Arduino? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: tony3d
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2013, 01:34:12 am
content: Hi, I received a $150.00 gift certificate for Radio Shack at Christmas, and was just wondering how hard it would be for a beginner in electronics to pick up on Arduino? I have been into this now for about 4 months, I have my DMM, Power supply, Solder station, Function Generator, and Oscilloscope, so I'm not really looking for any kind of test equipment. Can't figure out what else to buy there? The thing that really bothers me is the programming looks complicated. The only programming language I ever played with was basic, and that was about 20 years ago. Arduino looks very interesting though. with $150.00 I could get the mega board, and some add ons.

author: DrLuke
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2013, 01:57:18 am
content: Arduino is a product targetted at artists and hobbyists. That means that it's really simple to use it, so easy in fact, that we used it in school, and completely technology illiterate 16 year-olds were able to create something with it.

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2013, 01:59:19 am
content: Quote from: tony3d on December 30, 2013, 01:34:12 amNot hard. They have beginner's projects/experiments for many types of components. You can do it.

author: MatCat
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2013, 02:02:10 am
content: I highly recommend it. Plus from a programming view you will be learning C/C++ programming, which is only a small step from java, so lots of learning to be had hehe. It's certainly one of the easiest AVR's to get into and there is probably a library for just about anything you want to do already, so hardcore programming really isn't required to get stuff working with one.

author: wilheldp
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2013, 02:59:47 am
content: You must have been a bad boy this year to have received a Radio Shack gift card for Christmas. I only shop there as a last resort if I absolutely need a common electronic component immediately. Their selection sucks, their prices are astronomical, their staff is stupid, and I always get a high-pressure sales pitch for some sort of cell phone whenever I'm in there.

author: Skimask
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2013, 03:19:07 am
content: Quote from: wilheldp on December 30, 2013, 02:59:47 amI'll agree with that on every point, but I gotta add one, and it hurts me to say this, in support of R.S.If you catch the right store on the right day with the right pinhead working behind the counter, you can get some killer deals on Arduino boards and shields.

author: sachleen
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2013, 03:30:36 am
content: The Arduino is made to be super easy to get started with. I recommend buying the kit as it comes with all the parts to make some cool circuits. It includes schematic and the code and walks you through a lot of the common things you will be doing. The first one is usually blinking an LED. In addition to the online documentation what makes the Arduino good for beginners is the huge community supporting it.

author: Skimask
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2013, 03:33:21 am
content: Nothing like restating the obvious....almost verbatim.

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2013, 05:46:19 am
content: I was at Radio Shack the other day and they had the "full" sized breadboard for $16.99 with jumper wires for $6.99 or you could buy the kit with both in a box for $9.99My advice, buy the bigger stuff and clearance items at radioshack and buy the small stuff elsewhere like Tayda Electronics.Now some things to think about, things like the parallax ping sensor you can get for over $20 from radioshack but about $1 each on AliExpress for the generic ones. Pretty much any sensor items are cheap on AliExpress or Ebay.Radioshack seems to have decent prices on project boxes, at least they always come up as the cheapest on Ebay for US sellers.

author: tony3d
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2013, 06:09:38 am
content: Thanks everyone. I have two breadboards already, and tons of jumpers, I was thinking of going with the mega board, then buying the Make book getting started with Arduino. Is there anything else I would need right away? Are there any sites with preprogrammed projects you can learn from?I also received a PentaRef, DMM Checker plus, the 3 five timer chip kit from Evil Mad Scientist, and a project learning board from Electronic shock. Com. I have tons of stuff to keep me going a while. I will probably take a week or so to look into this Arduino stuff carefully before jumping in.

author: prenato
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2013, 06:26:07 am
content: Quote from: tony3d on December 30, 2013, 06:09:38 amThis series of videos is a good intro to the Arduino for beginners:http://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL162738B96C8291EB&desktop_uri=%2Fplaylist%3Flist%3DPL162738B96C8291EB

author: kolonelkadat
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2013, 06:27:11 am
content: personally I like the Uno (more than the mega) because you can easily pull the 1$ atmega328 out of the uno once its programmed and leave it in projects instead of leaving the thirty dollar arduino board in it.Although, I guess if you need the mega's io, then you need the io. I would do some serious thinking about whether you really need it though.

author: tony3d
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2013, 06:58:36 am
content: Quote from: kolonelkadat on December 30, 2013, 06:27:11 amI just figure it's only $30.00 more. If its something I would probably upgrade to, why not just buy it straight away.

author: w2aew
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2013, 02:42:08 pm
content: Quote from: tony3d on December 30, 2013, 06:58:36 amSince you've got $150 to spend - save yourself the decision and buy both the Uno and the Mega. This gives you the smaller Uno for smaller projects that don't need all of the I/O of the Mega, and the flexibility of the Mega when needed. Plus, it saves you from tearing apart one project to work on a second one.

