Arduino 101 for beginners

​Introduction to Arduino

Arduino is an open-source microcontroller and software IDE ( Integrated Development Environment) that is literally changing the world.
Why Arduino?
Arduino is: 
•Open-source software – Arduino IDE (free)
•Inexpensive and Open-source hardware – If you have circuit design experience, you can clone and manufacture your own Arduino board.
•Easy-to-use for beginners
•Easy to write and debug the code
•It works with Mac and Windows
 Arduino Hardware
Arduino boards are easy to use and ready to power your first creative projects.
  * Note: It is recommended to use the authentic Arduino board instead of the counterfeit boards that says, ‘Arduino compatible’. By buying the original Arduino we can help the open-source community.
Entry level Arduino boards
The following boards are the best to start learning the basics of electronics and coding. For enhanced features and Internet of things capable boards, refer to Ardunio website.

Arduino Board Comparison |Widely Used Arduino's

​​​Arduino - UNO
The Arduino UNO is the best board to get started with electronics and coding. If this is your first experience tinkering with the platform, the UNO is the most robust board you can start playing with. The UNO is the most used and documented board of the whole Arduino family.
Microcontroller
Atmega 328P
Operating Voltage
5V
Input Voltage (recommended)
7-12V
Input Voltage (limit)
6-20V
Digital I/O Pins
14 (6 PWM output)
PWM Digital I/O Pins
6
Analog Input Pins
6
DC Current per I/O Pin
20 mA
DC Current for 3.3V Pin
50 mA
Flash Memory
32 KB (ATmega328P)
SRAM
2 KB (ATmega328P)
EEPROM
1 KB (ATmega328P)
Clock Speed
16 MHz
LED_BUILTIN
Pin 13
Arduino – UNO - Pinouts
The Arduino UNO pinout diagram given here is an entry level introduction only. Expert level users can refer to the Arduino website for detail information..
UNO pins - Specialized functions
Serial: 0 (RX) and 1 (TX). Used to receive (RX) and transmit (TX) TTL serial data.
PWM: 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, and 11. Provide 8-bit PWM output with the analogWrite() function
LED: 13. There is a built-in LED driven by digital pin 13. When the pin is HIGH value, the LED is ON, when the pin is LOW, it’s OFF.
AREF. Reference voltage for the analog inputs. Used with analogReference() function.
​Reset. Used to reset the microcontroller. Typically used to add a reset button to shields which block the one on the board
Arduino – UNO - Power
The Arduino Uno board can be powered via the USB connection or with an external power supply through the DC power jack. The power source is selected automatically.
UNO – Power Pins
1) Vin: You can supply voltage through this pin, or, if supplying voltage via the power jack, access it through this pin.
2) 3V3. A 3.3 volt supply generated by the on-board regulator. Maximum current draw is 50 mA.
3) 5V: This pin outputs a regulated 5V from the regulator on the board. You can power other devices from the 3.3V or 5V pins.
Note: do not supplying voltage to the board via the 5V or 3.3V pins, it can damage your board. These pins are output, not input.
4) GND. Ground pins provide a current return to your circuit.
5) IOREF. This pin provides the voltage reference to your shield with which the microcontroller operates. ​

Arduino UNO - Software

The open-source Arduino Software (IDE) makes it easy to write code and upload it to the board. It runs on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. The environment is written in Java and based on Processing and other open-source software. In order to program the Arduino microcontroller, you need to install the Arduino Desktop IDE ( Integrated Development Environment). The Arduino Software (IDE) allows you to write programs and upload them to your board.
- Install the Arduino IDE from Arduino Software Page. https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Software
-Scroll down to “Download the Arduino IDE “
-Select the installer according to your computer operating system. Foe example, select “Windows Installer” for Windows7 and up.
-Follow the on-screen wizard and finish the installation. 
Arduino Software (IDE)
The Arduino IDE - Integrated Development Environment - contains a text editor for writing code, a message area, a text console, a toolbar with buttons for common functions and a series of menus.
Writing Sketches
Programs written using Arduino IDE are called sketches. These sketches are written in the text editor and are saved with the file extension .ino. The message area gives feedback while saving and exporting and also displays errors. The console displays text output by the Arduino IDE, including complete error messages and other information. The bottom righthand corner of the window displays the configured board and serial port. The toolbar buttons allow you to verify and upload programs, create, open, and save sketches, and open the serial monitor.
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Arduino IDE
Arduino IDE - Toolbar
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 ​Verify
 Checks your sketch for errors compiling it. Note: Ardunio code is also called “Sketch”.
Picture
 Upload
 Compiles your code and uploads it to the code to your board configured board.
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New
Creates a new sketch.
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Open
Clicking it will open a Sketchbook it within the current window overwriting its content.
If you want to open a file in a folder then use the File | open menu instead.
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 Save
Saves your sketch.
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 Serial Monitor
Opens the serial monitor that displays a serial message sent from the Arduino board over USB or serial connector
Arduino – IDE - Sketch
The Arduino Software (IDE) uses the concept of a sketchbook: a standard place to store your programs (or sketches). The sketches in your sketchbook can be opened from the File > Sketchbook menu or from the Open button on the toolbar.The first time you run the Arduino software, it will automatically create a directory for your sketchbook. You can view or change the location of the sketchbook location from with the Preferences dialog.
​Now, you have the basics of Arduino hardware and software and we are done with the introduction. We are ready to start the hands-on projects
Remember, our number one focus is safety and our number one goal is to have fun.

Project 1a.  On-board LED Blink

This project requires only Arduino board and a USB-B cable.
We will use Arduino UNO and the on-board LED lamp connected to pin 13 of the UNO.
​-Start the Arduino IDE
-Open the “LED blink” example sketch: File -> Examples -> 01.Basics -> Blink          
​Upload the Blink sketch to your Arduino
 - Connect the UNO to your computer USB port
 - Select your Arduino type. Tools -> Board -> Arduino/Genino UNO
 - Select the Serial Port. Tools -> Port -> COMx(Ardunio/Genino UNO
  COMx can be COM3, COM6, COM10 or any COM that is available for your Arduino
 - Upload the sketch.
Wait few seconds after the upload, you should see the on-board LED starts to blink (orange).
​
If it does, congratulations! You have successfully configured your Arduino hardware and software.

Project 1b. LED Blink

This project requires Arduino board, LED diode, 200 ohm or equivalent resistor, breadboard (optional), and a USB-B cable.
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-Note: the LED’s short leg is cathode (-) and it should be connected to GND (ground). The long leg is anode (+) and it will be connected to a digital pin through a resistor. 
​-Unplug the power cable from the board until you finish the circuit connection.
-Connect the circuit as shown in the figure.
-Connect the short leg of the LED to in GND of the UNO
- Connect the long leg of the LED to a resistor and connect the resistor to pin 13 of the UNO.
​​-Connect the board to your computer USB port.
-If you have done project 1a, then the same code uploaded to the UNO will work for project 1b as well.
- If you have not done project 1a, upload the LED blink code to your Arduino board by referring to the project 1a, section “Upload the Blink sketch to your Arduino”.
​If the LED starts to blink, You have successfully done 1b​
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Arduino LED Blink Circuit

Note: if you don’t have a resistor, you can connect the LED directly to the UNO pins but the LED will be more bright. If you do so, please be nice to your eyes!

If you have enjoyed the Arduino beginner tutorial, then check out the intermediate projects under "Arduino 102" section of this website.
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