sparkfun Gator:UV Hook-Up Manual
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sparkfun Gator:UV Hook-Up Manual

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SparkFun gator:UV Hookup Guide
Introduction
Do you have a science experiment involving weather or UV light exposure?
SparkFun gator:UV - micro:bit Accessory Board
 SEN-15273
The gator:UV is the perfect tool to monitor the UV exposure in your next experiment. With the VEML6070, the
gator:UV can easily be used to measure the levels of UVA (320-400 nm) radiation. This tutorial will show you how
to get started using this UV sensor with the gator:bit (v2) in the micro:bit development environment.
Product Showcase: SparkFun gator:log, gator:RTC, & gator:UV
Product Showcase: SparkFun gator:log, gator:RTC, & gator:UV

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Summary of Contents for sparkfun Gator:UV

  • Page 1 The gator:UV is the perfect tool to monitor the UV exposure in your next experiment. With the VEML6070, the gator:UV can easily be used to measure the levels of UVA (320-400 nm) radiation. This tutorial will show you how to get started using this UV sensor with the gator:bit (v2) in the micro:bit development environment.

  • Page 2: Required Materials

     DEV-14208 To easily use the gator board ecosystem, a gator:bit (v2) will help breakout the necessary pins and you will also need alligator and/or banana cables to connect the gator:bit to the gator:UV. SparkFun gator:bit v2.0 - micro:bit Carrier Board Alligator Test Leads - Multicolored (10 Pack) ...

  • Page 3: Suggested Reading

    You may already have some of these materials, so feel free to modify your cart as necessary. Suggested Reading The gator:UV sensor is pretty straight forward to use in application. However, you may find the following concepts useful along the way.
  • Page 4 MakeCode. If you aren't familiar with the micro:bit, we recommend reading here for an overview. Product Showcase: micro:bit and SparkFun bits Product Showcase: micro:bit and SparkFun bits micro:bit Ecosystem We would also recommend taking a look at the following tutorials if you aren't familiar with them.

  • Page 5: Hardware Overview

    It also has as built-in addressable LEDs and a built-in buzzer. Hardware Overview The gator:UV consists of 4 pads for power and data. Contacts Direction Description Ground: Reference voltage and ground loop.
  • Page 6 Power connection pads and power indication LED. VEML6070 The VEML6070 is a UV sensor that communicates over an I C bus. The VEML6070 detects UVA radiation up to 328 mW/cm with a resolution of 5 µW/cm . For the most part, users will only need to know I C addresses to prevent address conflicts with other devices or sensors.
  • Page 7 Performance characteristics from the datasheet. Click to enlarge. What is UVA Radiation? UVA radiation is a specific part of the spectrum of the solar radiation from the Sun. UVA light has wavelengths between 320 nm and 400 nm. Approximately, 4.9% of all solar radiation that makes it to the surface of the Earth is UVA light.

  • Page 8: Hardware Assembly

    I C connection pads. Hardware Assembly Connecting your gator:UV to the to the gator:bit (v2) is simple. The board can also be daisy-chained with other I C boards. This can easily be done with alligator cables or these special banana cables.

  • Page 9: Installing Extensions

    If this is your first time using the gato:bit (v2), please review our SparkFun gator:bit v2 Hookup Guide. The easiest way to get started using the gator:UV is to use Microsoft MakeCode, a web-based block editor. This tutorial assumes you are familiar with the with MakeCode, the gato:bit (v2), and the micro:bit development board. If this is your first time check out this guides linked in the suggested reading section (above).
  • Page 10 Search for Extension. Then, click on the box to add it to the block library. Click on image to enlarge. Then, click on the box for the extension to add it to the block library. The gator:UV extension should now appear in the block library.

  • Page 11: Block Functions

    Available blocks for the gator:UV extension. Click on image to enlarge. MakeCode Examples Now that you have added the gator:particle extension to the Editor, lets start with some example code. Plug the micro:bit into your computer using an USB micro-B cable after you have assembled your hardware with the instructions from the previous section.
  • Page 12 Download the file from the button below or the link on the bottom of the display. .hex DOWNLOAD .HEX FILE FOR EXAMPLE on start forever initialize gator:UV sensor serial write value get UVA Reading " " serial redirect to USB...

  • Page 13: Troubleshooting Tips

    The output is redirected over the serial port to avoid conflicts on pins , which are also used for serial communication. To read the sensor values, pull up your favorite serial terminal emulator. Then, connect to the serial port that the micro:bit is on; the default baud rate is 115200 bps. Below, is an example of the sensor output for the example code (the sensor values are responding to the flashlight on my phone).
  • Page 14 Landing Page SFE Product Showcase Interested in the micro:bit? Check out some of these other micro:bit products: SparkFun micro:climate kit for micro:bit SparkFun gator:bit v2.0 - micro:bit Carrier Board  KIT-15301  DEV-15162 SparkFun Inventor's Kit for micro:bit Lab Pack...
  • Page 15 Get started clipping sensors and lights to the micro:bit Buttons and switches and inputs oh my! Start adding with the gator:starter gator:board from SparkFun! more control to your gator:bit with the SparkFun gator:control. SparkFun gator:bit v2 Hookup Guide SparkFun gator:particle Hookup Guide...

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