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Reference > Language > Functions > Time > Delay
LANGUAGE
FUNCTIONS
delay()
VARIABLES
[Time]
STRUCTURE
LIBRARIES Description
GLOSSARY Pauses the program for the amount of time (in milliseconds) specified as
parameter. (There are 1000 milliseconds in a second.)
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Syntax
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Parameters
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Learn everything you need to ms : the number of milliseconds to pause ( unsigned long )
know in this tutorial.
Last Update: 11/15/2017
Returns
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Example Code
The code pauses the program for one second before toggling the output pin.
int ledPin = 13; // LED connected to digital pin 13
void setup()
{
pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT); // sets the digital pin as output
}
void loop()
{
digitalWrite(ledPin, HIGH); // sets the LED on
delay(1000); // waits for a second
digitalWrite(ledPin, LOW); // sets the LED off
delay(1000); // waits for a second
}
Notes and Warnings
While it is easy to create a blinking LED with the delay() function, and many
sketches use short delays for such tasks as switch debouncing, the use of
delay() in a sketch has significant drawbacks. No other reading of sensors,
mathematical calculations, or pin manipulation can go on during the delay
function, so in effect, it brings most other activity to a halt. For alternative
approaches to controlling timing see the millis() function and the sketch sited
below. More knowledgeable programmers usually avoid the use of delay()
for timing of events longer than 10s of milliseconds unless the Arduino sketch
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is very simple.
Certain things do go on while the delay() function is controlling the Atmega
chip however, because the delay function does not disable interrupts. Serial
communication that appears at the RX pin is recorded, PWM (analogWrite)
values and pin states are maintained, and interrupts will work as they should.
See also
LANGUAGE delayMicroseconds()
LANGUAGE micros()
LANGUAGE millis()
EXAMPLE Blink Without Delay
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