milliseconds, and there is a short pause between notes.

Important Considerations

• The tone() function can only generate one tone at a time. If you call tone() on a different pin while a tone is already playing, the tone will stop on the first pin and start on the second.
• Use noTone(pin) to stop the tone on a specific pin.
• Be cautious with the frequency and duration values to avoid damaging the speaker or buzzer.