How Arduino Turns Sensor Voltage into a Number: ADC Basics for Beginners
Series navigation: Episode 1: The Roadmap · Episode 2: Digital Multimeter and LED Circuit · Episode 3: Voltage Divider Under Load · Episode 4: What an Oscilloscope Shows · Episode 5 What you will learn: How a changing voltage becomes an integer inside an Arduino sketch. What problem it solves: Sensor readings often move even when the physical world appears still. What you will be able to do: Wire a potentiometer to A0, interpret a raw ADC code, estimate its input voltage, and decide whether smoothing is appropriate. AI-generated instructional image of a typical low-voltage setup. It is not a photograph of measurements performed for this article. Reader guide Indicator Details Article type Concept guide with an optional low-voltage exercise Reading time About 10 minutes Difficulty 2/5 — Beginner Hands-on time Optional; about 15 minutes Parts Arduino Uno R3 example, 10 kΩ potentiometer, breadboard, jumper wires Prerequisite Basic voltage a...