Hooking Up the Components

Push the pins of a potentiometer into one side of the breadboard.

Since each breadboard row is connected internally, you’ll want to make sure that no two pins from your potentiometer are plugged into the same row. If your potentiometer’s pins are plugged into the same row, simply remove it and rotate it 90 degrees.

Please note that breadboard rows are often split into two sides separated by an empty middle section; these sides are independent and the rows on each side are not connected to each other.

There are three pins on a potentiometer: power, output, and ground.

Note

The power and ground pins on a potentiometer and often interchangeable: if you plug them in backward, your output values will generally be reversed to match. If in doubt as to which pins to use, check the potentiometer’s datasheet or instructions.

Connect a wire from the breadboard’s 3.3V power rail to the first pin (power pin) of your potentiometer. Plug one end of the wire into any header hole in the power rail and plug the other end into any hole in the same row as your potentiometer’s first pin (power pin). Since each row in the breadboard is electrically connected internally, you are connecting the power rail to the pin even though they are not touching.

Similarly, connect another wire between the breadboard’s ground rail and the third pin (ground pin) of your potentiometer. Finally, connect a longer wire from the potentiometer’s output (center pin) to analog pin A0 on your Netduino.

Note ...

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