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2013, 08:14:30 pm
content: Quote from: kolonelkadat on December 30, 2013, 06:27:11 amTony3D,I agree with Kolonelkadat. I am rather new to the scene, and I have learned to do exactly that. I have two projects with it's own 328 and about to do the third.ATMEGA328 costs a bit more than $1 ($3-$4 if you burn the boot loader yourself). The ability to do that makes a much better experimenting environment. Also, something may go wrong during an experiment. While learning, I blew 2 ATMEGA. One revived upon re-flashing the boot loader, one lost two ADC channel. With the easily replaceable CPU, I don't have to throw out the whole board - just get a new CPU and put it in.If you do end up getting an UNO also, allow me to suggest this: Get a bare 328 chip and use the UNO to burn the boot loader on the bare chip. Now you have it on stand-by. If you blow a CPU, you can plug in your stand-by and your UNO is alive again. You can now use the UNO to burn the replacement blank you ordered. I did not do that at first and I had to find a place that sells the 328with preinstalled loader. That cost some extra (plus you need to reach minimum order $ and shipping and ...)Good luck, and Happy New Year!Rick

author: echen1024
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2013, 08:25:22 pm
content: I would advise you not get the beginner kit. Just go buy the parts needed at Digi-Key and save yourself a bundle. use your 150 for 2 arduinos, and a new PanaVice

author: MatCat
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2013, 09:43:32 pm
content: I wouldn't stick to just any one AVR really, get a whole set of them, for example if you want to do a simple low I/O project, something like the ATTINY85 is fantastic, or maybe you have a project that needs a lot of flash and ram, well then you could go with the ATMEGA644. The awesome thing about most AVR's is most will work with the Arduino IDE with simple installs of hardware profiles. Personally I still use my one and only full Arduino UNO almost exclusively as a programmer of other AVRs, or quick prototypes on a breadboard type thing, most projects I just build a PCB for though (Your are in the US so if you decided to do that OSH Park is fantastic for cheap boards).

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2013, 11:03:40 pm
content: The Arduino software I think is a great way to start. Jumping directly into AVR C if you've had no previous microcontroller experience may make your head explode.The 28 Pin ATMEGA DIP chips are very feature rich. But still at a few dollars each still aren't the best for throw-away projects.If you can make the transition to AVR C from Arduino, you'll find a lot of your projects can fit in to substantially smaller chips, for example the LED matrix necklace I made displays Christmas symbols and scrolls "Merry Christmas !!" and takes up about 1.4K on an ATTiny2313 since the author of the code had done several workarounds to avoid including unnecessary headers that would take up space.Attiny 25/45/85 - 8 pins has digital and analog IOAttiny 2313/4313 - 20 Pins has just digital IOAttiny 24/44/84 - I think has about 14 pins and does digital and analog IO.There are other chips in the series, but these are the more common ones.

author: tony3d
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2013, 05:57:06 am
content: I downloaded the software today to have a look, and it is pretty similar to c++. I did a little programming on the iPhone, and I see how similar the syntax is to the iPhone SDK. I think I can do this. Think I will start with the Uno board as most tutorials seem to use this board. I'll let you guys know what I end up buying. There are a ton of add on boards for this thing. Found a really nice set of tutorials the best I have seen so far, by The Open Source Hardware group. Now if I can pull myself away from my new scope long enough to actually buy it, I'll be in business. Thanks for all your input, it's been a great help. I will undoubtedly be asking a lot of questions.

author: westfw
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2013, 07:17:35 am
content: Also, check if anything is on sale. RS apparently is not going to sell the ADK anymore (which is equivalent to a MEGA with a built-in USB Host chip), and I picked one up for $20... (and a Motor Driver shield for $5...)

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2013, 07:20:52 am
content: Quote from: tony3d on December 31, 2013, 05:57:06 amYou can get "FunDuino" Mega 256 clones from China for about $15. But socketed chips are very useful.You can pull the chip out, put a 10 cent crystal resonator and have a usable setup.

author: BrianDagobah
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2013, 03:35:39 pm
content: Uhh... Easy? I'm not sure I'd say that, but it's not really hard either. The Arduino software (IDE) has a TON..I mean a TON of example code that works really well. Even though I've done this for a while and am reasonably proficient, I almost ALWAYS start with example code and build around it. If the main focus of my program is going to be reading button inputs, I start with the "button" example, and build up from there. Servos, Ethernet, Analog reads or PWM stuff as well.Start with the Blink example and start adding features. Blink faster, slower, maybe alternate between fast and slow, add a second LED flashing at a different rate. Then add a button that when pressed speeds up or slows down the blink. Dedicate a quiet afternoon to this type of playing around, and you'll pick it up pretty quick. The examples are solid, use them. This is how I get started with any new device I want to control with my Arduino. Servos, range finders, motion sensors, heck, even basic building blocks like "for" or "while" loops.As far as the Radio Shack gift card... Yeah, get the mega and a bunch of push-button switches, one of those packs of pre-made jumper wires, and a bunch of POTs and trimmers. OH their light sensor cells are fun too.Good luck! Email or PM me if you need some help.

author: Macbeth
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2013, 04:26:40 pm
content: Ugh, Gift Cards... a disgusting invention to salve the minds of people who think giving cash is vulgar, but don't have a clue what actual present to give...Is there no way you can just buy something like a roll of Soldering Wick or something and getting the change in cash? Then convert the cash into Paypal and order stuff from China?

