Starting with Arduino

Projects General Guidance
1

Hi everybody

I'm an italian student and I'm doing my third year of high school (I regret for my English).
I'm a robotics fan and I'd like to start some projects with a friend.

I PREMISE: we don't have any kind of knowledge in electronics or in automation.

That's why I'd like to ask you something:

  • which book should I buy to learn programming and the Arduino's language? Are there any guides on internet very clear?
  • same speech for Arduino: should I buy a book (if yes, which one?) or there are any guides on Internet?
  • which kit/Arduino should I buy?
  • are there on the site any projects to follow?

P.S. On Internet there are lots of guides and I visited also this forum to find some useful links, but all the online guides take for granted some notions/terms that I don't know.

Thank you

2

and the Arduino's language?

The "Arduino language" is C++, so any C++ book, or even any C book, would be good.

Are there any guides on internet

No. The damned internet is just about useless. Can't find a damned thing. Well, if you don't look, you can't. 8)

which kit/Arduino should I buy?

To do what?

3

I began with an Arduino Starter Kit, found it very useful. An Italian version may be available?

I cannot recommend any specific tutorial(s), there are too many around. Since some experienced forum members wrote their own tutorials, they can point you to the right places for specific subjects. The Learning section (see menu line on top) contains much information for beginners, and many code examples can be loaded directly from the IDE.

I'm using dict.leo.org to look up unknown terms. You also can ask questions in the Italian forum section.

4

LorenzoDC:
Hi everybody

I'm an italian student and I'm doing my third year of high school (I regret for my English).
I'm a robotics fan and I'd like to start some projects with a friend.

I PREMISE: we don't have any kind of knowledge in electronics or in automation.

That's why I'd like to ask you something:

  • which book should I buy to learn programming and the Arduino's language? Are there any guides on internet very clear?
  • same speech for Arduino: should I buy a book (if yes, which one?) or there are any guides on Internet?
  • which kit/Arduino should I buy?
  • are there on the site any projects to follow?

P.S. On Internet there are lots of guides and I visited also this forum to find some useful links, but all the online guides take for granted some notions/terms that I don't know.

Thank you

Have you ever written any program code, and if so, in what language? If you've never written a computer program, there's going to be a learning curve.

Start out by getting an Arduino, for example Uno, install the IDE, hook up, and test out the blink sketch. Then take it from there. The first time I got blink to work was a great moment. I then proceeded as most do, changing the timing, then compiled and uploaded again, and lo and behold, it worked!

:slight_smile:

You should probably start learning C, then advance to C++, as C is the basis, and as long as you can accept that certain "objects" have functions inside them, you get a long way with just C. When the code starts to be bigger, and you'd like to split things into different "domains", etc, that's when C++ comes to the rescue.

At least this is how I did it, knowing C from years back. I could not understand how there could just be a Serial object lying around, but I used it, and it worked.

Watch Youtube videos and read other people's code.

Programming so close to hardware as you do with an Arduino, is really fun. :slight_smile:

5

Starter/Beginner list:

  1. Arduino Uno R3 with the ATmega328p-pu (not the smd version)
  2. Breadboard
  3. Jumper wires
  4. 1000pcs Resistor set (they come up with different values and cost 1000pcs = 3~5$)
  5. Leds 3mm, 5mm (you can get yellow, red, blue, white 400pcs for 3$)
  6. 6mm buttons.
  7. 10k Potentiometer
  8. buzzer
  9. Small switches if you like and others..etc

Total cost approx: 15~20$

Start with the Basics: https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/BuiltInExamples

There you gonna learn:

Blink;
Analog and Digital read/write;
Using Serial communication;
experimenting with Push button, Potentiometers, Leds..etc

After following the basic tutorials you will understand that you always need to have:

#library <>

int x0, x1;
string x2;
real x3; //..etc

void function (){
 do something
}

void setup{

}
void loop{

function();

}

In setup the code is running only once and inside loop the code is running always and never stops,
above setup you can add libraries, variables or build your own functions.

That's the most basic stuffs you need as a beginner after that you can experiment for a while and
you will understand the code.

as well learn about (if, if..else, do, do...while..etc)
Here is an arduino example with If statement:
https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/ifStatementConditional

Here you can learn what you need about C/C++

Enjoy electronics because they are nice and changed my life :slight_smile: I made many useful and nice projects.

PS. I suggested you the Arduino Uno R3 because you can get off the chip from the board and you can create your own circuits or use it on other breadboards without arduino.

