Robotics Reviewer

Series Circuit

A circuit configuration where current flows through one single path; if one component fails, the entire circuit stops working

Parallel Circuit

A circuit configuration where current can flow through more than one path; if one branch fails, the others continue to function

Series Current

The identical amount of electrical flow that moves through every component in a series string

Parallel Current

Electrical flow that divides among different branches based on the specific resistance of each path

Series Voltage

The total supply voltage which is shared or divided among the individual components in the circuit

Parallel Voltage

The electrical pressure where each individual branch receives the full amount of the supply voltage

Series Resistance

The total opposition to current, calculated as the sum of all individual resistors

Parallel Resistance

The total opposition to current which actually lowers as more branches are added to the circuit

Ohm’s Law

The fundamental scientific law explaining the mathematical relationship between voltage, current, and resistance

Voltage

The electrical "push" or pressure that moves charge through a circuit, measured in Volts

Current

The actual flow of electric charge moving through a conductor, measured in amperes

Resistance

The property of a component that determines how much it opposes or restricts the flow of current, measured in Ohms

OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode)

A display technology that emits light directly from organic layers when current is applied, requiring no backlight

LED (Light Emitting Diode)

A semiconductor light source used for brightness in displays; features moderate energy use and vivid colors.

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)

A display technology that uses liquid crystals and a mandatory backlight; known for higher energy use and moderate contrast.

SDA (Serial Data Line)

The specific connection pin on an OLED display used to carry the actual data for images or text

SCL (Serial Clock Line)

The specific connection pin on an OLED display used to carry the timing signal for synchronized data transfer

pinMode()

The Arduino function used to configure a specific pin as either an input or output

digitalWrite()

Command used to set a pin to HIGH or LOW

delay()

The function used to pause program execution for a specific amount of time (measured in milliseconds)

display.clearDisplay()

The OLED command that wipes the screen buffer to prepare for new data

I2C Address (0x3C)

The standard hex address used in code to communicate with the SSD1306 OLED display

#include <Wire.h>

The library requirement that enables I2C communication between the microcontroller and the display

void setup()

A mandatory function that runs only once when the program starts, used for initializing pin modes and starting communications

SSD1306_SWITCHCAPVSS

A parameter used in OLED initialization that tells the display to generate its own high voltage from the 3.3V or 5V power supply

display.display()

The specific command required to actually "push" the data from the Arduino's memory buffer onto the physical OLED screen

display.setTextSize(1)

Sets the scale of the text; "1" is the standard size (typically 6x8 pixels per character)

display.setCursor(x,y)

Defines the exact pixel coordinate where the text or image should begin drawing (0,0 is the top-left corner)

#include <Adafruit_GFX.h>

The core graphics library that provides basic drawing functions like lines, circles, and text for various displays

#include <Adafruit_SSD1306.h>

The specific driver library used to communicate with the SSD1306 OLED controller chip

oled.setFont(Adafruit5x7)

A command used in the ASCII library to select a specific font style (in this case, a 5x7 pixel grid font)

while(true)

An infinite loop used in error handling (like if the OLED isn't found) to stop the program from proceeding further