Hardware Explained: Sensors

Throughout this chapter, we will be using sensors on the Arduino so that it can recognize its surroundings. Many sensors are available today, but we will focus on only a few of them: photoresistors, and the tilt, flex, force sensitive resistor (FSR), digital temperature and humidity, and digital temperature sensors. The next few sections will discuss each of these sensors and how they achieve their abilities to understand their surroundings.

Photoresistor

A photoresistor (see Figure 6-2) gets it resistance from the sun. If it is dark, the sensor will read up in the millions of Ohms, but as light is shined at it, it will have a lower resistance. This sensor requires a voltage divider to get a correct signal.