Push button on pin 12 toggles the LED on pin 9, on an Arduino Uno
Each press of the button on pin 12 (10k pull-up) flips the LED on pin 9: on, then off. The sketch waits out the contact’s bounce before it believes a press. The whole build, an Arduino Uno and 4 more parts, runs here in your browser on the firmware below; open it in the editor to change the wiring or the code and run it again.
Teaching? Assign it to your class in one click.
Beginner About 15 minutes to build and run. Runs in your browser. Free, and no account needed.
The parts retail for about $30. On Mokxi they're free.
What you'll learn
- Pull up resistors and active low buttons
- Switch bounce and a simple debounce
- A boolean variable that remembers state
- Toggling with
! - Waiting for release so one press counts once
- Difficulty: Beginner
- Time: About 15 minutes
- Board: Arduino Uno R3
- Parts: 6
How it works
One press turns the LED on and the next press turns it off. The button is on pin 12 with a 10k resistor to 5 V. That resistor holds the pin high, and pressing the button connects it to ground so it reads LOW.
When the sketch sees LOW, it waits 10 ms and checks again. Real buttons bounce for a few milliseconds, and this second look filters it out. Then it flips the lit variable and writes it to pin 9.
After that it waits in a while loop until the button is released, so holding the button counts as one press only.
Parts list
6 parts, plus the jumper wires. They retail for about $30; on Mokxi they're free.
- 1 × Arduino Uno R3In Starter Kit, Claw Machine Kit, Vending Machine Kit.
- 1 × Half breadboard
- 1 × PushbuttonIn Starter Kit, Christmas Lights Kit, Logic Lab Kit.
- 1 × Resistor, 10k ΩIn Starter Kit, Claw Machine Kit, Halloween Prop Kit.
- 1 × Resistor, 220 ΩIn Starter Kit, Claw Machine Kit, Halloween Prop Kit.
- 1 × LED, redIn Starter Kit, Halloween Prop Kit, Logic Lab Kit.
Kits that can build it
These 12 starter kits have every part in the circuit. Each kit's page lists what else it can build.
- ELEGOO UNO R3 Super Starter Kit
- ELEGOO UNO R3 Most Complete Starter Kit
- Arduino Starter Kit
- Freenove Ultimate Starter Kit
- ELEGOO UNO R3 Basic Starter Kit
- SunFounder Starter Kit for Arduino Uno R3
- SunFounder Inventor Lab Kit
- REXQualis UNO R3 Super Starter Kit
- LAFVIN Super Starter Kit
- keyestudio Super Starter Kit
- Vilros Arduino Uno 3 Ultimate Starter Kit
- Adafruit MetroX Classic Kit
Wiring table
Every connection, pin by pin, read from the circuit itself. Each row joins the pin on the left to the pin on the right, by a jumper wire or a breadboard strip.
| Part and pin | Connects to |
|---|---|
| Pushbutton pin 1a | Arduino Uno R3 pin GND |
| LED, red pin C | Arduino Uno R3 pin GND |
| Pushbutton pin 2a | Arduino Uno R3 pin 12 |
| Resistor, 10k Ω pin 1 | Arduino Uno R3 pin 12 |
| Resistor, 220 Ω pin 1 | Arduino Uno R3 pin 9 |
| Resistor, 10k Ω pin 2 | Arduino Uno R3 pin 5V |
| LED, red pin A | Resistor, 220 Ω pin 2 |
The code
The firmware exactly as the editor opens it. Change a line there and press Run: it compiles in the browser.
// A push button toggles an LED: press once for on, again for off.
// pin 9 -> 220 ohm -> LED -> GND
// 10k from 5V -> pin 12; the push button from pin 12 -> GND
//
// The 10k pull-up holds pin 12 HIGH while the button is up; pressing it
// joins the pin to ground and it reads LOW.
// A contact bounces for a few milliseconds as it closes, so one press can
// look like several. The sketch reads the button, waits 10 ms and reads it
// again; only a press that is still there counts. Then it waits for the
// button to come back up before it will count another.
const int BUTTON = 12;
const int LED_PIN = 9;
bool lit = false;
void setup() {
pinMode(BUTTON, INPUT);
pinMode(LED_PIN, OUTPUT);
Serial.begin(9600);
Serial.println("Mokxi Uno: press the button on pin 12 to toggle the LED");
}
void loop() {
if (digitalRead(BUTTON) == LOW) {
delay(10);
if (digitalRead(BUTTON) == LOW) {
lit = !lit;
digitalWrite(LED_PIN, lit ? HIGH : LOW);
Serial.println(lit ? "LED on" : "LED off");
while (digitalRead(BUTTON) == LOW) {
}
delay(10);
}
}
}
Code walkthrough
The key functions of the sketch, and what each one does.
setup sketch.ino
Sets the button pin as an input and the LED pin as an output, and starts serial. The pull up here is the external 10k resistor, so pinMode just uses INPUT.
void setup() {
pinMode(BUTTON, INPUT);
pinMode(LED_PIN, OUTPUT);
Serial.begin(9600);
Serial.println("Mokxi Uno: press the button on pin 12 to toggle the LED");
}loop sketch.ino
Reads the button. If LOW, waits 10 ms and reads again. If still LOW, it flips lit, updates the LED, prints "LED on" or "LED off", and holds in a while loop until the button comes back up.
void loop() {
if (digitalRead(BUTTON) == LOW) {
delay(10);
if (digitalRead(BUTTON) == LOW) {
lit = !lit;
digitalWrite(LED_PIN, lit ? HIGH : LOW);
Serial.println(lit ? "LED on" : "LED off");
while (digitalRead(BUTTON) == LOW) {
}
delay(10);
}
}
}Troubleshooting
The usual mistakes with this circuit, and the fix for each.
- The LED flickers or toggles twice This project
Keep the 10 ms recheck. Without it, bounce looks like extra presses. - The button seems always pressed This project
The 10k resistor must go from pin 12 to 5V, and the button from pin 12 to ground. - The input reads random HIGH and LOW when the button is not pressed. Pushbutton
A floating pin picks up noise. Add a 10 k pull-down or pull-up resistor, or use INPUT_PULLUP and wire the button between the pin and GND. Then pressed reads LOW. - The button seems always pressed, or never changes. Pushbutton
A 4-leg tactile switch has legs joined in pairs. Place it across the breadboard center gap so the pairs sit on different rows. Wired along one side, the legs are already connected. - The LED is dim, burns out, or the pin reads wrong because the resistor value is off. Resistor
Read the color bands again. A 220 ohm to 330 ohm resistor suits a typical LED on 5 V. 10k is a common pull-up or pull-down value. Check with a multimeter if unsure. - A pull-up or pull-down resistor is missing, so the input floats and reads random values. Resistor
Tie the input to 5 V or ground through about 10k. Or use INPUT_PULLUP and wire the switch to ground. - The LED does not light, or it lights once and then dies. LED
LEDs have polarity. The longer leg (anode) goes toward the positive side. Always add a series resistor, about 220 ohms to 1 k ohm on a 5 V pin. - A blue or white LED stays dark on 3.3 V. LED
Blue and white LEDs drop about 3 V, so 3.3 V leaves almost nothing for the resistor. Use a 5 V supply, or a smaller resistor and a red or green LED.
Change it and keep it
Open it in the editor, change the circuit or the code, and keep your version in a free account.