UNIHIKER K10 L1 - Temperature Sensing

Lesson 1 - Temperature Sensing

Students learn how to read the onboard temperature sensor of the UNIHIKER K10 controller, display the value on the screen, and build a temperature alert system.

I can explain what a sensor is and how it works with a program.

I can read the onboard temperature sensor and display its value on the UNIHIKER K10 screen.

I can modify my program to add visual alerts when the temperature is out of range.

1. Engage: What Temperature Do Plants Need?

Plants can’t tell us when they’re too hot or too cold. A farmer with a big greenhouse can’t stand there checking a thermometer all day. We need a “24-hour temperature guard” that never sleeps.

Key Question

What happens to plants when the temperature is too low or too high?

Let’s build a digital thermometer with our UNIHIKER K10 to be that temperature guard!

2. Explore: How Does the Sensor “See” Temperature?

First, let’s see the temperature sensor in action.

Show students where the temperature is located.

Open Mind+ and connect the UNIHIKER K10 controller.

Build the program.

Connect device → Serial → Open Serial

In the monitor window, you should see numbers changing in real time.

That number is the temperature!

If you have any questions about programming for mind+, please visit this website (https://mindplus.dfrobot.com/mp2/3Coding/32UploadMode/) for a quick start of mind+.

Activity 1

• Prepare the program-uploaded UNIHIKER K10 for each group. Ask them to try these actions and observe how the value changes in the Serial Monitor.

Teacher Note: The temperature sensor is located on the board. As the device runs, the CPU generates heat, causing the sensor reading to rise 1–5°C above room temperature. Take an initial reading at power-on, then compare after a few minutes—this is a great opportunity to discuss how measurement location affects data accuracy.

Key Question

How does a sensor turn “temperature” (something we feel) into a “number” (something the computer can understand)?

The sensor is like an “electronic tongue”—it detects heat energy and converts it into an electrical signal that the computer reads as a number. The Serial Monitor shows us this raw data stream.

3. Engineer: Display Temperature on the UNIHIKER K10 Screen

Now let’s take the temperature value from the Serial Monitor and put it on the UNIHIKER K10 screen—so we can see it even when the board isn’t connected to a computer.

Key Question

How do we tell the computer to “read the sensor” and “show it on the screen” in code?

Build the code in Mind+:

Upload the program to the UNIHIKER K10 and test:

✅ Press your finger on the sensor → the number goes up

✅ Blow on the sensor → the number goes down

4. Experience & Challenge: Build a Temperature Alert

Our thermometer works—but if the temperature goes too high or too low, a number on the screen is easy to miss. Let’s make the UNIHIKER K10 say when something’s wrong!

Experience: Add a Temperature Message

Activity 2

• Load the program1-2 and ask students to show a text message below the temperature value. When the temperature changes, the message changes too:

• • Below 33°C → show “Perfect temperature”

• • Above 33°C → show “Too hot!”

• Students can customize the message text, color, size, and position freely!

Teacher Note: Students need to modify the value in the comparator until the program says, “Perfect Temperature” in your room’s temperature conditions. When the temperature sensor is finger-covered, the program will say “Too hot”.

Sample code:

Challenge: Add a Color Background

Key Question

What else can we change to make an alert even more noticeable?

Let’s make a color alert!

Ask students to load the program1-3.

Activity 3

• Challenge students to explore the building block category to turn on and off LEDs on the extension board.

• • Below 33°C → Green lights

• • Above 33°C → Red lights

This way, even from across the room, you can tell at a glance if the temperature is OK!

Sample code:

Lead students fill the gap.

Sensor stands for , program stands for , screen stands for . (input → process → output)

5. Elaborate: How Does Temperature Monitoring Help in Real Life?

Key Question

How does the “sensor → program → output” chain show up in devices we use every day?

Everyday Example of "Input → Process → Output":Air conditioner remote: Press a button (Input) → Chip processes it (Process) → Display shows temperature & cooling starts (Output).