‘A Guide To The World Of Arduino’ – with Context! – by @Ponoko
Ponoko have an epic primer on the Arduino. Unlike most guides that focus on technical ‘what is’ aspects of the venerable microcontroller platform, Ponoko’s guide gives a good amount of context from the history of the design of ‘duino boards to various shields and approaches to programming, to a multitude of project ideas and inspiration (with links provided). And kudos for the mention of Arduino-compatible Adafruit Feathers in the guide 🙂
When most people imagine a computer, they might picture their trusty laptop or maybe a massive cluster of servers whirring and blinking away in a datacenter. The reality is that most of the hardware in the world isn’t being run with bulky CPUs in motherboards that have sticks of memory you can hold in your hand.
For the same reason we all don’t drive around in cargo trucks for our trip to the local market, people need lightweight systems that are efficient, cheap and fast (i.e. bicycles in this analogy) for everyday processing tasks. Enter microcontrollers.
Arduino is a combination of hardware and software that is open source and made to be easily accessible for enthusiasts, who may or may not have any experience with electronics. The founders named their platform after their local bar. What is Arduino? The name itself is just that, an Italian name with no translation.
If an Arduino were controlling your microwave, it could read the input of the buttons, process the information you’ve provided and then control the outputs by sending digital signals to the other electronics via its GPIO (General Purpose Input/Output) pins. Every microcontroller has a fixed number of GPIO, so it can only read from, or write to, so many external components at once. (The ways to expand connectivity is discussed later on).
Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat and our Discord!
Python for Microcontrollers – Adafruit Daily — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: The latest on Raspberry Pi RP2350-E9, Bluetooth 6, 4,000 Stars and more! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi
EYE on NPI – Adafruit Daily — EYE on NPI Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey
