802.15.4 Analog Input with a Potentiometer

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Assemble the Parts
3. Configure the Radio
4. Wire up the Circuit
5. Use it!

1) Introduction

When it comes to analog input, it doesn’t get any easier than a basic potentiometer. Nicknamed “pots,” these components are essentially variable resistors, which let us, with a twist of their shaft, alter the amount of voltage that goes through their center pin. If you’ve ever adjusted a volume dial or a picture control dial on an older television set, chances are, you were using a pot.

XBee radios have two analog inputs and therefore can be connected directly to up to two potentiometers. With a little bit of configuration, the radios can transmit the level of the input voltage to the PWM output pins on the receiving radio.