Arduino Projects for Engineering Students

Arduino is a device that is used to build electronic projects. It consists of a pre-programmed microcontroller or integrated development environment, used to write the code and upload it to the physical board. These devices are used to make communicating objects, taking i/p from different kinds of sensors and controlling the motors, lights, and various physical o/p’s. The Arduino doesn’t require a separate programmer in order to dump the new code on the board but, we can directly use a USB cable. Also, the IDE of the Arduino uses a simplified version of C++, making it simple to learn the program. Finally, the Arduino board gives a typical form factor that breaks out the functions of the micro-controller into a more reachable package. The Arduino projects mainly interact with software running on your PC. This article explains different Arduino projects for diploma and engineering students.

What is an Arduino Board?

Basically, an Arduino board uses the Harvard architecture because program code and data have separate memory. The code of the board is stored in the program, whereas the data is stored in data memory. There are various types of Arduino boards, namely, Arduino Uno (R3), LilyPad Arduino, Redboard, Arduino Mega (R3), and Arduino Leonardo, these are used for various purposes.

But most of the Arduino devices have common components like Power (USB / Barrel Jack), Pins (5V, 3.3V, GND, Analog, Digital, PWM, AREF), Reset Button, Power LED Indicator, TX RX LEDs, Main IC, and Voltage Regulator. The advantages of Arduino are; Simple, Inexpensive, clear programming environment, and extensible hardware.

Basically, an Arduino board employs the architecture of the Harvard due to separate memory for data and program code. The data of the Arduino board stored in data memory, whereas the code of the Arduino board is stored in the program. The types of the Arduino board mainly include Arduino Uno, Arduino mega, Arduino LilyPad, Arduino BT, Arduino Nano, an Arduino Mini. Most of the Arduino devices include the components like pins, power, reset button, TX RX LEDs, voltage regulator, and power LED indicator. The advantages of these boards include extensible hardware, inexpensive, simple, and clear programming environments.

Arduino Projects for Engineering Students

The applications of the Arduino board are mainly involved in Arduino projects that include obstacle avoidance, industrial appliance control, electric appliance control, intensity controlling of street lights, home automation, underground cable fault detection, solar street light, etc. For a better understanding of these applications here we are explaining with an appropriate diagram. The list of Arduino projects for engineering students is discussed below.

Arduino Radar Project

This project implements an Arduino based Radar Application through processing application.
Radar is one kind of detection system for objects which uses radio waves to establish specific object parameters such as its speed, range, position & speed. This technology is applicable in missiles, aircraft, automobiles marine & weather predictions. In this project, an ultrasonic sensor is used for determining the presence of an object within a specific range. In this project, a servo motor, Arduino UNO & Ultrasonic Sensor (HC-SR04) is used.

LED Street Lights with Auto Intensity Control

The main aim of this project is to control the auto intensity of the street lights using an Arduino board. This project uses LED lights instead of HID lamps in the street lights. An Arduino board is used to control the intensity of lights by developing PWM signals that make MOSFET to switch a set of light-emitting diodes to get the desired operation.

The lifetime of LEDs is more compared with HID lamps because LEDs consume less power. The Arduino board comprises programmable commands that control the light intensity based on PWM signals produced. The light intensity is kept high during night time when the traffic on the roads decreases slowly and the light intensity also decreases increasingly until morning. At Last, the light intensity shuts down completely in the morning at 6 A.M and again restarts at 6 P.M. in the evening and this process is frequent.

Arduino based Project on Home Automation

The main concept of this project is to design a home automation system using an Arduino board with any Android operating system based smartphone or tablet. As day by day technology is developing and houses are getting very smart. Presently, conventional switches are placed at different places of the house. But, operating that switches to go near them is very difficult for the user. So, this project gives the best solution with smartphones.

At the receiver end a Bluetooth device is connected to the Arduino board, whereas at the transmitter end, a GUI application on a cell phone sends ON/OFF commands to the receiver. By pressing the particular location on the GUI, the loads can be ON/OFF remotely. These loads can be controlled by an Arduino board via Thyristors and optoisolators using TRIACS.

Arduino Operated Obstacle Avoidance Robot

The main goal of this project is to design a robotic vehicle that is used to avoid an obstacle. This project uses an ultrasonic sensor for the movement of the robot and Arduino is used for the desired operation. Whenever a robot detects an obstacle ahead of it, then immediately that sends the signals to the Arduino board. Depending upon the i/p signal received, the microcontroller sends the command to the robot to move in a different direction by properly activating the motors interfaced through a motor driver IC.

