Connecting an IR sensor to the Galileo

The first step in connecting an IR sensor to your Galileo is to obtain a sensor. One popular choice is the Sharp series of IR sensors. The following image shows one of the models, the Sharp 2Y0A02, a unit that provides sensing to a distance of 150 cm:

To connect this unit, you'll connect the three pins that are available on the bottom of the sensor. Here is the connection list:

Galileo Pin	Sensor Pin
5V	Vcc
GND	Gnd
A3	Vo

Unfortunately, there are no labels on the unit, but here are the pins you'll connect:

One of the challenges of making this connection is that the female-to-male connection jumpers are too big to connect directly to the sensor. You'll want to order a three-wire cable with connectors with the sensor. Many versions come with this cable. You can make the connections between this cable and the Galileo using the male-to-male jumper wires. Here is the diagram:

Once the pins are connected, you are ready to access the sensor via the IDE...