Analog Nightlight

A no-code nightlight: an LED noodle switched by a photoresistor and a 2N2222 transistor on perfboard, powered by a USB wall adapter.

Source book: Moving Rainbow
Kit page: https://dmccreary.github.io/moving-rainbow/kits/analog-nightlight/
Printable one-pager: analog-nightlight-one-pager.html

Features

• Uses the 10K Potentiometer
• Uses the LDR Photoresistor

Benefits

• Free, open lessons: the Moving Rainbow textbook has the kit page, wiring, and MicroPython code.
• Classroom friendly: built on a solderless breadboard or no-solder connectors.
• Try before you build: an interactive MicroSim on the kit page runs in the browser.
• Real-world data: students read sensors and turn measurements into decisions.
• Budget: about \(4–\)6 (sum of the listed parts).

Parts

• 10K Potentiometer — Input knob
• LDR Photoresistor — Sensor
• 830-Point Breadboard ($1.10) — Breadboard