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2013, 04:40:57 pm
content: Quote from: Macbeth on December 31, 2013, 04:26:40 pmGift cards cannot be transferred and have no cash value. You can't get change.

author: tony3d
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 31, 2013, 11:47:08 pm
content: I am a little bummed about the gift cards, but I can easily spend that money on the board, and accessaries. Looking forward to get this stuff soon. Is there any truth to the rumor that Heathkit is coming back?

author: Kappes Buur
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2014, 12:38:48 am
content: Quote from: tony3d on December 31, 2013, 11:47:08 pmA simple Google search revealed this:http://www.reddit.com/r/tabled/comments/1tdf45/table_iama_member_of_the_heath_company_heathkit/

author: casinada
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2014, 07:31:51 am
content: Just get the Arduino Uno Rev3 and some shields from seed studio. You can wait until they have sales as the certificate doesn't have expiration date. A Panavise or third hand with magnifying glass can come in handy. Also the jumpers from Schmartboard that are nice Get also some protoboards if you don't already have some and also some printed circuit boards for prototyping boxes.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 02, 2014, 06:00:09 pm
content: OP, sell the card to a friend for 100$, get 5 arduinos from ebay ($4 each) and you will have $80 to invest in your retirement fund.http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Pcs-Atmega328-ATMEGA328P-Pro-Mini-Board-Module-5V-16MHz-For-Arduino-/321273175351?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4acd5f9d37Store specific gift cards are inconsiderate and evil. General Visa gift card require a small one time fee but are more recipient friendly.

author: rafalpilat0077
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 02, 2014, 09:52:36 pm
content: For me it is very easy since i know c++. It is acctualy very easy to learn. Realy,its a must buy.

author: tony3d
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2014, 03:57:17 am
content: Just picked up the UNO board for $29.95 at Radio Shack. I have several breadboards, tons of jumpers, so what else should I get that is totally necessary?

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2014, 04:46:24 am
content: Quote from: tony3d on January 03, 2014, 03:57:17 amLeds, resistors, capacitors, maybe some transistors or mosfets that can handle higher current than the arduino can feed.You can probably have some fun with some 74HC595 chips for controlling several LEDS. A servo or two might be fun to play with since there's example code in the arduino IDE for playing with them. Watch Jeremy Blum's videos on youtube for an idea of starter projects.A 16x2 LCD is worthwhile as well. You can build something with a readable output.I've been slowly building up my stash from Tayda since they are so cheap and they ship really quick. If you're on Facebook, they post discount codes randomly each month for 15% off. Which essentially covers shipping.The plastic project boxes at Radio Shack are not too badly priced, if you plan on making anything and keeping them, they might be a good idea.

author: noisebox
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 03, 2014, 07:51:35 am
content: Quote from: prenato on December 30, 2013, 06:26:07 amI would second that, I bought an arduino on the strength of these videos and got my head round it very quick as these are really good clear videos which you can just rewatch a couple of times to get the hang of things, even the coding is made very easy to understand (although some familiarisation with basic programming fundamentals such as variables, arrays and especially loops may make this a lot easier?) I had my kid building basic traffic light circuits and writing the code for it (once pushed!) in no time so it definitely is very beginner friendly, can't recommend arduino enough if it's your entry into microcontrollers! I just wish I'd got into this a lot sooner as I have built a few circuits now which I have been struggling to do with CMOS chips for a long time, it may help if you have some simple project in mind? I never learn from books for this reason because the sample projects are so naff or abstract that they don't interest me....I wouldn't waste any $ on books unless you really exhaust all the online resources for arduino (which is infinite) I've had a look at a few in shops and none have really shown me anything I didn't already pick up with the resources available online.... deff invest in an LCD display for the arduino!

author: henson
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 09, 2014, 01:50:11 am
content: Quote from: tony3d on January 03, 2014, 03:57:17 amI believe a few people have mentioned it, but I will second the need for a Arduino specific kit when first starting out. When I bought my first Arduino, I also got a 50 dollar kit that allowed me to build around 20 different projects. It was awesome to be able to hit the ground running with lot of project to learn from. One of the first circuits I put together used a small toy motor and the Arduino as the speed controller. Once you are done putting together all the different projects, you will feel very comfortable moving on to more complicated circuits. Good luck and build something already. If you feel like you are past the simple stuff, my vote for a early project is a linear adjustable power supply and Radio Shack carries everything you need for one. Good luck.

