Today, I will be showing you how to make a parking sensor using a few simple materials and a few lines of code. This project will take about 20-30 minutes to complete and will teach you the basics about how to use an Arduino and other components such as LEDs and ultrasonic sensors.

Step 1: Materials

You will need:

An Arduino (I'm using an Leonard but you can use any of the Arduino boards)
Ultrasonic Sensor (HC-SR04)
RGB LED or you could use different single LEDs
Breadboard
Jumper Wires

Simply enough, Let's get started!

Step 2: Step 1: Breadboard

To start you will want to place your ultrasonic sensor and LED into your breadboard like shown in the picture.

Step 3: Step 2: Wiring

The next step is to wire everything up. You can follow the images to see how I did it.

First hook up GND and 5v to the power rails on the breadboard.

Then hook up the LED to the Arduino and GND rail.

Blue --> Pin 10

Green --> Pin 11

GND --> GND

Red --> Pin 12

Finally hook up the Ultrasonic Sensor to the Arduino, GND rail and 5v rail.

VCC --> 5v

Trig --> Pin 0

Echo --> Pin 1

GND --> GND

If you decide to change up the pins on the Arduino make sure you change it in the code as well. (last picture)

Step 4: Step 3: Upload the Code

Download the Arduino code and upload it to your Arduino.

and your done :D

Red_Green_LED_Sensor_.ino
Download

Step 5: Step 4: Testing

You'll need something stiff like a credit card or maybe your car ;) move the object back and forth and you'll see the colour of the LED change depending on where the object is positioned.

Step 6: Step 5: Using Serial

If you wanted to see the actual distance of the object and what the Arduino is reading, you can open serial.

Introduction: Ultrasonic Parking Sensor With Arduino