Thank you Terry! I'm frustrated that I don't seem to receive email notifications from this specific forum! I'll have to look into that.

So here is some more questions.

1.) Is the Arduino programming language procedural? I see that everything inside the main program loop just repeats until the power is taken away. Does this mean if I create a Loop inside the main Loop, that code below the Loop must wait for the Loop to finish, kind of like PHP interpreted at run time?

2.) Is there some specific trick to recognizing Resistors? I see that they are color coded, but the color strips are soooo small! Do people really get good enough at recognizing the small color patterns or do they use a magnifying glass or something?

Hey guys!

I just got my Uno in the mail today. I've got it plugged in as we speak and I'm going through some tutorials that were included with my unit.

I have some very beginner questions I would like answered if possible.

1.) How do I retrieve the program that is currently on my UNO? I realize I can open a new Sketch and upload the Sketch to the Uno, but can I do this in reverse?

2.) What AC Adapter do I use if i want to have my UNO run with out being attached to my laptop? Can I use an AC->usb adapter like the one my cell phone uses?

3.) My version of UNO appears to not have that big black rectangular chip on it. Instead it's some tiny black square and it says "SMD" Edition. What does that mean?

4.) How easy is it for me to melt/break/destroy this thing? I'm worried if I plug some things in incorrectly it will fry it. Is this a valid concern?

5.) Is it possible for me to use a different Editor than the official Arduino one I have downloaded? How would I go about uploading a Sketch with out it?

6.) Should I "Safely" eject my Arduino from my computer? Or is it ok to just yank the cable out (assuming I'm not uploading/downloading information from it)

7.) What specs are my Uno? Memory, CPU, Mhz etc.

8.) Is there a way I can "live monitor" what the Arduino is doing in real time? Create log files?

That's all I can think of right away, I'm sure I'll have more! So far the experience has been incredibly exciting and rewarding. I am finding the Arduino code incredibly similar to Javascript and I'm fairly confident with that so far.

wh, Canakit is probably good.. Their starter kits have some things to try out and learn with (The Pro kit, anyway) and since they are in BC you can get other stuff...

There is a good comparison of Starter Kits here: http://conductiveresistance.com/arduino-starter-kit-comparison-chart/

But don't get bogged down in Analysis Paralysis.. get Doing!

Thanks dude, You've been a great help. I'm going to get the Pro-kit.

I'm in BC Canada. (http://www.canakit.com/arduino?limit=all) these guys are fairly close. I'm not sure what they stock though.

I'm a COMPLETE noob to electronics. I will basically get what ever you think is best for me. I would like to buy a kit big enough so that I can actually do some things with it. Not being too close to supplies I'd like to have enough to keep me occupied while I wait for new parts to arrive.

I'm confused what makes the Arduino's different. Don't they all run the same programming language?

So if I get (http://cgi.ebay.com/Arduino-Mega-1280-128x64-Graphic-LCD-IR-Remote-Game-Kit-/160539336170?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2560e3ddea) I will be able to read regular Arduino Tutorials and apply the same techniques/knowledge? I think I will get this. It has an LCD

Ahh thanks for much for clarifying.

So is there just a "regular" Arduino called "Arduino" that I want then? I figure I'll just get the most elaborate starter kit I can find.

I'm still not sure what Arduino kit to purchase.

If I want the UNO, is there an Arduino Starter kit that contains the UNO? If not, what is the second best option for me?

What is so much better about the UNO versus the other models anyhow?

Wouldn't it make more sense for me to get one of those Arduino starter kits? Can I get an Arduino Starter Kit with an UNO?

Thank you so much for the kind words and the encouragement! I think I will go with the real Arduino! Which one is that "real" one. Is that the Arduino Pro?

Hello Community, I'm brand spanking new to the forums and to the platform itself. I have a plethora of questions. I hope you guys can help me in finding some answers to them.

First of all, I am desperate to get into robotics. Is Arduino a good way to begin? If not, what else do you consider?

Is there any limits to what the Arduino platform can and can't do? Could it for example, drive a car?

I have a many years of tech experience working with PC's and servers and routers. Nothing too fancy, but I know my way around most kinds of hardware someone encounters in the PC world. I even spent a year or so working for a company that designed and built PLCs. For my regular job I write LAMP back end management areas for websites. Will Arduino be a huge learning curve for me?

I'm working with Windows right now, I wouldn't mind switching to Ubuntu for Arduino development. Is there any advantage to doing this?

I see there is a few different versions of the board.

# Arduino Nano
# Arduino Mini
# Arduino BT
# LilyPad Arduino
# Arduino Fio
# Arduino Pro
# Arduino Pro Mini

What do I need to get started?

Thanks for reading!