Daniel Bell - Arduino: A Step-by-Step Guide for Absolute Beginners

In this chapter, you will learn the basics of Arduino.

Arduino is a programmable circuit board that can be integrated into a number of simple and complex markerspace projects. The box comes with a microcontroller that can be programmed to control and sense objects in the real world. When Arduino responds to sensors and inputs, it can interact with a wide variety of outputs like motors, LEDs, and displays. Note that the board is open source. Because of the low cost and the flexibility of Arduino, it has become the best choice for makers in need of developing interactive hardware projects.

Arduino was introduced in 2005 by Massimo Banzi in Italy. The goal of introducing the board was to provide engineers with a low cost way of creating hardware projects. There are different types of Arduino boards. This difference has been brought about by the use of different microcontrollers. However, all of these boards share one thing common, which is that they are all programmed using the Arduino IDE.

Different boards have different inputs and outputs, operating voltage, speed, form factor, etc.

In this section, we will discuss the different parts of an Arduino board:

1. The Microcontroller/ Main Chip

This is the brain of the Arduino board. This is the part which is programmed. It is the one responsible for running the code, hence it can be seen as the CPU (Central Processing Board) of the board.

This chip has some legs, which are usually plugged into the socket. These can be seen once it is taken out of the socket. However, they are not referred to as legs but pins.

1. Power Jack and Supply

There are two ways on how you can supply power to your Arduino board. You may choose to use a USB connector to establish a connection to a computer or some portable power jack, or you may choose to plug it to the wall adapter. The USB can be used for powering and programming. The DC is only used for powering the board, and it is the best if you are in need of connecting the board and leaving it for some long-term project.

1. USB Jack and Interface

The USB Jack is the cable that helps you connect your board to the computer. You can use any computer, provided it has a USB port.

Some processor chips will fail when you are using a USB cable for connection to a computer. In such a case, you will have to use the serial interface. You must have a USB to the serial interface translator chip.

1. The LEDs

The Arduino comes with some lights from which you can draw ideas regarding what it is up to. The lights are referred to as LEDs. The Arduino board comes with 4 LEDs which are L , RX , TX , and ON . On the UNO board, you will find three of these at the center and one on the right side.

The ON LED will turn to green once you have powered the Arduino board. In case you find it off or flickering, then just check on your power connection.

The RX and TX boards will blink whenever data is being sent from the board or being received on the board. The TX LED will light yellow once you send data from Arduino to the computer USB port. The RX LED will light yellow whenever data is sent to Arduino from the computers USB port.

The LED is the one that you are able to control. The other 3 LEDS usually light automatically. The L LED has been connected to the main chip of the Arduino. This can be turned on and off once you begin to write the code.

1. Headers

This is the main part of the Arduino board. These are the two lines of sockets that line up with edges of the circuit board. The thin sockets will allow you to plugin some wires into them. The wires can, in turn, be connected to any types of electronic parts including sensors, LEDs, displays, motors etc.

USB Fuse

The little USB fuse protects the computer and the Arduino. There are high chances that all types of wires will be connected to the Arduino, which may cause an accidental short on the wires. The importance of this fuse comes during this time. It is resettable, and in such occurrence, it will just open up in the same way a fuse or circuit breaker works. This will protect your board from damage.

1. Reset Button

This button is located next to the USB jack. However, on some other boards, you may find it on the right side. It is the button that can be used for restarting the Arduino. Restarting the board will only take a second, and it is done if it gets stuck or if you need to re-run some program.