Use of HC-SR04 sensor and SSD1306 screen by Micro:bit board

Tutorial plan

1- Goal of the project

2- The components required to use HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor and SSD1306 display by Micro:bit

3- Mounting Micro:bit with the HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor and SSD1306 display

4- Program Micro:bit to calculate and display the distance between the HC-SR04 sensor and an object

Goal of the project

The purpose of this project is to measure the distance between the HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor and a detected object and display it on the SSD1306 display.

Here are some common goals for this project:

Navigation and Obstacle Avoidance:

This project is commonly used in navigation systems for vehicles, drones, and robots to measure distances and avoid obstacles. It helps in providing a safe path by detecting and navigating around obstacles.

Industrial Automation:

In industrial settings, this project can be used for automating processes by precisely measuring distances between objects or components on a production line. This ensures accurate positioning and alignment.

Proximity Detection:

This project is employed for detecting the proximity of objects or individuals. This is useful in security systems, access control, and automation where actions need to be triggered based on the presence or absence of objects within a certain range.

Parking Assistance:

This project is utilized in parking assistance systems in vehicles. It helps drivers by measuring the distance between the vehicle and obstacles, providing visual or audible alerts to avoid collisions during parking maneuvers.

Surveillance and Security:

This project is used in security systems to monitor areas and detect any unauthorized intrusion. By measuring distances, security systems can trigger alarms when someone enters a restricted zone.

Medical Applications:

In medical devices, this project can be used for various purposes, such as measuring the distance between ultrasound transducers and the body surface, monitoring fluid levels in medical bags, or assisting visually impaired individuals in navigation.

Level Monitoring:

This project is employed in level monitoring systems to measure the distance between a sensor and the surface of a liquid or solid material. This is commonly used in tanks for monitoring fluid levels.

Traffic Control:

This project can contribute to traffic management by measuring distances between vehicles on the road. This information can be used to implement intelligent traffic control systems.

IoT Applications:

In the Internet of Things (IoT) context, this project can be integrated into various devices and applications for smart homes, smart cities, and industrial IoT to enable distance-based automation and monitoring.

Education and Research:

This project serves as a valuable tool in educational projects and scientific research. It allows students and researchers to experiment with and understand principles related to distance measurement, sensors, and electronics.

In summary, the purpose of our project is to provide accurate and reliable distance information for a wide range of applications, including navigation, automation, security, healthcare, and more. The specific goals and benefits depend on the requirements of the particular use case or industry.

The components required to use HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor and SSD1306 display by Micro:bit

Micro:bit board:

The Micro:bit board is a small, programmable microcontroller board designed for education and beginner-friendly coding projects. It was developed by the BBC, in collaboration with various partners, as a tool to introduce young people to programming and electronics.

The GPIO expansion card for the Micro:bit card

The GPIO expansion board for the Micro:bit board expands the capabilities of the Micro:bit board by adding more input/output (GPIO) pins and additional functionality.

HC-SR04 ultrasonic Sensor

The HC-SR04 is an ultrasonic distance measuring sensor module.

SSD1306 screen

The SSD1306 is a popular display controller used in OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) screens. It’s commonly employed in various electronics projects to showcase information on small screens. The SSD1306 controller is compatible with different screen sizes and is often integrated with microcontrollers like Micro:bit board to display text, graphics, and images.

This display is used for displaying distance between the HC-SR04 sensor and an object.

Jumper Wires:

For making temporary connections and wiring between components.

Breadboard:

A breadboard is a useful tool for creating temporary electronic circuits. It allows you to connect components without soldering.

Mounting Micro:bit with the HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor and SSD1306 screen

Attaching the SSD1306 display :

– connect the VCC pin of the display to 3.3V pin of the Micro:bit board

– connect the GND pin of the display to GND pin of the Micro:bit board

– connect the SDA pin of the display to P20 pin of the Micro:bit board

– connect the SCL pin of the display to P19 pin of the Micro:bit board

Attaching the HC-SR04 sensor :

– Connect the VCC(+) pin of the HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor to the 3.3V pin on the Micro:bit board.

– Connect the Trig pin of the HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor to P0 pin on the Micro:bit board.

– Connect the Echo pin of the HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor to P1 pin on the Micro:bit board.

– Connect the GND(-) pin of the HC-SR04 sensor to any ground (GND) pin on the Micro:bit board.

Program Micro:bit to calculate and display the distance between the HC-SR04 sensor and an object

To calculate the distance between the HC-SR04 sensor and an object using the Micro:bit and MakeCode, you can follow these steps:

1- Open the MakeCode editor at https://makecode.microbit.org/.

2- Create a new project by clicking on “New Project.”

3- Add the HC-SR04 extension:

Look for “Extensions” and click on it.

In the search box, type “sonar” to find the bluetooth extension.

4- Search for and add the “muselab-oled-v2” to find the SSD1306 extension.

5- Now, you can start programming the Micro:bit to use the HC-SR04 sensor and display the distance on SSD1306 dsiplay. Here’s an example code in MakeCode blocks:

This code continuously measures the distance using the HC-SR04 sensor and displays it on the SSD1306 screen.