Arduino based Electrical Appliances Control using IR

The main goal of this project is to control electrical appliances using an IR remote. This remote sends the coded infrared data received from the sensor and that is connected to the control unit. This project controls the electrical loads depending on the data received from the remote.

This project controls the integrated household appliances to a control unit which can be operated by a remote. The RC5 coded data which are sent from the remote is received by an infrared receiver to an Arduino board.

The program to the Arduino board states the RC5 code to produce relevant o/p based on the i/p data to function a set of relays over a relay driver IC. The electrical loads are connected to the control unit through the relay contacts. This project can be used in the current domestic area for either controlling the loads through the TV remote.

Arduino based Solar Street Light

The main concept of this project is to design a solar street light using an Arduino board to control the street light intensity. In this project, PV panels are used to charge the batteries by altering the sunlight into electricity, and the charging of this battery can be controlled by using a charge controller circuit. Street light intensity is kept high in peak hours.

When the vehicles on the roads decrease slowly in the midnights, then the light intensity can be decreased gradually till morning to conserve energy. Therefore, the street lights turn ON at the sunset and then switch OFF at the sunrise routinely.

LPG Gas Monitoring & Automatic Cylinder Booking with Alert System

Today technology is being adapted in our daily life to make our day to day chores hassle-free. This project is also designed to make the task of LPG gas booking easy. The online system available today for booking an LPG cylinder is hardly effective for uneducated people. Moreover, there is no method implemented to know the status of the amount of gas present in the cylinder.

In this project, an Arduino based framework is designed that measures the amount of gas present in the cylinder( weight of the cylinder) and update the information regularly to the LPG agent. The system books the LPG cylinder automatically when the weight falls below the threshold value. Additionally, in this project, a gas sensor is embedded to detect gas leakage and alert the user.

Smart Glove for Sign Language Translation using Arduino

People communicate with each other to share information, experiences, ideas. Normally this is done through speaking, writing, hearing. People who are unable to hear and speak uses sign language to communicate with each other. But it becomes a challenging task when the person who wants to communicate with the disabled person doesn’t know the sign language.

In this Arduino based project, a system is designed which can convert the sigh language to voice command and vice-versa. Here, various sensors are embedded in the glove which senses various sign language gestures and sends signals. Arduino is used for collecting signals from these sensors. Using Bluetooth, Arduino sends these signals to an Android smartphone. This Android smartphone is used to convert the sign language gestures into voice commands and vice verse.

Automatic Garbage Collector Bot based on Arduino and GPS

Cleanliness is next to godliness. This project is designed aiming to make the task of garbage collection fully automated. Here based on the information provided by various sensors and GPS systems, a robot is designed that can collect garbage from a locality without any intervention from humans.

To plot the geographical area that he robot should cover, NI LabVIEW is used. NI LabVIEW collects the information about the coordinates of the area from the google maps and plots the area for the robot. The ESP8266 module is used to transfer this information to the robot. For obstacle detection, ultrasonic sensors are used.

Wifi based Low-cost Monitoring of ECG and Temperature Parameters using Arduino and ThingSpeak

In case of disasters or in remote areas, providing medical help during emergency situations becomes a challenging task. There may not be necessary medical equipment present to measure the vital signs of the patient. In this project, an Arduino based low-cost system is designed which will be highly useful in such situations.

Here, a pulse rate measurement sensor, and a temperature sensor is used to collect the ECG and temperature-related information of the patient. This information is sent to the website server through wifi. The doctor can access the website and monitor the patient’s condition, keep a check on his vital signs, and give necessary suggestions. This project is of low cost and easy to design.

Automatic Water Planting System using Soil Moisture Sensor

Agriculture is the basic mode of income for many countries. With the decrease in groundwater level and an increase in global warming, the methods used for crop cultivation have to be upgraded. Today it is crucial to monitor the soil condition to get a good harvest.

 In this project, a soil moisture monitoring system is designed. Here humidity sensor is used to measure the soil moisture of the crop and send the information to the processor. Based on the values provided by the sensor the water irrigation system is turned ON/OFF. This project helps in proper water management also.

