Until now, we have dealt with onboard LEDs only, which require no extra component connected. In our next exercise, we are going to connect an external LED to BeagleBone. This requires a few components. You can get these easily in a local electronics shop or online websites like sparkfun or mouser:
LED – We need a single LED for this exercise. An LED is actually a Light Emitting Diode. They allow flowing current in one direction only. When current passes through them, they glow. When connected in the opposite direction, no current is passed through.
Male-to-male jumper wires – We need jumper wires to connect BeagleBone and components through a breadboard.
400Ω–1kΩ resistor – Passing too much current through an LED can damage it. So, there is a need to put a resistor to reduce the current. In our case, we need any resistor inside the range 400Ω-1kΩ.
Half-size breadboard – Creating a circuit of components requires soldering work. For circuit modification...