I am considering buying a cheap android tablet to use with my Arduino UNO. I presently have an Apple iPad but I understand that this is not compatible with the Arduino IDE. I use a laptop with the UNO at the moment but would like a more compact set up. Can anyone suggest a suitable tablet? Will any cheap android tablet do the job, or does it need specific features? Any comments would be appreciated!
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What do you plan to use the tablet for?
...R
Malc92:
Will any cheap android tablet do the job, or does it need specific features?
It will need USB OTG. I imagine it is a common feature these days.
Hi Robin,
The idea is to replace the laptop with a tablet. I presently use the laptop as it has the Arduino IDE installed, I am not skilled enough to write my own sketches but I do copy, paste and edit sketches then verify and upload to the UNO. I do have a separate power supply for the UNO so I would not be relying heavily on a tablet to power the UNO.
Thanks, Malc.
Malc92:
I do copy, paste and edit sketches then verify and upload
While you could do it, and there is an app, I bet you won't for long. There isn't a tablet made that will do the job as well as a small laptop.
Thanks Robin, that answers my question - and saves me some money.
Thanks again, Malc.
Malc92:
The idea is to replace the laptop with a tablet.
I have an Android tablet and I have the QPython program on it which allows me to use Python programs on the tablet. QPython does have a program editor but it is so awkward to use compared to this laptop that it is much less frustrating to create the Python code on the laptop and copy the file across to the tablet. One thing I find especially frustrating when editing on the tablet is trying to position the cursor between two characters - something that is trivial on the laptop. And, to be clear, these problems are not specific to the editor used by QPython - I experience them when editing any text file on the tablet.
Another thing to keep in mind is that a tablet is surprisingly heavy for its size which, I find, makes it tiresome to hold.
This laptop is an 11" HP X360 which means I can fold the screen right back and use it as a tablet. It seemed like a good idea when I was buying it but I can't remember the last time I used it in tablet mode. But if you think that a tablet style of operating would be a good idea then the X360 (or equivalents by other manufacturers) gives you the best of both worlds.
Finally, having a few USB ports (this laptop has 3) can be very useful when programming. My Android tablet only has one and that needs an OTG cable to operate as a proper USB host.
...R
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I have a 7" Android table and thought to use it with Arduino. Like had been stated, there are apps that allow one to write code and upload to the Arduino, but they are such a pain to use that I gave up on that pretty quickly. I do use the tablet as a Bluetooth device that I can control the Arduino with and receive Bluetooth data from Arduino. For that, in combinations with some Bluetooth terminal apps, the tablet works well.
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Many thanks for the feedback fellows. This is why I asked the question on this forum there is usually a good level of help and advice. Thanks again to all.
Malc.
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