Simple Arduino Projects using LEDs for Engineering Students

The applications of these boards mainly include simple Arduino projects using LEDs for engineering students. For a better understanding of these Arduino projects, here we are explaining with a suitable diagram.

Auto Intensity Control of LEDs Using An Arduino Board

The main objective of this project is to control the auto intensity of LEDs using an Arduino board. The proposed system uses LEDs in place of HID lamps due to the dimming feature. An Arduino board is used to control the intensity of lights automatically by developing PWM signals that make MOSFET to switch a set of light-emitting diodes to get the desired operation.

The lifetime of these lights is more compared with HID lamps and also consumes less power. In this project, an Arduino board comprises programmable instructions that control the light intensity based on PWM(pulse width modulation) signals produced. During the peak hours, the intensity of LEDs kept high. As the traffic on the roads rends to reduce gradually in late nights and also reduces slowly till the morning. At last, the light intensity totally shuts down in the morning at 6 A.M and again restarts in the evening at 6 P.M.

Furthermore, the proposed system can be enhanced by incorporating it with a solar panel that changes the intensity of solar into equivalent power, and this energy is used to supply the highway lights

Arduino based Temperature Logger

The proposed system is about a simple temperature logging system using an Arduino board. This project is used to observe the temperature every two seconds and displays it on the Arduino serial monitor in Celsius and Fahrenheit. The system is interfaced to the personal computer through the USB. Here IC LM35 is used as a temperature sensor to measure temperature The voltage output of the temperature sensor increases 10mV/oC rise in temperature. The standby current and operating voltage of the temperature sensor is60uAand5V.

Arduino based Motion Sensor light Circuit

The main goal of this project is to design an Arduino based motion sensor light circuit which is used to detect the motion to turn on a light. The circuit of this project mainly built with the Arduino board, PIR sensor, LED, and USB with type a and b connector. When the motion is detected by a PIR sensor which is integrated with an Arduino board, then the Led light will be turned ON.

Pin-1 of the sensor connects to the voltage terminal of the Arduino board. Pin-3 connects to the GND in the Arduino. The o/p of the Pin-2 connects to the digital pin D3. From these connections, pin-1 and pin-3 get 5 volts from the Arduino board. So, the PIR sensor gets the voltage from these connections to power ON and operate. And it is through pin-2 that the Arduino board gets an o/p from the motion sensor. When the motion sensor does not detect any motion, then the o/p is LOW and the Arduino receives no voltage signal.

When the sensor detects motion, the output is HIGH and the Arduino board receives a voltage signal, which can then activate another device to turn ON such as an LED is used for this circuit. The LED is connected between pin-13 and GND terminals. Here, an external resistor is not necessary to limit the current flow to the LED. Because pin-13 has an inbuilt resistance to no external resistor is necessary to limit current to the LED, because pin 13 already has a built-in resistance to restrict the flow of current.

Arduino Mini Projects for Diploma & Engineering Students

The following Arduino projects are suitable for a diploma as well as engineering students.

Automation System for Industries Controlled by Joystick & Arduino Nano

The proposed system like industrial automation can be controlled through a joystick & Arduino nano. This project is used to control four electrical appliances in industries.

Arduino based GPS Tracker

This project implements a GPS tracker system with the help of an Arduino board. This project is very helpful in tracking a child, vehicle location as well as other objects.

Arduino based Alarm Clock Radio

This proposed system designs an alarm clock radio with the help of an Arduino board. This project has one feature that is, it displays time, date & generates an alarm on the preferred time.

Wireless Frequency Meter using Arduino

This project implements a wireless frequency meter using the Arduino board. This project is mainly designed for measuring the sinusoidal AC signals frequency. The frequency range is from 50Hz to 3kHz.

Window Alarm Annunciator using Arduino Uno

This project implements a window alarm annunciator using the Arduino Uno board. This kind of annunciator is used for processing different power plants, industries by checking the conditions of plants & gives an alert to the operators regarding the abnormal conditions otherwise deviations of the parameter.

Noise Detector for Automatic Recording System

This project designs a noise detector for an automatic recording system using Arduino. This project is used in offices, classrooms, and libraries to detect noisy people and takes necessary action against them.

Fan Speed Monitoring & Controlling using Arduino

This project is used to monitor and control the electric fan speed based on the temperature using Arduino.

