Objective: Learn the circuit fundamentals (voltage, current, resistance, power, series/parallel, dividers) needed to wire a microcontroller-based control system, and apply them to your course project. Estimated time: 1-2 hours, due two class periods after assignment.

Your control project connects a microcontroller to real sensors and actuators. Every wiring decision - what resistor to use with an LED, why a sensor reads half the expected voltage, why a board resets when a motor starts - is a circuit question. Study the Circuits lesson from Data-Driven Engineering, then complete the activity below.

Learn with AI

Work through these prompts with your AI assistant after reading the lesson:

Apply to Your Project

Sketch (by hand or with a drawing tool) the circuit diagram for one sensor or actuator in your project: power, ground, signal path, and any resistors. Compute the expected current draw. Then ask the AI:

Verify at least one of the AI's claims against an actual datasheet or the lesson material - AI is frequently confident and wrong about pin current ratings.

What to Turn In

Add a section (about 1 page) to your project notebook and submit it as a PDF. You may use Generative AI to help write it, but you must supply the correct calculations and diagrams. Answer these questions:

1. What are the voltage, current, and power for one real element of your project circuit? Show the calculation.
2. Include your circuit sketch for one sensor or actuator, labeled with voltages and expected currents.
3. From the quiz prompt: one question you missed and the corrected answer.
4. What did the AI get wrong or leave unverified in its circuit critique, and how did you check it?