Gravity: Starter Kit for Arduino

Jargon buster

Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.

Ambient light sensor

A sensor that measures the general brightness of light falling on it, similar to how a device can adjust screen brightness automatically. It matters when you want a project to react to room lighting, daylight, shadows, or covered/uncovered conditions.

Gravity

Gravity is DFRobot’s plug-in connector system for sensors, motors and modules, using standard cables to reduce loose jumper wiring. It matters because Gravity-compatible parts can connect directly to these ports, while non-Gravity parts may need adapters or manual wiring.

IDE

Short for Integrated Development Environment, a program used to write, run and manage code. It matters because some learners prefer a traditional coding workspace instead of a guided notebook-style lesson.

kg·cm

A torque unit often used for hobby servos, meaning how many kilograms of force the servo can hold at a 1 cm arm length. A higher kg·cm rating means the servo can move or hold heavier loads, but power supply current needs may also increase.

LED

A light-emitting diode is a small electronic component that lights up when current flows through it in the correct direction. In this kit, LEDs create the flashing effect, so polarity and correct soldering matter for the project to work.

microcontroller

A microcontroller is a small computer on a chip that runs your program and controls connected inputs and outputs. For this product, it is the part that reads buttons and sensors, drives the display and speaker, and communicates over Bluetooth.

PCB

A printed circuit board is a rigid board with copper tracks that connect electronic parts without loose wires. For this kit, the PCBs also form the airplane shape, so they are both the circuit base and part of the finished model.

Proximity sensor

A sensor that detects when an object is nearby without needing physical contact. For this product it matters because the useful detection range is short, up to about 200 mm, so it suits touch-free triggers and close object detection rather than long-distance measuring.

servo

A servo is a motor with built-in position control, usually told to move to a specific angle by a control signal. It matters when you need repeatable movement, such as steering, arms, flaps, or linkages, rather than continuous spinning.

servo motor

A motor module that moves to a commanded angle rather than simply spinning freely. It matters for robotics and mechanisms because it is useful for steering, arms, gates and other parts that need controlled position.

Shield

An add-on board that plugs into a main controller board to give it extra features such as sensing, motor control or communication. Knowing a product supports shields helps you judge whether it can connect neatly into an existing maker-board setup.