so i've gone to several professors asking this question and done my research on the internet and (i may just be really dense) i just cant seem to grasp the idea of it.
so we have a project using arduino. and my basic understanding is that the arduino is a PLATFORM and sort of works as a simulator to the actual circuitry that you will fabricate after the trial and error phase?
is this correct or am i totally missing the picture here??
would greatly appreciate anyone who could explain it to me (in layman's terms)
so i've gone to several professors asking this question and done my research on the internet and (i may just be really dense) i just cant seem to grasp the idea of it.
so we have a project using arduino. and my basic understanding is that the arduino is a PLATFORM and sort of works as a simulator to the actual circuitry that you will fabricate after the trial and error phase?
is this correct or am i totally missing the picture here??
would greatly appreciate anyone who could explain it to me (in layman's terms)
I recommend reading the Forum post guide at the top of this forum category. It will hep you make better posts.
I see Arduino as essentially a breakout board to use Atmega Microcontrollers, providing all the support to use the chip and this allows beginners to just plug LEDs in without worrying about the rest.
Hardware development boards . as Mike says these have an ATMega microcontroller and some peripherals in order to make it easy for beginners to connect up sensors and program. These boards usually have a USB interface so can be programmed directly from a computer. Many different variants exist with slightly different capabilities.
The Arduino IDE. This is a java program running on a PC that provides a basic development environment for writing programs and uploading them to a board. The language used is based on Processing with a syntax similar to the C language.
There is an arduino simulator available at https://circuits.io/ which allows you to experiment with basic concepts from within a web-browser.
An Arduino is NOT a simulator. It is a real physical microprocessor in a convenient package for experimenting coupled with a the Arduino IDE software which makes programming easy for beginners.
The connectors on an Arduino Uno or Mega would not be sufficiently robust to incorporate those devices in a product that was expected to operate reliably for a long time.
But you can get Arduino boards that can take soldered connections.
You can also develop a project on an Arduino board and then build a product on a custom PCB using the same Atmega MCU and the same program. This could include (for example) developing a program on an Uno and building a PCB with the surface-mount version of the Atmega 328.
The Arduino IDE can also be used for programming other Atmega chips (such as the Attinys) which are not built into any Arduino board.
The other great advantage of the Arduino system is the wide range of devices that can be used with it and the many specialized libraries to make using those devices easier.
It sounds like you would benefit from getting an Arduino Uno and experimenting with it. The Arduino system is very good for learning-by-doing.
the arduino is a PLATFORM and sort of works as a simulator to the actual circuitry that you will fabricate after the trial and error phase?
Totally wrong.
The Arduino is a microcontroller, that is quite like a computer but a lot simpler. You use code ( a program ) to set output lines HIGH ( +5V ) or LOW ( 0V ). That code can read HIGH or LOW logic levels coming in to control what code gets executed. Some input pins can also read a proportional voltage between 0V and 5V and give you a number from 0 to 1023 to represent what voltage it is.
As mentioned, it is considered a development board, but many people use prototypes as end products.
With a few durability enhancements like solid soldered connections instead of wires going into breadboards or female headers, it can work just fine as the end product.
But for most projects, it will not be the most efficient size as the chip can do so much. In fact, the ATMega chip on the Arduinos are usually too much chip for many projects, and for an end product, one could opt for a less powerful/more efficient chip from ATMEL, especially if volume savings comes into play.
