Design Like a Physicist


Physics 398DLP, Spring 2022

3 credit hours

Face-to-face (but masked!), Friday afternoons, 1 pm - 5 pm, in Loomis 276.

Note that we'll meet online, via Zoom, during the first week of the semester.


Dean Bashir has asked faculty to distribute to students the information linked here.

Code and design resource repository


As a security precaution, some browsers will block the download of (code) files ending in, for example, ".py". I have added a ".txt" extension to these filenames, which you should strip off after downloading.

p398dlp_arduino_demo.ino

p398dlp_simple_python_example.py.txt

Code to test some of the Fall 2021 hardware

Code to test some of the Spring 2021 hardware

Dealing with Arduino libraries

Sometimes when you are developing Arduino code to talk to a new-to-you device (for example, a BME680 breakout board manufactured by Adafruit), you'll need to install a library with code specific to the new device. Doing this is REALLY EASY! Here are the steps.
  • 1, Go to the Adafruit site and look for the entry page into the company's BME680 material.
  • 2. Find (and follow) the link to the "detailed tutorial" about the BME680.
  • 3. Find (and follow) the link to the "Arduino Wiring & Test" page. (We'll be using the I2C version of wiring the BME680.
  • 4. On that page find the section titled "Install Adafruit_BME680 library" and follow the directions. The directions are very clear, and even have screen shots.

A Python refresher: material from Physics 298owl


Physics 398DLP data logger and GG's sample Arduino code for various devices