Here you can see my 1st project I got off the chip and created my own PCB:

You can view my channel for more info of projects that I made.

D.60

6

Domino60:
Enjoy electronics because they are nice and changed my life :slight_smile: I made many useful and nice projects.

PS. I suggested you the Arduino Uno R3 because you can get off the chip from the board and you can create your own circuits or use it on other breadboards without arduino.

Here you can see my 1st project I got off the chip and created my own PCB:

It is always nice to be able to use the Uno as a platform for burning bootloaders directly, by inserting a new atmega328p chip. Can't understand who'd prefer the surface mounted version...

My first stand-alone atmega328p looks similar, except it had no reset button, and oh, I did not know the difference between multilayer and single layer ceramic capacitors, when ordering from RS, so the caps I have are huge.

:slight_smile:

Getting the first five "naked" atmega328p's, I was not at all sure I would succeed in burning boot loaders etc, but it really was just about following directions. Great experience.

Modifying fuses the first time was also very exciting, and scary, but getting it to run at 8MHz on internal clock was great fun, particularly seeing my one second blink sketch run at half speed.

:slight_smile:

I even just now re-watched the first of Jeremy Blum's tutorials on Arduino, after recommending them above, and it was almost a nostalgic moment, even though it's just ten months ago when I really didn't know if I'd be able to "figure out" these complicated microcontrollers.

It is somewhat complicated at the lower levels, but Arduino libraries are excellent, and a great starting point.

7

Rupert909 :smiley:

Glad to hear that you enjoyed arduino, i got a nano as my 1st arduino but i do not recommend it because if you don't know what you are doing you will get as me burning it :smiley:

After that i got my uno r3 best ever nice experience even building double side boards with atmega328.

One thing is that I don't like jeremy blums because he is pushed to do the videos, sponsored and he is not talking or give advice as a hobbiest but he is just following strictly the code and for me his voice is kinda annoying :smiley:

I learned everything i need from the arduino official website there is everything you need.

you can see my youtube channel few of my projects :smiley:

D.60

8

Domino60:
Rupert909 :smiley:

Glad to hear that you enjoyed arduino, i got a nano as my 1st arduino but i do not recommend it because if you don't know what you are doing you will get as me burning it :smiley:

After that i got my uno r3 best ever nice experience even building double side boards with atmega328.

One thing is that I don't like jeremy blums because he is pushed to do the videos, sponsored and he is not talking or give advice as a hobbiest but he is just following strictly the code and for me his voice is kinda annoying :smiley:

I learned everything i need from the arduino official website there is everything you need.

you can see my youtube channel few of my projects :smiley:

D.60

How did you fry your Nano? I'm almost exclusively working with two nanos in a breadboard now. Are they more fragile than the Uno?

Or did you simply short it out due to the exposed pins?

I watched some of your videos. Seems you're using custom PCB's somewhat. Photo-etching yourself, or having them made somewhere? I've only used stripboard so far, and ... its a bit of a mess, I think.

9

Look at the Adafruit and Sparkfun site for their tutorials.
https://learn.adafruit.com/category/learn-arduino

https://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/

Watch Arduino videos on YouTube.
https://m.youtube.com/results?q=programming+electronics+academy&sm=1

Buy 'A Book on C'

If you come to the end of the Internet without finding exactly what you want, maybe it's just not there :frowning:

.

10

How did you fry your Nano? I'm almost exclusively working with two nanos in a breadboard now. Are they more fragile than the Uno?

Or did you simply short it out due to the exposed pins?

I watched some of your videos. Seems you're using custom PCB's somewhat. Photo-etching yourself, or having them made somewhere? I've only used stripboard so far, and ... its a bit of a mess, I think.

I took my 1st even arduino nano back in the days that i 1st met arduino i was so exited :smiley: i wanted to build
a lot of stuffs but i was inexperienced so by actual mistake i connected more leds than needed 40mA per digital pin i connected like 5 leds per one pin :smiley: connected leds dirrectly on the gnd-vcc without resistors..etc and many others so at a point i fried the nano after that i start reading more about it and found out the mistakes i done.

Yes I'm doing homemade PCB's transfer paper / laser printer technique I tried as well negatie photoresist but i don't have laminator and it's kinda hard with iron :smiley: but im ok with the transfer paper the quality is really high and i got lot of experience even making double side PCB's.

I never ordered a PCB i always make them at home.

I always prototype my projects on a breadboad 1st testing that everything is working perfectly then
i start make the circuit using Eagle free version.