Lighting+Control with Arduino

Introduction: Lighting control is an essential aspect of any electronic system, whether it be for residential or commercial purposes. With the advancements in technology, controlling lighting has become more efficient and customizable. In this article, we will explore the importance and utility of lighting control and provide examples of code and a list of components to create a lighting control system using Arduino.

Project: The project we will be creating is a simple lighting control system for a room. The objectives of this project are to control the brightness of the lights and to automate the lighting based on certain conditions or events. The system will allow the user to adjust the brightness manually or set predefined lighting scenarios. Additionally, the lights will automatically turn on or off based on motion detection or a specific schedule.

Components List:

1. Arduino Uno - 1x (https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardUno)
2. Breadboard - 1x (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12615)
3. Jumper Wires - Assorted (male-to-male, male-to-female, female-to-female)
4. Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) - Assorted colors (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/12062)
5. Light Sensor - 1x (https://www.adafruit.com/product/1384)
6. Motion Sensor - 1x (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/13285)
7. Potentiometer - 1x (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9939)
8. Resistors - Assorted values (for LEDs and sensors)
9. Transistors - Assorted (for controlling high-power LEDs or external lighting systems)
10. Relay Module - 1x (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/13815)

Examples:

1. Manual Brightness Control:

   int brightnessPin = A0; // Analog pin for reading potentiometer value
   int ledPin = 9; // Digital pin for controlling LED
   
   void setup() {
    pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT);
   }
   
   void loop() {
    int brightness = analogRead(brightnessPin); // Read potentiometer value
    brightness = map(brightness, 0, 1023, 0, 255); // Map the value to LED brightness range
    analogWrite(ledPin, brightness); // Set LED brightness
   }

   This code allows the user to control the brightness of an LED using a potentiometer connected to an analog pin of the Arduino.

2. Automated Lighting Control based on Light Sensor:

   int lightSensorPin = A1; // Analog pin for reading light sensor value
   int ledPin = 9; // Digital pin for controlling LED
   
   void setup() {
    pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT);
   }
   
   void loop() {
    int lightLevel = analogRead(lightSensorPin); // Read light sensor value
    if (lightLevel < 500) { // Adjust the threshold value according to ambient light conditions
      digitalWrite(ledPin, HIGH); // Turn on the LED
    } else {
      digitalWrite(ledPin, LOW); // Turn off the LED
    }
   }

   This code turns on an LED when the light level falls below a certain threshold, indicating low ambient light conditions.