Photo-finish timer - First project

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Well done,

remarks on the code:

  1. use a higher baud rate as 9600 baud is rather slow, 115200 is 12x as fast so leaves more time to check the photoresistors

readPhotoResistor() does far more than that so yo might consider splitting so the function names cover their functionality.

int readPhotoresistor(int pinLight, int pinPot)
{
  int lightlevel = analogRead(pinLight);
  lightlevel = map(lightlevel , 0, 1023, 255, 0); //adjust the value 0 to 1023 to span 255 to 0 => implicit reversing!!
                                                        // or optimized  lightlevel = 255 - analogRead(pinLight)/4;
 
  int potBoost = analogRead(pinPot);
  potBoost = map(potBoost, 0, 1023, -100, 100); // arbitrary range - trial and error

  lightlevel = lightlevel + potBoost;
  return lightlevel ;
}

void setLed(int lightlevel, int pinLED)
{
  digitalWrite(pinLED, lightlevel >= 200);
}

int interpretLightLevel(int lightlevel)
{
  if (lightlevel >= 200) return LIGHT;
  return DARK;
}

You could consider to make int readPotBoost() a separate function too. If functions do one thing good the chance of reuse increases a lot (they become basic building blocks)