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Engineer, Innovate, Inspire: My Mechatronics Chronicle.

Arduino

Arduino Clap Switch DIY: A Fun and Practical Tutorial

By Glenn Gatiba #Bsc. Mechatronic Engineering, #Kenyan Tech, #Mechatronic Engineering

The project is basically a clap switch. You clap, you turn on something. I will split this post into 3 consecutive posts each with projects more advanced than this one....

  1. Make A clap Switch.
  2. Arduino Basics
  3. Turn On An LED.
  4. Make a Counter.

On the next Blog We will be covering...

  1. Kidding, but we will be turning things on with just sound. Not just your basic LEDs
  2. Practical Applications Too.

The final part will cover a Morse code interpreter and possibly a voice command interpreter algorithm but don't get to exited, I'm basically winging it here😂😂😂.

Sound Sensor Tutorial by Glenn Gatiba

Robotics is definitely a fun gig and once you find easy ways to do it, it gets even better. The biggest discouragement to tech enthusiasts on the matter is how complex it seems on the outside. On context, I was once asked by a friend of mine how we built our dojo robot that had a 3-dof robotics arm and the other half consisting of a line follower. Did we use cpp, does Arduino have BIOs….For the record, I didn’t actually know know that I knew these stuff because like dude, just say C++ or basic input and output system.

 Its hard to keep the passion when your competence is constantly measured on the metric of knowing conventionally accepted acronyms. The short answer is, you don’t need to know everything to start your robotics journey. Although there are a couple of nitty gritty requisites of doing it, simple stuff like electrical circuit analysis (ECA), some basic programming, using software like Arduino IDE, TinkerCAD Simulation software (There are lots of other alternatives like circuit.io, Wokwi….Just depends on your preferences). I will link you up on some ECA tutorials I find easy to follow at the end of this blog post. This Blog post is part of a series of How to-s tutorials that is meant to give a beginner some small insights that will hopefully give them ample experience to start learning on their own.  

Some theory on Robotics

See More
Abstract: The 2023 Dojo Robotics Competition centers on the theme of "AUTOMATION OF THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS" in alignment with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number nine. Represented by the PHOENIX robot named ORIGIN, this project aims to address by Glenn Gatiba

So Here is how to make a clap Switch using an Sound Sensor.

In leyman’s terms its the Sound sensor but in Arduino terms … yeah its still called the Sound sensor 🙂. In fact, the bulk of the people that I would say atleast have one Arduino board laying around are beginners so I doubt many of them know its module number is KY-038. There’s lots of other alternatives to this module like the LM393 sound detection module, MAX4466 Electret Microphone Amplifier, MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) microphones … but what i mean by A module is : A module is a self-contained electronic component designed to perform a specific function. Modules can range from sensors (e.g., temperature sensors, motion sensors) to communication devices (e.g., Sound sensor Module, Bluetooth modules, Wi-Fi modules) and motor controllers. Each module serves a particular purpose and can often be connected to a microcontroller to expand its capabilities.  

The "Download-ables"

So I was gonna go deep with this one but not too deep. Like what is an op-amp, how does the microphone work or what are the intricate workings of sound and how it could potentially have been used to build the pyramids of Egypt through sound levitation… but no, in this blog, were doing simple stuff, so start with the downloadables

  1.  Arduino IDE Software; the Arduino IDE is a software development environment tailored to the Arduino platform, offering a code editor, compiler, and upload functionality. It simplifies the process of programming microcontrollers, enabling users to develop and run code on Arduino boards efficiently. It’s a powerful tool that provides both novice and experienced programmers with the means to create embedded systems and interactive projects. Download one here.
  2. Cirkit design (Optional). Cirkit design software is a specialized tool used by electrical engineers, electronics hobbyists, and professionals to design and analyze Arduino circuits. There’s lots of alternatives but i prefer this one because its easy to use and its mostly FREE. Download your copy here.

The Hardware...

We’ll here’s the fun part. For those that don’t have the necessary hardware or you just want to start right away, you can actually simulate Arduino projects on web apps such as Tinker CAD and Wokwi, unfortunately I am yet to find one with a sound sensor. You can still replace the sensor with an (IR) infrared sensor so as to follow the tutorial but I will be recommending a project at the end of this blog that requires that you have one.

List of materials

Arduino Uno

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Jumper Wires.

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LEDs

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A Bread Board

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The KY-038 Sound Sensor

The Circuit

Design by Glenn Gatiba

Where It All Begins

Programming is definitely a fun gig especially when you know what you’re doing. Or at least you know where to find the codes. Yes, if you haven’t yet figured out what I’m implying, let me let you in on a secret, programmers aren’t exactly as original as they may have made you think. See we copy from each other more often than a trend can trend on Tik Tok. If we aren’t, we are using libraries which are technically no different. You’re just piggy-backing on someone else’s code and its not actually wrong. Without libraries, this program would have taken ages to make. This will be more understandable in my MPU6050 tutorial where I will show you how libraries turn 500 lines of code into 3. Long  story short, the idea is what matters, how you actually make it… well that depends on you.

