Basics of Arduino

Basics of Arduino

Part i: Leds You’ll start by learning how to control simple LEDs with

buttons and variable resistors, and then combine components to build
disco strobe lights, plant monitors to tell you when your plant needs
watering, and even a ghost detector.Part ii: Sound In this part, you’ll learn about the piezo buzzer, a very
useful device that emits and can also detect sound. You’ll make music
with the Arduino Melody, create a simple and fun memory game, and
set up a secret code lock system that detects the volume of a knock.Part iii: Servos These projects all use the servomotor, a small motor
with an arm that can be used for a whole host of purposes. You’ll build
a joystick-controlled laser and decode a remote control so you can
move your servo with buttons on the remote.Part iV: Lcds The LCD screen is useful in lots of projects for displaying messages and results. In this part, you’ll learn how to set up an
LCD screen, build a weather station to report conditions, and set up
two games: a fortune teller and a reaction timer game.Part V: numeric counters You’ll use LED number displays in this
part to build an electronic die and a rocket launcher countdown system
that sets off a fuse 
Part Vi: Security These more complex projects will show you how to
protect your space with trip wires and intruder trackers, motion sensors
that trigger alarms or sentry missiles, and security systems that use
keypads and card readers to keep unauthorized persons out.Part Vii: Advanced In this fnal part, you’ll combine the Arduino with
a matrix of lights to create the Rainbow Light Show. Then you’ll round
off your skills by building your own Arduino to use in future projects.
These projects don’t have to be built in order, so if you see
something you like and feel confdent enough to take it on, you can
skip to it. I recommend you try out some of the earlier projects frst,
though, as you’ll fnd information there that’s useful for more complicated builds.
I’ve written the book that I was looking for but couldn’t fnd when
I started out with the Arduino. I hope that you’ll enjoy reading and
working through this book as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.

Share:

Read More

The Arduino revoluTion

The Arduino revoluTion

In simple terms, the Arduino is a small computer that can be programmed to connect and control various electronic parts. The
Arduino has a number of pins that can be set as either input, which
means they can receive data from items such as switches, buttons,
and sensors, or output, which means they send data to control items
such as motors, lights, and buzzers. This type of programmable
development board is better known as a microcontroller.
The Arduino project began in Ivrea, Italy, in 2005 with the goal of
creating a device to control student-built interactive design projects
that would be less expensive than other prototyping systems available at the time. Founders Massimo Banzi and David Cuartielles
named the project after a local bar called Arduino (an Italian masculine frst name meaning “strong friend”).
The Arduino board is composed of two main elements: the
hardware, or microcontroller, which is the brain of the board, and the
software that you’ll use to send your program to the brain. The software, called the Arduino integrated development environment (IDE),
is available free for download.
The IDE is a simple interface that runs on a computer running
Windows, OS X, or Linux. You use the IDE to create a sketch (an
Arduino program) that you then upload to the Arduino board using a
PC and USB cable. The sketch tells the hardware what to do. I’ll go
into both the hardware and software in more detail in the next couple
of chapters.
The Arduino can be powered by batteries, USB, or an external
power supply. Once the Arduino is programmed, it can be disconnected from your computer and will run independently using a power
supply or batteries

Share:

Read More

Getting Started With Arduino

Getting Started With Arduino

The Arduino is a small, inexpensive computer that can be programmed
to control endless creations limited only by your imagination. As you’ll
soon see, the Arduino can be used to make a whole host of projects,
like a ghost detector, joystick-controlled laser, electronic die, laser
trip wire alarm, motion sensor alarm, keypad entry system, and many
others. All of these projects are easy to build and have one thing in
common—they use the power of the Arduino.
In the early 1980s, I picked up a great Penguin paperback
titled something like Gadgets and Gizmos, hidden away in a local
bookstore. The projects were simple ones like making a working
lighthouse using flashlight bulbs and building a revolving display table
using an old clock. The ideas in that book sparked my imagination,
and I’ve been creating ever since.
My curiosity led me to take apart various electrical items to
experiment with and fnd out how they worked. I usually struggled to
put them back together but amassed a good selection of components to tinker with. (This is a great way of gathering lots of parts, by
the way.)
I remember wiring together a string of small flashlight bulbs to
make floodlights for my Subbuteo table-top soccer game and creating a loudspeaker system to blast out music at the halftime break
in a game. I even managed to extract some LEDs from a Star Wars
toy, only to burn them out because I didn’t understand what a resistor was at the time. I used small motors, buzzers, and solar cells to
create burglar alarms and super whizzy cars, and I burned out a few
motors too!
At roughly the same time (1983), Sinclair Research in the United
Kingdom launched the ZX Spectrum 48k microcomputer, introducing home computing to the UK mass market. (The United States had
its Commodore 64.) While intended as a serious computer, the ZX
Spectrum inadvertently lent itself more to gaming due to its inclusion
of the simple programming language BASIC. As a result, software
houses sprouted in bedrooms across the country as people rushed
to build games for the ZX.

Share:

Read More