Smoothing Noisy Readings

Learning Goals 5 min

1. Recognise the "jitter" of a raw analogRead on a still sensor — even a held-still pot reading bounces ±2 around its true value.
2. Smooth a noisy reading with a running average — store the last N samples in an array, average them, and use the average instead of the raw value.
3. Tune the window size N to trade off responsiveness (small N) against smoothness (large N).

Warm-Up 10 min

Plug your potentiometer in from yesterday. Open the Serial Plotter (Tools → Serial Plotter, baud 9600) instead of the Monitor. Upload the L02-07 pot-reader sketch. Don't touch the pot.

Predict

What does the plotter line look like with the pot held perfectly still?

New Concept · Running average 20 min

Why noise happens

Three sources you can't avoid:

• ADC noise — the chip's last bit or two is always uncertain. Inherent to the design.
• Power-rail ripple — your USB cable and laptop supply aren't a perfectly clean 5 V; small voltage wobbles drift the reading.
• Vibration / EMI — even a quiet desk has vibrations that nudge a pot wiper; a phone nearby radiates RF.

The result: a perfectly steady input still reports values that bounce ±1 to ±5 raw units. For a knob you're reading by hand, that's invisible — but if you drive an LED brightness from the raw value, you'll see it flicker constantly.

The fix — average over a short window

Instead of using the latest reading, keep the last N readings in an array and use their average. The random ±2 noise on each individual reading cancels out across the window.

const int N = 10;
int samples[N];
int idx = 0;
long total = 0;          // running sum

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);
  for (int i = 0; i < N; i++) samples[i] = 0;
}

void loop() {
  total -= samples[idx];                      // remove the oldest from the sum
  samples[idx] = analogRead(A0);
  total += samples[idx];                      // add the newest
  idx = (idx + 1) % N;                      // wrap-around index

  int avg = total / N;
  Serial.println(avg);
  delay(20);
}

The two ideas that make this fast

1. Circular buffer. The idx walks 0, 1, 2, ..., N−1, 0, 1, 2, ... — overwriting the oldest sample each pass. idx = (idx + 1) % N does the wrap.
2. Running sum. Instead of re-adding the whole array every time (a loop of N adds), keep a running total. When you replace a sample, subtract the old value and add the new. Two arithmetic ops, regardless of N.

How big should N be?

Rule of thumb: pick the smallest N that hides the noise you care about. Bigger N feels more "laggy" — turn the pot quickly and the smoothed reading takes a beat to catch up.

The long on total

Each sample is 0–1023. With N = 50, the worst-case sum is 1023 × 50 = 51,150 — well within a 32-bit long but over the 32,767 limit of a 16-bit int. Use long on the sum to be safe at any N.

Worked Example · Smoothing the pot reading 20 min

Step 1 — wiring

Same pot wiring as L02-07. Pot wiper → A0, outer legs to +5 V and GND. No new hardware today.

Step 2 — type the sketch

Save as pot-smooth.ino:

// L02-08: running-average smoother for the pot on A0
const int POT = A0;
const int N = 10;

int samples[N];
int idx = 0;
long total = 0;

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);
  for (int i = 0; i < N; i++) samples[i] = 0;
}

void loop() {
  total -= samples[idx];
  samples[idx] = analogRead(POT);
  total += samples[idx];
  idx = (idx + 1) % N;

  int raw = samples[(idx + N - 1) % N];
  int avg = total / N;

  Serial.print(raw);
  Serial.print(",");
  Serial.println(avg);
  delay(20);
}

Note the two-column Serial output (raw, avg, separated by a comma) — this is the format the Arduino Serial Plotter understands as "plot two lines".

Step 3 — upload and open the Serial Plotter

Tools → Serial Plotter (not Monitor). You should see two coloured lines:

• The first (orange-ish in default theme) is the raw reading — wobbly even when you don't touch the pot.
• The second (blue) is the smoothed average — much flatter.

Turn the knob slowly. Both lines follow, but the smoothed line trails slightly behind — that's the lag from averaging.

Step 4 — vary N and watch the effect

Change const int N = 10; to 3, then 20, then 50, re-uploading each time:

This trade-off is fundamental: more smoothing always costs responsiveness. Pick the smallest N that hides the wobble.

Basic 7 min

Challenge 1 7 min

Challenge 2 6 min

Challenge 3 · The ghost-detector display 15 min

Wire the LDR on A1 with its 10 kΩ pull-down. Smooth the reading with N = 20. If the smoothed value drops by more than 50 units within one second, blink an LED on pin 13 three times — like a ghost just passed in front of the sensor and cast a shadow.

It works if:

• The sensor sits steady when nothing moves — no false triggers from random noise.
• Wave your hand slowly across the sensor → LED blinks three times.
• Cover and uncover quickly → still triggers (the drop is fast and definitely > 50).
• Walk past quickly → triggers reliably.

Recap 5 min

Every analog input wobbles a little — that's physics, not bad code. A running average of the last N readings hides the wobble. Use a circular buffer + running sum so the cost stays constant no matter how large N is. Pick the smallest N that flattens the noise; bigger N = more lag. Next lesson — calibration: how to make a sensor figure out its own min and max during the first 5 seconds.

Jitter / noise

Tiny random fluctuations in a sensor reading. Caused by thermal noise, power-supply ripple and EMI.

Running average

The average of the last N readings. Smooths short-term noise while still tracking long-term changes.

Circular buffer

A fixed-size array used to store the most recent N values. The write index wraps around with idx = (idx + 1) % N.

Running sum

A maintained total so you don't re-add the whole buffer each pass. Subtract the value you're replacing, add the new value.

Window size (N)

How many recent samples to average. Trade-off: bigger N = smoother but laggier.

Static variable

A variable inside a function that keeps its value between calls instead of being re-initialised each time. Useful for "remember state" in a helper.

Extra Mission 5 min

Part 1 — Design a gadget that must not flicker

Some readings jump about. Pick a gadget where that would be a problem — a night-light, a fan dial, a shadow alarm. On paper, design how smoothing keeps it steady.

Your design must include:

• A name and a one-sentence job for the gadget.
• The sensor (pot or LDR) and its pin.
• The output, and what would go wrong without smoothing.
• Your N value, and why it is not too small (flicker) or too big (lag).

Part 2 — Make it

Build it with today's running-average smoother. Print the raw and smoothed values side by side. Open the Serial Plotter to compare the two lines.

Bring back next class: the uploaded sketch and a Serial Plotter screenshot showing both lines.