Arduino

Arduino Introduction

Arduino is an open-source electronics platform that is based on easy-to-use hardware and software. It is designed to be accessible to people without a background in electronics and programming, making it an ideal tool for fast prototyping. The platform consists of a physical programmable circuit board, which is often referred to as a microcontroller, and a piece of software called the Integrated Development Environment (IDE), which runs on your computer and is used to write and upload computer code to the physical board.

Arduino boards are able to read inputs such as light on a sensor, a finger on a button, or a Twitter message, and turn it into an output such as activating a motor, turning on an LED, or publishing something online. The Arduino programming language is based on Wiring, and the Arduino Software (IDE) is based on Processing. Over the years, Arduino has been used in thousands of different projects and applications. A worldwide community of makers - students, hobbyists, artists, programmers, and professionals - has gathered around this open-source platform. Their contributions have added up to an incredible amount of accessible knowledge that can be of great help to novices and experts alike.

Types of Arduino

· Arduino Uno (R3)

· Arduino Nano

· Arduino Micro

· Arduino Due

· LilyPad Arduino Board

· Arduino Bluetooth

· Arduino Diecimila

· RedBoard Arduino Board

· Arduino Mega (R3) Board

· Arduino Leonardo Board

· Arduino Robot

· Arduino Esplora

· Arduino Pro Mic

· Arduino Ethernet

Arduino Uno

This Arduino board depends on an ATmega328P based microcontroller. As compared with other types of arduino boards, it is very simple to use like the Arduino Mega type board.It consists of 14-digital I/O pins, where 6-pins can be used as PWM(pulse width modulation outputs), 6-analog inputs, a reset button, a power jack, a USB connection, an In-Circuit Serial Programming header (ICSP), etc. It includes everything required to hold up the microcontroller; simply attach it to a PC with the help of a USB cable and give the supply to get started with an AC-to-DC adapter or battery.

Arduino Nano

The Arduino Nano is a small, complete, and breadboard-friendly board based on the ATmega328P microcontroller (MCU) and developed by Arduino. The Nano has 14 digital input/output pins (of which 6 can be used as PWM outputs), 6 analog inputs, a 16 MHz crystal oscillator, a USB connection, a power jack, and a reset button. It contains everything needed to support the microcontroller; simply connect it to a computer with a USB cable or power it with a 9V battery to get started.

Arduino Micro

The Arduino Micro board mainly depends on the ATmega32U4 based Microcontroller that includes 20-sets of pins where the 7-pins are PWM pins, 12-analog input pins. This board includes different components like an ICSP header, RST button, small USB connection, crystal oscillator-16MHz. The USB connection is inbuilt and this board is the shrunk version of the Leonardo board.

Arduino due

This Arduino board depends on the ARM Cortex-M3 and it is the first Arduino microcontroller board. This board includes digital I/O pins-54 where 12-pins are PWM o/p pins, analog pins -12, UARTs-4, a CLK with 84 MHz, an USB OTG, DAC-2, a power jack, TWI-2, a JTAG header, an SPI header, two buttons for reset & erase. This board works with 3.3V where the highest voltage that the pins of input/output can stand is 3.3V because providing a high voltage to any I/O pin can lead to damage the board This board is simply connected to a computer through a small USB cable otherwise it can be powered through an AC to DC adapter. This Arduino Due board is suitable with all shields of Arduino at 3.3V.

Lily Pad Arduino Board

The Lily Pad Arduino board is a wearable e-textile technology expanded by Leah “ Buechley ” and considerately designed by “Leah and Spark Fun ”. Each board was imaginatively designed with huge connecting pads & a smooth back to let them to be sewn into clothing using conductive thread. This Arduino also comprises of I/O, power, and also sensor boards which are built especially for e-textiles.

Arduino Bleutooth

The Arduino BT is a microcontroller board originally was based on the ATmega168, but now is supplied with the 328P and the Bluegiga WT11 Bluetooth module. It supports wireless serial communication over Bluetooth. It has 14 digital input/output pins (of which 6 can be used as PWM out puts and one can be used to reset the WT11 module), 6 analog inputs, a 16 MHz crystal oscillator, screw terminals for power, an ICSP header, and a reset button. It contains everything needed to support the microcontroller and can be programmed wirelessly over the Bluetooth® connection. Instructions are available for getting started with the Arduino BT.

