Learn Programming and Electronics with Arduino

Arduino Course for Absolute Beginners 2nd Edition

What is Arduino?

Have you seen some really cool stuff being made with a thing called Arduino? What is Arduino anyway? It sounds like an Italian sandwich with extra cheese or something... Well - it's that and a lot more. I hope this video can help explain some the basic premise of the Arduino!  

How to change the font color in the Arduino IDE

Have you ever wanted to change the font color in the Arduino IDE? Maybe it is hard for you to read the light grey comments in the Arduino IDE, or maybe you prefer something a little bolder. Whatever your reason, in this short video, I demonstrate a relatively easy way to change the font color of comments.

Use Serial.print() to display Arduino output on your computer monitor: Part 2

In many cases while using an Arduino, you will want to see the data being generated by the Arduino. One common method of doing this is using the Serial.print() function from the Serial library to display information to your computer’s monitor. In this week’s episode we will talk about the intricacies of the Serial.print() function.  This is the second part of a two part series on the Serial.print() function (Click here for the first part). Here are the exact topics we will cover in this ...

Use Serial.print() to Display Arduino output on your computer monitor: Part 1

In many cases while using an Arduino, you will want to see the data being generated by the Arduino. One common method of doing this is using the Serial.print() function from the Serial library to display information to your computer’s monitor. In this week’s episode, we will talk about the intricacies of the Serial.print() function. This is the first part, of a two part series on the Serial.print() function. Here are the specific topics we will cover in this lesson: Why would you want t...

How to make a secret knock detector to trigger anything with only an Arduino and a few cheap components

There are a couple good use-case scenarios for making a secret knock detector using an Arduino. You are a spy who needs to authenticate your cohorts You are a super hero who wants a secret knock to open the entrance to your lair Whatever the reason - by the end of this tutorial you will know how to use an Arduino, a piezo transducer and a couple other cheap components to make secret knock detector. Here is an overview of exactly what we will talk about in this lesson: The components ...

Arduino Pseudo Random Non-Consecutive Number Generator

In this video we demonstrate how to create pseudo random numbers with Arduino - with a useful twist. This lesson was inspired by the following viewer question: How do I create Random Non-Consecutive numbers with Arduino? P.S. These are the best tutorials that a complete idiot like you could ever make, thanks. -Chris Let's overview exactly what we will talk about in today's episode: Talk about pseudo random numbers. Identify the problem - using an Arduino sketch to demonstrate. Di...

A Review of Make: Magazine

I don’t subscribe to many magazines, but I love my subscription to Make: magazine. And even though I rarely have time to sit down and enjoy a magazine in peace and quiet (parents forget what peace and quiet means), I still manage to get through my Make: magazine cover to cover. I like it that much! This video is a short review of why I enjoy Make: magazine, and why I think you would enjoy it too. Here are some highlights: 1. Make: Magazine is published every 2 months. 2. Filled with...

Understanding the Arduino Sketchbook: Opening and Saving Arduino Sketches

Understanding how the Arduino IDE sets up its file directory system can spare you some confusion when it comes to saving, organizing and opening your Arduino sketches (or sketches you have downloaded from the internet). This week’s episode covers the following: The Arduino Sketchbook folder How to change the default location where your Arduino sketches get saved What happens when an Arduino file does not have an enclosing sketch folder of the same name Where and how multiple tabs ge...

An Easy Way to Learn I2C, SPI, RTC, ADCs and More with this Awesome Arduino Education Shield

In this video we talk about an Arduino shield designed to teach you about shift registers, I2C, SPI, temperature sensors, real time clocks, analog to digital convertors and flash memory chips - all this on one awesome Arduino shield! Electronics Concepts can be Intimidating Like any industry or hobby, electronics has its fare share of acronyms. A couple of the more common ones you might have come across are SPI, I2C, ADC, RTC and YOMAMA. All these acronyms can be intimidating. It’s l...

The Process and Tools I use for Creating Arduino Tutorials

This week's Episode is what I am calling an intermission, which is basically me taking a break from hardcore Arduino tutorial making, and present a less technical topic.  In this intermission video, I walk through the process I use when creating Arduino tutorials and some of the software that helps me do it. Here is a list of software I use when creating Arduino tutorials: Full Disclosure: Some of these are affiliate links that help me afford gold toilets on my private island. Brainsto...

Using the Same Input to Trigger Multiple Arduinos

If you ever have a project using two or more Arduinos, it's likely you'll want them to work together. Say for example you have one Arduino connected to an LCD shield, and another Arduino controlling an LED matrix.  You want both to do something when you press a single button - how can this be done? It turns out to be extremely easy.  This video will describe in detail how to trigger multiple Arduinos with a single input. CODE: /* Button Turns on and off a light emitting diode(LE...

6 Tips on Assembling an Arduino Shield (Or any Electronics Kit)

In this video we will be talking about some key points to keep in mind when assembling an Arduino shield from a kit. Many of these tips will apply equally well to any type of electronics kit you are assembling. So you just bought an awesome Arduino shield - it's going fly you to the moon and back, but before you start using it you have to do some basic assembly. Here are six tips to help you get the assembly done right the first time. Read the Directions: The first advice is painfull...

