Arduino microcontroller system
The configuration of Arduino microcontroller system
Here’s how to get ready to work with the Arduino microcontroller system.
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Buying an Arduino
All about Arduino microcontroller system
Arduino hardware comes in many flavors. The basic Arduino as of this writing is the Uno. This model supports 13 digital input/outputs along with 6 analog inputs. It can run off of USB power or via an external “wall wart” power supply. The onboard microcontroller supports up to 32K of program code with 2K of RAM. This may not seem like a lot, but in 8-bit microcontroller terms it’s probably more than most prototypers need. The main Arduino website hosts an exhaustive list of sources at http://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Buy, or you can find it at Maker Shed, SparkFun, Adafruit, and many other online retailers.
There are plenty of other options if your project has special needs. For example, the Arduino Mega is good for very big jobs. It has 54 digital input/outputs and 16 analog inputs, along with 4 hardware serial connections. Should you want to go small, check out the Arduino Mini, which omits USB and female headers to allow a much smaller form factor, though at the expense of some prototyping ease. You’ll find plenty of Arduino clones available too, all of which are configured a little differently to suit particular needs and tastes. If you feel bewildered by the options, the Uno is a fine choice for getting started. All the examples in this book are based on it.
USB cable for programming your Arduino board
You’ll want a USB cable for programming your Arduino board. For the Uno or Mega, you need the easily obtained A-to-B-style USB cable. Radio Shack carries these and you can also find them online at places like OutletPC.com, where they often are on sale for less than $1.
Downloading the software
The Arduino is programmed using an open source application that runs on your computer. This is known as the IDE (or integrated development environment) and you can download it for free directly from the Arduino website’s software area. There are versions available for Macintosh, Windows, and Linux. Download the appropriate version for your computer. You’ll find a basic guide to getting started at http://arduino.cc/en/Guide/HomePage.
Using the Arduino IDE
The Arduino IDE is split into three areas. The blue area at the top of the window features a toolbar of buttons that control program behavior. The white area in the middle is where you enter and modify code. The black section at the bottom of the window is where status messages appear, and where you should look for error messages that can help you debug your code.
Selecting the board and port
To connect to your Arduino board, you must plug it into your computer using a USB A-to-B-style cable. Next, select the model of your Arduino board from the Board menu.
Finally, select your serial port from the Serial menu. On Windows computers, the serial port will be one of the COM ports. On Macintosh, the serial port will have a name that includes usbserial, followed by some identifying letters and numbers. Once you’ve selected your board type and port, you’re ready to do some programming!