Arduino Diecimila

The Arduino Diecimila is a discontinued Arduino board that was released in 2007. It is based on the ATmega168 microcontroller and has a wide range of features, including 14 digital input/output pins, 6 analog inputs, a 16 MHz crystal oscillator, a USB connection, a power jack, and a reset button.

Redboard Arduino

The RedBoard Arduino board can be programmed using a Mini-B USB cable using the Arduino IDE. It will work on Windows 8 without having to modify your security settings. It is more constant due to the USB or FTDI chip we used and also it is entirely flat on the back. Creating it is very simple to utilize in the project design. Just plug the board, select the menu option to choose an Arduino UNO and you are ready to upload the program. You can control the RedBoard over a USB cable using the barrel jack.

Arduino Mega R3

The Arduino Mega is similar to the UNO’s big brother. It includes lots of digital I/O pins (from that, 14-pins can be used as PWM o/ps), 6-analog inputs, a reset button, a power jack, a USB connection, and a reset button. It includes everything required to hold up the microcontroller; simply attach it to a PC with the help of a USB cable and give the supply to get started with an AC-to-DC adapter or battery. The huge number of pins make this Arduino board very helpful for designing projects that need a bunch of digital i/ps or o/ps like lots of buttons. Please refer to this link to know more about Arduino Mega (R3) Board.

Arduino Leonardo

The Arduino Leonardo is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega32u4. It has 20 digital input/output pins (of which 7 can be used as PWM outputs and 12 as analog inputs), a 16 MHz crystal oscillator, a micro USB connection, a power jack, an ICSP header, and a reset button. It contains everything needed to support the microcontroller; simply connect it to a computer with a USB cable or power it with a AC-to-DC adapter or battery to get started.

Arduino Robot

The Arduino Robot is the first official Arduino on wheels. The robot has two processors, one on each of its two boards. The Motor Board controls the motors, and the Control Board reads sensors and decides how to operate. Each of the boards is a full Arduino board programmable using the Arduino IDE.

Arduino Esplora

The Arduino Esplora is a microcontroller board derived from the Arduino Leonardo. The Leonardo the Esplora has a number of facilities for communicating with a computer, another Arduino, or other microcontrollers. The ATmega32U4 provides serial (CDC) communication over USB and appears as a virtual com port to software on the computer. The chip also acts as a full speed USB 2.0 device, using standard USB COM drivers.

Arduino Pro Micro

The Arduino Pro Micro board is the same as the Arduino Mini board apart from the ATmega32U4 Microcontroller. This pro mic board includes digital I/O pins-12, pulse width modulation (PWM) pins-5, serial connections of Tx & Rx &10-bit ADC.

Arduino Ethernet

The Arduino Ethernet board depends on the microcontroller like ATmega328. This kind of microcontroller board includes analog pins-5, digital I/O pins-14, RST button, an RJ45 connection, crystal oscillator, a power jack, ICSP header, etc. The connection of the Arduino board can be done through the Ethernet shield to the internet.

Arduino software

Arduino software is an open-source integrated development environment (IDE) that makes it easy to write and upload code to Arduino boards. The IDE is based on Processing and includes a text editor, message area, text console, toolbar, and a series of menus. It connects to the Arduino hardware to upload programs and communicate with them.

Features

Text editor for writing code
Message area for displaying compiler output and other messages
Text console for interacting with the Arduino board
Toolbar with buttons for common functions such as compiling, uploading, and running sketches
Series of menus for managing sketches, libraries, and preferences

Benefits

Easy to use, even for beginners
Free and open-source
Cross-platform (works on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux)
Large community of developers and users
Wide range of libraries available for common tasks

Uses

Arduino software can be used to create a wide variety of projects, including:
Robots
Interactive installations
Wearable devices
Home automation projects
Scientific instruments
And much more!

Installation

To install Arduino software, simply download the latest version from the Arduino website and follow the instructions for your operating system.

Getting started

Once you have installed Arduino software, you can start writing your first sketch. A sketch is a simple program that is uploaded to the Arduino board and tells it what to do.

To write a sketch, simply open a new file in the Arduino IDE and start typing code. You can use the Arduino reference for help with the available functions and libraries.

Once you have written your sketch, you can upload it to the Arduino board by clicking the upload button in the toolbar.

If you are new to Arduino, I recommend checking out the Arduino getting started guide. It will walk you through the process of setting up your Arduino board and writing your first sketch.

Conclusion

Arduino software is a powerful and versatile tool for creating interactive projects. It is easy to use, even for beginners, and there is a large community of developers and users who can help you get started.