Wireless Web Server based on ESP8266

The wireless web server project can be built with a microchip like ESP8266 & an Arduino. This microchip includes a fixed Ram, ROM, and low-power CPU. It is an entire & an independent Wi-Fi set-up that can carry software applications like a separate device otherwise connected through an MCU.

Digital IC Tester

This project implements a digital IC tester using an Arduino. This device is cost-effective, highly reliable, and cost-effective. This project is used to check various ICs by using a program including different functions.

RF Controlled Robot using Arduino

This project implements a system namely RF controlled robot using an Arduino board. The design of this robot can be done very easily using RF. The controlling range of this RF remote is up to 100 meters through suitable antennae.

Oscilloscope using Arduino & PC

This project is used to design an oscilloscope at less cost using Arduino & PC for signal acquisition. This oscilloscope is mainly used for capturing the frequency signals. The range of these signals up to 5kHz. In this project, an Arduino board is used to read the ADC values and sends these to the PC via USB port.

Earthquake Sensor

This project designs an earthquake indicator by using the ADXL335 accelerometer which is highly-sensitive to identify vibrations. Once an earthquake occurs, the motion is violent enough & crosses a certain threshold, LED glows, energizes the relay to generate a buzzer sound. Further, this project can be enhanced to a knock & shake detector to use in the vehicles, ATMs, etc.

The list of Arduino nano projects includes the following. In Arduino boards, Nano is the smaller version which is most frequently used to make different engineering projects. This board is used where the space for the Arduino board is very less.

LED-Strip based on Music Reactive

This is a simple and beginner project. This project includes a microphone that measures playing music intensity. This data can be sent to the Arduino nano board for stimulating a LED strip so that it can blinks in different colors based on the music.

Lie Detector

This project is used to build a lie detector using Arduino nano. This project detects the electrical conductivity of the human skin but this project cannot give guarantee whether somebody is lying or not because it is a fun project.

Microbot using Arduino Nano

This project is used to design a small robot namely a microbot. This project is used to follow a fixed route based on the program using a gripper or radio remote control or even GPS.

Arduino Nano based Robotic Spider

This project implements a robotic spider using an Arduino nano. This project can be controlled through a smartphone. It is a beginner project.

Arduino Nano based Weather Station

This project designs a weather station using Arduino Nano. Here microcontroller is used as a weather station using a screen as well as connectors. So this system measures the humidity, temperature & shows the time. Further, this project can be enhanced to get extra data on wind conditions, air pressure, rain & UV index. This project can be built with an Arduino nano & some electronic components.

Speedometer using Arduino Nano

This project is used to design a Speedometer to measure vehicle speed while traveling. We know that analog and digital speedometers are designed with an IR sensor as well as a hall sensor. In this project, GPS is used to measure the vehicle speed because these speedometers are accurate as compared with normal speedometers. GPS speedometers track the vehicle continued to calculate the vehicle speed.

Arduino Nano based IR Remote Decoder

The wireless communication technology like an IR is a low cost and simple which is used widely in different applications. Infrared light is similar to the visible light but the wavelength is somewhat longer. This IR property will make it invisible to the human eye & suitable for wireless communication.

IR signals can be decoded in several applications to control some devices. In this project, an IR receiver like TSOP1838 is used to make an IR Remote Decoder through an Arduino. This project is used in different applications for controlling the robot, home automation, etc.

Car Ignition System using Arduino & RFID

At present, most of the automobiles are designed with an ignition system using push-button & keyless entry. The car door can be opened by placing your finger on the capacitive sensor near to the door handle for opening the car door.

This project uses some security features like fingerprint sensor and RFID. The fingerprint sensor allows authorized users in the car and RFID will confirm the user’s license. In this project, we use an EM18 RFID reader, Arduino Nano & fingerprint sensor like R305

Arduino based Capacity Tester for Li Battery

Day by day, electronic devices are becoming portable and available in small size including more functional as well as complex applications. Because of the complexity, the circuit uses huge power. So designing the devices in a small size is mandatory. To provide a huge current, the battery is required for a long period with less size.

There are different kinds of batteries available in the market where Ni-MH, Ni-Cd & Lead Acid batteries are not useful for portable devices because they cannot supply the required power due to heavyweight. To overcome this, Li-Ion batteries are used because these batteries provide huge current and its size is compact but weight is less. This project is used to test the Li battery using an Arduino nano board.

