Easy-to-answer questions by a newbie

Forum 2005-2010 (read only) General Frequently-Asked Questions
1

Hi everyone, I'm seriously considering buying an Arduino, but first I have some questions. First, my background:

I am a PHP (web) developer, I have tried some C code, then a bit of C++ but only the basics. I have looked at most of the tutorials though, and the language used by Arduino seems really simple. (but they are simple examples, I understand it won't be the same with a more advanced application).

Consider I have almost never soldered anything, only before high school, and that's more than 7 years ago. But I'm really excited and willing to buy a soldering kit. Must I mention that I am new to microcontrollers as well? Well, I know how computer hardware works, I think it will just be a question of time.

I've spent a long time browsing through Sparkfun's catalogue. That's what got me eager to have fun with Arduino.

I have 2 different ideas in mind, requiring the following:

  • read and write data on an SD card
  • play sound(s) (not buzzer sounds, human sounds recorded with a microphone).
  • generate waveforms and tweak'em (like a synthetiser)
  • output sound to a stereo headphone jack.
  • make LEDs blink
  • display a user interface on a screen

Don't worry, I'm not insane, I want to, and will start with making a LED blink. It maybe even the first and last thing I'll do with my Arduino. I just want to learn how things work, I understand that everything I've listed would take months (years?) for me to understand, now I just want to know what is possible and what isn't.

Now, the questions:

Warning: real newbie questions below
I'm planning to take a Duemilanove (USB is sexy) and the Protoshield kit from SparkFun (because I'm a newbie) with a breadboard.

  • Will I need jumper wires, and which? Female / Female or Male / Male? How do I know?
  • Can I buy just any piece of electronics and be sure it will work with my Arduino?
  • Can you give me the basic steps for reading from an SD card?
  • Can you give me the basic steps for playing a sound?
  • Can you give me the basic steps for generating a sound?

Thanks for reading, and any answer, even to a question I didn't ask, will be appreciated.

2

Regarding the sound and SD stuff,

Ladyada has a sound shield with an SD socket on it - you might find it useful.

Mike

3

That's great, thanks !

And raises another question, if I buy this kit, will I still be able to use the Protoshield + breadboard with it? maybe on top of it?

4

You can get pass through pin headers that allow you to stack shields, but it may not be suitable for all shields.

Mike

5

ok, thanks.

Here is my updated list of questions:

  • If I buy a Protoshield from Sparkfun, will I need jumper wires, and which? Female / Female or Male / Male? How do I know?
  • Can I buy just any piece of electronics and be sure it will work with my Arduino?
  • Can you give me the basic steps for generating a sound? (like a synthetizer)

Thanks

6

For the jumpers, I found these to be great . . .

They are nice a flexible and I've used the same set for over a year.

They also have female - female but the male - male are much more useful - Arduino to breadboard for example.

Enjoy your new Arduino.

7

Can I buy just any piece of electronics and be sure it will work with my Arduino?

No.

Can you give me the basic steps for generating a sound? (like a synthetizer)

Sound processing from:-
http://interface.khm.de/index.php/labor/experimente/arduino-realtime-audio-processing/

http://www.arduino.cc/playground/Main/InterfacingWithHardware

Look under Audio - although this processor is not the best one for audio due to lack of memory.

8

Neat!!
Shame on me, I thought the Playground section was just a showcase of existing projects. I have a lot to learn :slight_smile:
BroHogan, thank you for answering, but my question was simpler than that, I just wondered what was the difference between male and female jumpers, and when to use one or the other. But I'll search by myself for that, thanks to all of you for helping me.

Now I want one for christmas :slight_smile: