arduino

Arduino
Arduino is an open-source hardware project. Offical Arduino boards provide an easy-to-use interface for Atmel microcontroller chips, and are intended for fast prototyping and experimentation. No more soldering ICs, no more reading 500-page specification docs ([|not an exaggeration]), and no more hassles with bootloaders and progam uploading. Proof: note how short these instructions are.

Contents
Getting Started Learning Arduino Documentation Inspiration

Getting Started
Read the **[|Arduino Project's Introduction].** It's an excellent overview of the Arduino and helps put everything into perspective.

Next, go through the official **[|Getting Started Guide]** for your board and platform to get up and running straight away.

Keep in mind that the Arduino is more physically involved than other programming projects; you won't be able to do much without attaching external components to it. To make the Arduino useful, you'll need easy access to an electronics prototyping workstation. Recommended supplies include a breadboard, a good handful of components (resistors, transistors, LEDs), wires for connecting components, and a soldering iron if you plan on making your project more permanent.

Learning Arduino
Before embarking on a project of your own, you'll want to get familiar with the Arduino's capabilities. There are a couple options.

If you have dibs on the class Inventor's Kit, definitely work through some of the circuits. Each incorporates an Arduino sketch with external electronic components--the perfect foundation for your own projects.
 * [|.:oomlout:. Inventor's Kit Circuits]**

Less involved with outside components, but goes more in-depth with the capabilities of sketches.
 * [|Arduino Example Sketches]**

More involved tutorials that tap into the full potential of Arduino.
 * [|tronixstuff Tutorials]**

bildr Tutorials to interface Arduino with advanced hardware and software

Documentation
[|Language] [|Libraries] [|Conceptual Foundations] [|Serious Hacking]
 * API References**

Technical Details
"Arduino" means different things to different people, but its meaning generally boils down to the following:
 * supports the Processing programming language or IDE and the built-in Arduino functions
 * is compatible with Arduino hardware "shields" (add-on boards) with the correct pinouts

So anybody can build an Arduino-compatible board from scratch with, say, a more powerful microcontroller than in the official boards. However, the strength of Arduino is its accessibility to hobbyists - people who want to rapidly experiment with ideas - without having to deal with everything between a microcontroller chip and a flashing LED. Arduino works because the official hardware and software are enough for most projects.

The Uno is the current "flagship" Arduino board. It contains an Atmel ATmega 328 microcontroller (the long, black chip on the board). The Uno is a good choice for many projects. Features include:
 * Arduino Uno**
 * 14 digital I/O pins (6 providing PWM output)
 * 6 analog input pins
 * 32 KB of flash memory (for programs; 0.5 KB used for bootloader)
 * 2 KB of SRAM (for variables)
 * 1 KB of EEPROM (for storage)
 * UART or USART TTL (5V) serial communication
 * external interrupts on two I/O pins
 * SPI communication (4 pins)
 * TWI communication (2 analog pins)

There are lots of other official boards out there, with more storage, faster microcontrollers, and expanded connectivity options (Bluetooth, WiFi, additional serial ports).



Raspberry Pi - a (different) cheap, powerful single-board computer
maker faire: @http://makerfaire.com/ $25 doller PC project. Arm based CPU and broadcom GPU. @http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspberry_Pi 700mhz / 256 mb memory linux os 1080p full screen video @http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgR74Kp6Ws4 runs quake 3 at 30fps at 1080p with 4x anti aliasing: @http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_mDuJuvZjI

Inspiration

 * [|Advanced Project Ideas]
 * [|Arduino Playground Project Exhibition]
 * [|//​//Drum Master]
 * [|Garden Bot]
 * [|**Gimme**] | [|//video//]
 * [|Open Energy Monitor]
 * [|MouseGlove]
 * [|Whole House Intercom]
 * [|MAKE Magazine Arduino Archives]
 * [|Making Things Talk: Practical Methods for Connecting Physical Objects]
 * [|Stack Overflow Project Ideas]
 * **[|Top 40 Arduino Projects of the Web]**