  • Here’s where to get the programs… 
  1. GitHUB
  2. YouTube
  3. ChatGPT
  4. Write one if you want to, its a simple BIOs system, if you’re good at programming, just do it.(Hoping this isn’t trademarked 😅)

The Program

The project is basically a clap switch. You clap, you turn on something. I will split this post into 3 consecutive posts each with projects more advanced than this one. The post is meant to spark interest and kinda introduce beginners to simple BIOs systems using the Arduino.  The input in this case is the sound sensor and the output is our LED.  Lets start with a basic program that basically turns the light on after detecting a clap.  

/*This is a simple code that turns on the LED once when a sound is detected,
then turns it off when the sound is detected again before resetting the count*/

const int soundSensorPin = 2;  // Digital pin for the sound sensor
const int ledPin = 13;         // Digital pin for the LED

int snapCount = 0;                         // Counter for snap detections
unsigned long lastSnapTime = 0;            // Time of the most recent snap detection
unsigned long lastClapTime = 0;            // Time of the most recent clap detection
const unsigned long debounceDelay = 200;   // Debounce delay in milliseconds
const unsigned long clapThreshold = 2000;  // Minimum time between claps in milliseconds

void setup() {
  pinMode(soundSensorPin, INPUT);
  pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT);
  Serial.begin(9600);
  Serial.println("Snap counter is ready.");
}

void loop() {
  int soundValue = digitalRead(soundSensorPin);  // Read the digital value from the sound sensor
  unsigned long currentTime = millis();

  if (soundValue == HIGH) {  // Adjust this condition based on your sensors behavior
    // Check if theres a debounce delay since the last snap
    if (currentTime - lastSnapTime >= debounceDelay) {
      snapCount++;  // Increment the snap count
      Serial.print("Snap detected! Total snaps: ");
      Serial.println(snapCount);
    }
    lastSnapTime = currentTime;

    // Update the last clap time for each clap detected
    lastClapTime = currentTime;
  }

  // Check if theres a 2-second gap since the most recent clap
  if (snapCount > 0 && snapCount < 2 ) {
    digitalWrite(ledPin, HIGH);  // Turn on the LED
  } else {
    digitalWrite(ledPin, LOW);  // Turn off the LED
    snapCount = 0;
  }

 

  1. The code begins with some variable and pin definitions:

    • soundSensorPin is set to 2, which is the digital pin connected to the sound sensor.
    • ledPin is set to 13, which is the digital pin connected to the LED.
    • snapCount is used to count the number of "snaps" or sound detections.
    • lastSnapTime keeps track of the time of the most recent snap detection.
    • lastClapTime keeps track of the time of the most recent clap detection.
    • debounceDelay is set to 200 milliseconds and is used to prevent multiple rapid detections of sound from being counted as separate snaps.
    • clapThreshold is set to 2000 milliseconds (2 seconds), and it represents the minimum time between claps.

  2. In the setup() function:

    • pinMode is used to set the soundSensorPin as an input and the ledPin as an output.
    • Serial communication is initiated with a baud rate of 9600, and a message is printed to the Serial Monitor to indicate that the "Snap counter is ready."

  3. In the loop() function:

    • The code reads the digital value from the sound sensor using digitalRead(soundSensorPin) and stores it in the soundValue variable.

    • The current time in milliseconds is obtained using millis() and stored in currentTime.

    • If the soundValue is HIGH (which implies that a sound is detected based on your sensor's behavior), it checks if there's a debounce delay (200 milliseconds) since the last snap. If there is, it increments the snapCount and prints the number of snaps detected to the Serial Monitor. The lastSnapTime is then updated.

    • The lastClapTime is also updated to the current time for each detected sound, which is used to check the 2-second gap between claps.

    • If the snapCount is greater than 0 and less than 2 (meaning there has been at least one snap detected but less than two), it turns on the LED (digitalWrite(ledPin, HIGH)). Otherwise, it turns off the LED (digitalWrite(ledPin, LOW)) and resets the snapCount to 0.

The code aims to turn on the LED when it detects a sound (snap), and it turns off the LED when it detects another sound (snap) before the 2-second clap threshold has passed. This allows the LED to stay on as long as snaps are detected within 2 seconds of each other.

s, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts. Separated they live in Bookmarksgrove right at the coast

Get Code

Well Does It Work ?

LED on
LED off
LED on

What Else could you do With this exact setup?

Well this post is longer  than anticipated I mean its just a clap switch. So I’m just going to direct you to my GitHUB repository. Here you’ll find codes for the following.

  1.  Snapsound_Incremental_Counter.
  2. Snapsound_On_OffSwitch.
  3. Snapsound0_Callibrate.
  4. Snapsound_AnalogueInput_RawData.
  5. Snapsound_Snap_Counter
GitHUB

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By Glenn Gatiba

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