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[on:]

Hello all,

I'm an absolute beginner, and this is a pre-installation troubleshooting (safety measure - don't wanna fry my brand new board).

After failing to get Arduino Uno and Ethernet Shield (out of stock in the shops I had access to), I finally got hold of Arduino Ethernet (not shield) and an FTDI Basic Breakout 5V. But then when I tried to find an instruction on getting started with Arduino Ethernet at http://arduino.cc - I couldn't find it.

Because I simply want to get started very soon, I plan to just follow the installation instruction for Arduino Uno in the arduino.cc website (I read that both boards are based on ATmega328 anyway). But being very new I thought I should check and make sure what I'm going to do is recommendable.

So here are a few questions:

1. Is it a good idea to follow the installation instruction for Arduino Uno for getting started on Arduino Ethernet? What is a better alternative?

2. Power: As I have an FTDI Basic Breakout 5V that comes with a Mini-B USB socket, should I just connect this to the 6-pin header on the Arduino Ethernet board (and then connect the Mini-B to A with a USB cable to my computer) to get started?

3. USB Driver: If I'm using my FTDI Basic Breakout 5V (by Sparkfun) to power the board, will I have to also download the "FTDIUSBSerialDriver_10_4_10_5_10_6.mpkg" as suggested to users of "an older board" in the Arduino Uno installation instruction?

4. After I install the Arduino Environment application, which board should I select from the "Tools > Board" dropdown menu?

5. And which serial port should I select from the "Tools > Serial Port" menu?

6. In the instruction for Arduino Uno, at one point after running the "blink" example sketch, I should expect to see the LED connected to pin 13 turned on. In Arduino Ethernet the built-in LED is connected to pin 9 - if I would change the line(s) in the sketch that refers to pin 13 to pin 9, would this edit simply light up the built-in LED on my board? Or are there any other lines that I have to edit in the sketch?

7. Can I then continue to use my Arduino Ethernet board as though it's an Arduino Uno? (I mean, just to familiarize myself until I'm ready to use the Ethernet function on it.) What should I keep in mind when doing this? I am aware (from reading) that pin 10 to 13 on this board is reserved for Ethernet functions - but what does this translate to in practice? What kind of issues/edits from normal sketches of Arduino Uno should I be aware of, when using them for Arduino Ethernet?

Can't wait to get started!


Thank you for your time, and I'm looking forward to your guidance.



PS.
Just to make sure we're talking about the same thing,
here's my Arduino Ethernet - http://arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardEthernet
here's my FTDI Basic Breakout 5V - http://www.sparkfun.com/products/9716
and here's the getting started guide that I plan to follow - http://arduino.cc/en/Guide/MacOSX

[Reply #1 on:]

In reply to my own post.

1. I did follow the Arduino Uno installation instruction at arduino.cc. It worked fine.
2. Power: through the USB A to mini-B from my computer.
3. USB Driver: I installed the FTDIUSBSerialDriver_10_4_10_5_10_6.mpkg .
4. Tools > Board: Before opening Arduino environment, I should have replaced the boards.txt file in my Arduino directory ("Arduino-00xx > hardware > arduino") with the updated setup downloadable from http://arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardEthernet (see header "Setup" near the end of the page). I wasn't aware of this, however. So the first time I opened the Arduino environment, there was no option for "Arduino Ethernet (with USB2Serial module)" - I chose "Arduino Uno" instead, and it worked fine for the Blink sketch (with modification of the pin number).
5. Tools > Serial Port: I chose "/dev/tty.usbserial-A800f3AT".
6. The Blink sketch worked fine after I changed all "13" to "9". "09" didn't work.
7. I still have no idea about this, but the arduino.cc page for ArduinoBoardEthernet says "All the Ethernet example sketches work as they do with the Ethernet shield. Make sure to change the network settings for your network". I still don't know though, what 'changing the network settings' mean. Will update later.