Talking Ohmmeter Also Spits Out Color Bands For You

Giacomo Yong Cuomo and Sophia Lin have crafted an innovative ohmmeter that offers a unique twist: instead of merely measuring resistance, it can also decipher and announce the color bands of resistors. Their project, developed for the ECE 4760 class, centers around a Raspberry Pi Pico. The ohmmeter operates by setting the resistor under test in a resistor divider configuration alongside a 10 kΩ reference resistor. With one leg of the reference resistor connected to 3.3 V and the other to ground, the voltage at the node between the two resistors is measured by the Pico’s analog-to-digital converter pin, facilitating the calculation of the test resistor’s value.

Providing user feedback, a large simulated resistor is equipped with addressable LEDs that illuminate corresponding color bands based on the resistance value being tested. Capable of displaying 3-band, 4-band, and 5-band color configurations, the device accommodates various resistor types. Additionally, it can audibly announce the resistance value through a connected speaker, enhancing accessibility and user experience.

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