Since this Arduino site is enriched approximately every week with a new article, I decided to create a guided path for those who want to start programming Arduino from scratch, but do not know where to start.
Since the first post of my blog on Arduino, I decided to separate, as far as possible, the introduction to programming an Arduino sketch from the creation of prototypes on breadboard. In this way it is easier to consult the various guides on specific topics regarding coding, components for Arduino and electronics, without having to search in the middle of posts where all these categories are mixed together.
The result is a collection that, if followed in a linear way, can guide the reader step by step in learning Arduino, so that each article contains the necessary notions to go to the next level. Of course, feel free to jump to the tutorial you want; you can return to the previous step at any time, as each post contains hypertext links to concepts and techniques explained elsewhere on the site.
I have also tried to insert here and there ideas, suggestions and exercises (you will recognize them by italics), in the belief that modifying the existing code and prototypes to verify the results, can further stimulate the imagination of an apprentice maker.
Arduino programming pills
For those who want to start programming Arduino from scratch, here is the collection of guides to study in sequence to master coding with Arduino:
- Introduction to Arduino: this is the very first article on this website. It explains what Arduino is and what uses it lends itself to
- The Arduino IDE and the first program: here you will find useful notions on the official code editor for Arduino, from installation to creating a sketch. It also contains the classic “hello world” with Arduino
- Variables and data types in Arduino programming: in this guide we get to the heart of Arduino programming, introducing its fundamental building blocks (variables and data types)
- Operators in Arduino: we explain the operators with which more or less complex expressions and calculations can be created with Arduino, manipulating variables and data types
- The control of the execution flow in Arduino: thanks to some control instructions, you can make Arduino execute instructions repeated for a certain number of times (with loops or iteration) and / or only under certain conditions (with conditional instructions, in fact)
- Functions in Arduino: thanks to them our code will become cleaner, maintainable, testable and reusable
The ease of these tutorials is also due to the fact that the discussion is not immediately burdened by introducing concepts of electronics and various components, but only the serial monitor is used to create and test simple programs.
Electronics pills
Before introducing the creation of sketches and prototypes on breadboard to manage electronic components for Arduino, I decided to create an article with some basic notions of electronics, essential for the development of the first circuits.
Prototypes with electronic components for Arduino
We then enter the heart of the creation of the first simple electronic projects with Arduino. By following these articles in sequence, you will learn some basic techniques, which are essential for moving on to something more complex and fun:
- Turning on a LED with Arduino: perhaps the most important article of all, it contains, in addition to a brief explanation of the most common components, also a form for calculating a resistance
- Managing a mechanical button with Arduino: a guide that addresses the most common problems of buttons (such as bouncing) and explains how to manage them with an example sketch
- Managing an RGB LED with Arduino: it deals with the concepts of the RGB color system, the generation of random numbers and the sending of analog outputs
- Measure the brightness with Arduino and a photoresistor: the analog quantities are addressed and a practical example is analyzed with a brightness measurement circuit
- Temperature and humidity measurement with Arduino and the DHT11 sensor: the characteristics of the sensor are briefly described and third-party libraries with ready-to-use classes and methods are started to be used for low-level management of the component
- Create an alarm with an active buzzer and Arduino: after a slight digression on the types of buzzers and their most known uses, we proceed to create a sort of siren with an active buzzer and Arduino
- Fading a led with Arduino and PWM: how to create a fading effect with PWM modulation
- Measure distances with Arduino and an ultrasonic sensor: the operation of the HC-SR04 sensor is shown and, through a prototype with test sketch, its outputs are tested on the serial monitor
I will periodically update this page, which will act as a map for the reader whenever they need a guided tour to have fun and learn with Arduino
Enjoy the reading.