Which Arduino for a beginner? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: lavo-1
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 26, 2011, 08:47:38 pm
content: Totally new to micro-controllers and want to have a bit of fun messing around with them. I have chosen the Arduino platform as it is supposed to be the easiest to program, which suits me as software is not my strongest attribute.As always there seems a few to choose from plus the many clones so i ask the experts .... which one to get me started?I will probably follow a few books I have found online for projects to give me the basics as well as the community on here for further ideas.So, point me to either Arduino website or to other clones (ber in mind I live in the UK so will only buy in the EU).

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 26, 2011, 09:22:30 pm
content: I think the Arduino Uno is the standard place to begin.For general Arduino ideas and background information, check out tronixstuff, sparkfun and adafruit, as well as the main Arduino home page of course.

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 26, 2011, 09:35:42 pm
content: i believe the way you program the arduino. io pin, adc pwm etc are all the same throughout arduino types, so i dont think there's arduino for beginner or arduino for expert, its just how many pins you are going to need to determine which arduino you want to get. btw, i never heard uno when i bought my mega last time, its just that duminalove and mega. and i choose mega because.... number of pins, and that was my first programming in micro

author: johnboxall
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 26, 2011, 10:41:23 pm
content: Quote from: lavo-1 on October 26, 2011, 08:47:38 pmThe current board to get would be the Arduino Uno. However there is an Australian-designed version which is improved on the Uno - the Freetronics Eleven. You can get one from lipoly -http://www.lipoly.de/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=166484

author: Achilles
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 27, 2011, 08:35:16 am
content: Well, I think any Arduino will bring you a step forward, but I wouldn't suggest a Pro, or Fio or so that need an external USB-Serial(TTL) converter to program it for playing around.An Duemilanove, Mega, Uno should be fine. I bought a Mega 1280 from DFRobot first and I am very happy with it. It (with some additions) is now running as a RS232 Data logger on our Cloup Droplet Probe.I bought it on ebay from a chinese, but he has a logistics center/partner that sends it from Germany. A bit more expensive than China, but not much and very fast. I bought several times there.

author: lavo-1
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 29, 2011, 09:06:18 pm
content: Thanks for the input guys, I probably go with the uno (clone) and test the water from there.I am hoping to make a night vision camera for spotting nocturnal animals in my garden, so may be back for more advise if that's OK?

author: McMonster
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 29, 2011, 09:54:46 pm
content: I'm afraid it's not possible to use Arduino to build anything like this.

author: Achilles
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 29, 2011, 10:02:28 pm
content: Quote from: McMonster on October 29, 2011, 09:54:46 pmMaybe it's not the optoelectrical part. Lot's of hobby photographers use the arduino to build camera traps and take photos of animals, water drops or what ever.....let's see will be coming.

author: Electronic
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2011, 11:05:53 pm
content: I wouldn't recommend the Uno version. Sure it can do some stuff but they missed a really important thing in the software design. You can't use it as an ISP. All other version can do it but not the Uno version. Its really anoying!Yes, I have the Uno version, bought an extra AVR that I can't use until they put out the new rev. of the software. And the guy responible for it is no where to be found.

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2011, 12:11:26 am
content: i concur, but i dont think we can get rid of the new version can we?. i also just got the Uno. the real brainer for me is the new usb chip. my older software cannot be used with it, will waste some more of my time developing new onei thought the new one can do 480Mbps, wrong! only 12Mbps max bugger! i'll find a way.

author: george graves
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 15, 2011, 02:12:25 am
content: If software isn't your strong suit - I'd recommend the basic stamp. Good support/tutorials for beginners, and less traps that will slow you down.With that said, I think it's way over priced, but the BASIC STAMP launage is dead simple to read and write. It's more like instructions, where as the arduino C can be a bit frustrating when you are starting.

author: slateraptor
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2011, 04:55:49 am
content: Quote from: george graves on December 15, 2011, 02:12:25 amMay be a valid point, but the fact of the matter is the Arduino platform is far more ubiquitous than BS.

author: westfw
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2011, 09:57:04 am
content: The uno's inability to run as an ISP has long since been worked around (disable auto-reset) and fixed (new version of bootloader.) Not that failing to be usable as a device programmer is something that should bother most of the beginning Arduino users in the first place.An Uno is pretty much the "default" choice currently being sold, and will do fine.

author: Electronic
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2011, 11:38:11 am
content: Nice of you to tell us that about the UNO. Could you also put an link to the instructions?

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 17, 2011, 01:42:17 pm
content: www.arduino.ccand type arduino uno in ebay.

author: westfw
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2011, 07:31:09 am
content: Quote from: Electronic on December 17, 2011, 11:38:11 amhttp://arduino.cc/forum/index.php/topic,61776.0.html

author: The_Penguin
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2011, 10:27:43 pm
content: Quote from: Electronic on December 14, 2011, 11:05:53 pmFor those of us who are suffering from MAO (major acronym overload) what the heck is ISP? Obviously not internet service provider....

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 22, 2011, 10:33:09 pm
content: ISP in this context means in-system programming, as opposed to programming micro controllers the old fashioned way in a ZIF socket. Using the Arduino as an ISP allows you to program blank AVRs, for example in a breadboard, without buying another Arduino for every micro.

author: The_Penguin
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 22, 2011, 10:59:22 pm
content: Quote from: alm on December 22, 2011, 10:33:09 pmThanks. Just starting to think about playing with micros -(Arduino UNO ordered yesterdayAcronyms are starting to really tick me off, especially ones with many uses (SMB ATM etc. make me go WTF) and I'm in the computer industry.

author: george graves
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2011, 03:42:43 am
content: QuoteGoogle arduino uno isp programmer. Other say a cap works better.

author: slateraptor
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2011, 06:07:59 am
content: If it means anything to anyone, I stopped by a local RadioShack the other day and imagine my surprise when I saw the Arduino Uno and a few different stacker boards for sale...a bit pricey, but it def caught me off guard to see it being sold at a retail store in retail packaging.

author: im_a_human
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2011, 11:38:58 pm
content: I bought myself an Arduino UNO fairly recently because i kept reading about them and seeing them in Dave's videos and i found it very easy to get the thing doing something. You get alot of free example code with the Arduino software enviroment so you should have a look at that and just google around for Arduino project ideas too.

author: plentyngood
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 03, 2012, 03:03:25 am
content: I just bought a clone from Hong Kong. It is a UNO R3 and cost a lot less than the true arduino around twenty two with free shipping, but I had to wait a month to get it.Got it yesterday and started playing with it immediatly. It probably the best one for a beginner because that majority of instructions have a picture of the UNO so it you don't understand the wording in the instruction you can at least follow the picture.