Please refer to this link to know more about Arduino Uno Projects for Beginners and Engineering Students

The list of IoT projects using Arduino or Arduino projects using IoT is discussed below.

IoT & Arduino based Gas Leakage Detector

Day by day, many fire accidents have been occurred because of a gas explosion. To overcome this, we need to check before. For that, the proposed system is used to detect LPG gas using an MQ5 gas sensor using an Arduino and Raspberry Pi. In this project, the gas leakage detector is connected to the Wi-Fi module, so that the smallest and highest parameter can be placed consequently. This project is applicable where LPG gas detection is required like homes, stores, etc.

The MQ5 gas sensor continuously checks the LPG gas level present within the air. If the value is in the set limit then the green LED will blink to give a safe sign. Similarly, when the gas exceeds above the set limit then the red LED will blink. This project helps in sensing gas leakage within the surrounding.

Protection System for Industries using IOT & Arduino

The protection system of the industry using IOT & Arduino is designed to guard industries from different losses like fire leakage, gas leakage, low lighting, etc. When gas leakage occurs, then it leads to huge industrial loss, fire detection is also required whenever furnace blasts occur and low lighting in the industries can cause an improper work environment.

The proposed system is used to detect the temperature, light, and gas to avoid losses and accidents in industries using different sensors. These sensors can be interfaced through the Arduino board as well as LCD. The sensor data continually scans for gas leakage, check the fire, low light to record values, then this sensor data can be transmitted through online. The internet function can be achieved using the Wi-Fi module and the IoT server displays the data online to get the required output.

Pet Feeder using IoT & Arduino

This project is implemented with the IoT & Arduino board. This project is used to provide food for pets. In this project, the PIR sensor informs once the bowl is empty then it fills automatically to feed the pet. This project is suitable for pets to feed them.

Conversion of Text to Speech

This project is used to design a TTS system to convert the text into speech. This system allows the commands by using a keyboard and converts then into a speech with the help of an inbuilt speaker.
To build this project, there are some simple steps like symbols conversion, numbers into words, text to phonetic scripts conversion, and after that converting into spoken voice. Once the setup is ready then we can use this system.

Smart Street Light using IoT & Arduino

This project designs a smart street light using an Arduino board & IoT. This project is used to reduce energy consumption. In this project, street light projects can be developed using IoT. The intensity of the street light can be changed automatically based on the environment. The lights intensity will be high at the night time whereas the intensity will be low in the daytime. This can be monitored using smart gadgets.

Management System for Water Quality using Arduino & IoT

This project is used to design & develop a system with a low cost to monitor the quality of water in real-time. In this project, IoT and Arduino play a key role to measure chemical as well as physical parameters within the water like pH, temperature, and turbidity.

The values which are measured using the sensor can be processed through the microcontroller. The core controller used in this project is Nodemcu esp8266. At last, the sensor data can be uploaded using the Wi-Fi module on the internet.

Arduino & IoT based Wireless Biometric Lock

This project is used to replace the traditional keys by placing wireless biometric locks with IoT & Arduino. If we use a traditional key-based lock then there is a chance of losing the keys or else theft problem so there is a change of high risk.

Consequently, now many people are using biometric locks to provide security for their houses. These biometric locks don’t use any keys to lock or unlock the door but it can be built with a fingerprint sensor. The design of this project can be done at less cost.

Air Pollution Meter Enabled by IoT through Digital Dashboard

This project is used to monitor air quality by allowing an air pollution meter on your phone. This project uses a Blynk application along with an Arduino board. This application is an IoT( Internet of Things) platform for controlling an Arduino board as well as Raspberry Pi through the Internet. The Blynk application within the project can provide a digital dashboard on the smartphone to exhibit the readings of air quality in real-time for the surroundings.

Students highly prefer Arduino for designing projects as it is cost-effective and easy to program. Arduino is also preferred by professionals to design prototypes. Thus, this is all about Arduino projects and simple Arduino projects using LEDs for engineering students. We hope that you have got a better understanding of these projects. Furthermore, any queries regarding this concept or electrical and electronic projects, please give your valuable suggestions by commenting in the comment section below. Here is a question for you, what is the main function of an Arduino microcontroller?

Photo Credits

Arduino based Motion Sensor light Circuit learningaboutelectronics