author: tony3d
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 09, 2014, 01:38:33 pm
content: Thanks for all your info guys. Really appreciate it! Going to spend the rest of my money about $120.00 on the odds, and ends. Already have tons of LED's, transistors, jumpers, breadboards, and caps, so I may look at the shields, and other components. Still haven't much time to play , but I did blink my LED! Oh joy! Thanks for the video links. Been watching those. I'll let you know just how I progress. Still not quite sure what project to start working on. Was Kinda thinking about an LED cube. That might be fun.

author: Rigby
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 09, 2014, 01:47:44 pm
content: Start with what interests you and expand from there. Hackaday.com will have lots of inspiration if you go through their archives.Modern electronics is a combination of digital and analog, as well as hardware and software. The arduino lets you kind of do it all of these at once. An arduino won't teach you how an RC network works all by itself, but it can help you learn how they work. An arduino can't teach you how a shift register works, but it can help you learn on your own.Many purists will straight-up badmouth Radio Shack and Arduino, but in the hands of someone with some enthusiasm (as you clearly have) they are both great tools. Not the best tool or store for any given problem or part need, but they're both there and they both cover the basics.You can do some rather amazing things with an Arduino using parts available at Radio Shack.

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 09, 2014, 02:03:51 pm
content: Well I learned BASIC as a kid and now I work in IT. Arduino is the BASIC of microcontroller projects. If you've never used C before or wired stuff up, Arduino gets you there.

author: tony3d
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 12, 2014, 10:08:50 pm
content: Ok, my biggest problem so far with Arduino..... How does one even begin to memorize all the functions, commands, and syntax in the programming language? I do something, then the next day forget what the correct syntax was. How is the best way to tackle that? I really thing the system is very cool, but as with any programming language, I'm finding it very difficult to remember this stuff. Any suggestions?

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 12, 2014, 10:17:35 pm
content: Quote from: tony3d on January 12, 2014, 10:08:50 pmDon't try to memorise it all, you won't. You need to know what functions you can use and where to find the information on them. I know of very few programmers who can remember every single command and syntax format with perfect recollection.Look at it like a second language, with your first being English. Now look at the English language, have you memorised every single word and and every single grammatical combination within?

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 12, 2014, 11:52:14 pm
content: Quote from: tony3d on January 12, 2014, 10:08:50 pmNo need to memorize. Just copy and paste from your previous programs and search the internet. You just need to understand what you want to do. For example, you want to set a pin to high level, search google forarduino pin set high level, and you will get what you want in the top result. A week later you want to something similar again, look at your previous program or search the internet again.

author: tony3d
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 13, 2014, 03:33:08 am
content: Quote from: zapta on January 12, 2014, 11:52:14 pmok, This makes sense. Thanks.

author: MacAttak
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 13, 2014, 06:37:26 am
content: Quote from: tony3d on January 12, 2014, 10:08:50 pmDo what all professional programmers do - bookmark the language and library reference website pages as well as google.com (or bing.com if that's your thing)Language reference for Arduino:http://arduino.cc/en/Reference/HomePageFundamental examples:http://arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/HomePageAs time goes on you will find that you need to refer to those references less and less frequently.Also, poke around through some of the playground stuff:http://playground.arduino.cc/As others have said, don't feel ashamed of copying example code and adapting it for your needs.

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 13, 2014, 05:41:49 pm
content: Tony3D,You do need an idea what functions are around. So, do take the time to read them (the other functions) once - at least the function name and functions it serves. Leave the details for the future when you actually use it, but acquire the knowledge of the types of functions available so as you design your program, something will spark and you may say to yourself - I've seen something that does... and you can then search for it and learn the details.If time available, learn them even while you don't need them. No different than say trying all the functions on your DMM even at the moment you had no need to measure capacitance. Go idea to learn without the pressure of needing to apply immediately.Rick

author: pickle9000
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 13, 2014, 06:17:50 pm
content: Do a google search for:Arduino cheat sheet pdfMost of the cheat sheets are targeted towards particular uses (robotics for example) very useful.I would also suggest reading the function list. Don't try and memorize it just read it and see if anything interests you.

author: tony3d
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 14, 2014, 02:14:09 am
content: Thanks everyone. Found a great little iPhone app called Arduino Companion. It's an entire reference on variables, functions, structures, and Libraries! Full of great info, and it's free!

author: toxicnos
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 20, 2014, 11:26:11 pm
content: Just get the UNO, it is the most popular one by far. It is also the best supported and practicaly all shields are made for it. On the programming siode of things, just use pre-written sketches and you will eventually pick up that's how I did it.