Hello there,
I have a quick question about the Arduino. I've been researching this thing a lot lately and I must say I am quite impressed with what it is capable of and how the community has made it so incredible. The only thing I see as a potential flaw for the thing is that it's pretty big and clunky. So my question is, can do Arduino programs be run without the entire board? Can you, for instance, debug and develop your entire project on the Arduino Uno board and then take out the ATmega chip to put onto a more finalized project that doesn't include extra clutter that isn't used when the project is done? Or does the chip need all of the other components on the board in order to function properly? I have a little experience with pic controllers and I know they can be run using solely the chip and a power supply which is what prompt this question.
Also another question: If the answer to the first question was "yes, you can run your project without the whole board", then is functionality of added peripherals maintained? For instance, when using only the chip would I still be able to use potentiometers, use LED/LCD displays, recieve input from buttons, incorporate accelerometers, use PWM, create TV output signals, generate sound with a speaker, run a motor, etc...
Sorry, I know this is a total newbie question. I've only just ordered my arduino a few days ago and am still waiting for it to arrive. Wish me luck when I get started with it!
