Im very new to microcontrollers, currently learning to use a PIC. I dont understand what is different about the arduino. I mean you can run an led or a motor using a pic, and if you dont like pics you can use avr, what is the point of arduino? I see the word open source but that only means the compiler is free right? Is the exciting thing about arduino the fact that it is a board and not just a single microcontroller?
Once again Im really new at this so maybe Im missing the whole point, but why do you use an arduino as opposed to another microcontroller?
unlike pic or avr, which arduino uses an ATMega, the software is about a TON easier to deal with (no endless pages of ASM), and it also provides a common form factor (electrically) so everything we do can be done by anyone else with an arduino fairly easily
add in no programmer, excellent community and cross platform support (still waiting for linux port there microchip) and a very low entry barrier and you will be saying "why any other way"
I haven't touched my pic stuff since I got a arduino
Personally, being new to Microcontrollers, I've found Arduino to be a much less intimidating beast than PIC or others. For one, as someone else said, there is the EXTENSIVE community and nearly endless tutorials on how to do most basic (and many complex) things.
Secondly, the Arduino IDE is very user friendly, and having downloaded it before getting an Arduino, I found myself more relaxed when looking at it than lines of code in a text editor.
Thirdly, Price. I don't know how much PIC or other Microcontrollers are, but the Arduino is relatively cheap, and I think you're definitely getting your money's worth.
Finally, open source. I think the whole idea of sharing your ideas with the world for no profit is excellent. I don't have the equipment to make my own board, but it's great that they provide that opportunity. I've grown sick of every modern technology being proprietary, and it's a nice relief to see such kind openness.
Thanks for replying guys. I have another question that is sort of connected to the first. I get the impression the arduino is basically the whole development board, and not just the microcontroller. So if you actually use the arduino in a project, making a robot or some type of electronic equipment, doesnt that mean you gotta stick the whole development board in there even though you dont use all the ports? If you were making something like a microwave, where the space for embedded system is limited, would you still go with the arduino ? Or is it more of a device for hobbiests as opposed to commercial production?
No particular reason. Why NOT use an Arduino instead of some other microcontroller?
Actually, the main reason is that "Arduino" isn't just a microcontroller. It's a set of hardware, software, and community, that allows people to GET THINGS DONE... (where "things" are "things for which one could/would use a microcontroller.")
The main "competitor" of Arduino would be the BASIC Stamp from Parallax, since they're both aimed at a less technically-inclined user audience (but are nevertheless very useful even for the very technically inclined.)
To snag the question about having to use the whole board,
The arduino is a development board system, but aside from having a convenient platform to design from, once your done you can remove the chip, and stick it anywhere you want with minimal external components
I also think the main advantage of the Arduino platform is the whole concept of open source of all the software and hardware designs. Any company is free to build and sell a 100% compatible board that uses the existing platform software, or to redesign or modify it to suit their unique features and ideas. Other then having a trademark on the name "Arduino", there is no single company or group that can restrict or inhibit continuous innovation to the advantage of the user community.
The only critical thing that isn't open source is the Atmel processor itself and I'm not aware of any microcontroller company that offers to open source their processor chip designs.
So with all the 3rd party companies supporting the Arduino platform it gives it a larger advantage compared to any other microcontroller platform I've seen. So for the hobbyist that values lower costs and higher levels of community support and help, I can't see any other existing microcontroller platform that comes as close to what the Arduino platform can offer.
I always thought the Basic Stamp products were cool, but always felt they were overpriced for what they offered so I never pulled the trigger on one.
The Picaxe is certainly low cost and has a very active and friendly forum for support, it doesn't have the amount of 3rd party companies supporting their platform, mostly because it's proprietary in nature. The Picaxe (Pic based) platform got me started in this hobby and I enjoyed using them alot until I moved on to the Arduino platform.
The Pic (Microchip) series of processors are certainly nice and powerful enough but again lacks a common low cost open source platform, IDE/Compiler/etc that is more hobby friendly. For commerical users the Pic product line is probably stronger then the Atmel line at this time, and there is certainly a lot of commercial 3rd party support both hardware and software, but it's just higher cost and again mostly proprietary.
Anyway, just a long winded speech that adds nothing really new to the situation. It's just my way of saying that the Arduino platform is the best thing going today for hobbyist.
I've played around with a bs2 for years, its easy and has a great community. the problem is that its fairly expensive.
I bought a pickit a few months before i got my arduino... played with it a few times but never really got much out of it. no community and minimal help.
my arduino is great. Much faster then the bs2, cheaper, and the same type of community help. you can find so many projects online that use an arduino that just about any circuit you need to make has a schematic and code.