A YouTube Channel for Learning about Arduino

In this episode I talk about the video channel that I host on YouTube. If you have watched any previous episodes of this channel then you know I focus on Arduino related topics. The purpose of the channel is to help people learn about using Arduino. Specifically, the target audience is electronics hobbyists who are interested in learning to use Arduino. That being said, I try to make the videos from the perspective of a beginner so if you don't know jack about electronics or programming,...

What is a Breakout Board for Arduino?

If you have been learning about Arduino for any amount of time, than you have probably come across the term Breakout Board.  Now, you might think, as I did when I first heard about breakout boards, that they were some fixture for practicing your Kung Fu fighting. In this lesson, we will discuss what breakout boards are, how they can accelerate your Arduino prototyping and some things to look out for when you buy them. Want to step-up your Arduino skills? Click here to join our 12-part ...

What is an Arduino Shield?

If you are learning about Arduino, you have no doubt come across the term Arduino Shield.  This tutorial will explain what Arduino Shields are, why they are awesome, and several things to consider when buying shields. cool electronics ideas that you have. Now the Arduino in and of itself is pretty amazing - you can do a lot of stuff with an Arduino alone. But when you want to start adding all types of cool technologies like bluetooth, wifi, RF, motor-drivers, etc. it can be pretty tricky...

How to Use and Understand the Arduino Reference

So you just opened up your fancy new gadget - maybe an awesome DSLR camera, or the newest gaming system, or maybe a new Blu-ray player.  As you gladly tear away the packaging - you notice a small book that feels like it was printed on 4th generation recycled newspaper - it’s the instruction manual. As you skim the pages you realize it was first written in Japanese, translated to Chinese by an Australian ventriloquist and then an intern in California used Google Translate to finish the job ...

Using Red-Green-Blue (RGB) LEDs with Arduino (Common Cathode Type)

In this tutorial we describe using RGB LEDs of the Common Cathode Type.  We will describe setting up the circuit, talk about the LED and discuss the code used to adjust the hue.

Using Random Numbers with Arduino

This video tutorial talks about using the random() and randomSeed() functions with Arduino.  It is pretty straight forward, but there are some intricacies worth noting. Creating truly random numbers in Arduino is harder than you might think.  The closest we can get in Arduino, and just about anywhere else, is using pseudo random numbers.  That is, numbers that mimic randomness, but in fact do have a pattern if Want to fast-track your Arduino skills? Click here to join our 12-part HD Vide...

Kit-on-a-Shield for Arduino

Ever ever spent too much time searching for a 220 ohm resistor or just one more jumper wire? Are you sure you had that extra LED, LDR, [Fill in the blank], but have no idea where it went? Do you just want to throw up a quick circuit and get to coding? Travel a lot and want an easy way to learn Arduino on the road?

How to Make One Button Have the Functionality of Two or More with Arduino

Do you have an application where you want multiple buttons for different user inputs?  Maybe you have a timer and you want one button for minutes and another for hours. But there is a problem – you only have room for one button! In this tutorial, we are going to use Arduino to explore how to make one button have the functionality of two or more. Click here to join our 12-part HD Video Course.   You Will Need: (1) Momentary push button (5) Jumper wires (1) Solderless breadboard...

Understanding HIGH and LOW Arduino Pin States

If you are just getting started with Arduino, you might be wondering what the heck all this HIGH and LOW stuff everyone is talking about really means. At first I just figured everyone using micro-controllers was just on some type of emotional roller-coaster, until I began to realize that HIGH and LOW are actually abstractions. But let us not talk in abstractions - let us talk in concrete numbers and get down to the bottom of what HIGH and LOW actually mean. This Tutorial Will Include: ...

Floating Pins, Pull-Up Resistors and Arduino

Floating Pins on Arduino have always been a bit of mystery to me.  It just never made much sense.  I did this video more for my own sake - just to concrete it in my brain.  I hope it can add some solidarity to  your understanding as well...

The MOST guaranteed way to NOT buy a Fake Arduino (The Story of Pizza-Duino)

Let's not be duped by people trying to sell us authentic Arduino's that are counterfeit.  This video will show you the one way to be sure you get the real deal, and five methods of telling if you bought a counterfeit or not.

Throw out your breadboard! Dr. Duino: An Arduino Shield for debugging and developing Arduino projects

In the last couple of episodes we have talked about Arduino shields and breakout boards. In this video, we will review a specific Arduino shield that makes developing projects and debugging sketches on the Arduino extremely easy - it's called Dr. Duino.Arduino Shield for Arduino Shields The Dr. Duino is an Arduino Shield. As would expect, it fits snuggly on top of the Arduino headers and has pin headers of it's own, which can easily accept a shield on top. The first thing you notice abou...

Shorthand Arithmetic :: Using Compound Operators (+= , -= , *= , /= ) with Arduino

In this lesson we discuss some common shorthand for simple arithmetic in Arduino. We cover several compound operators that add, subtract, multiply and divide making it easy to increment variables in useful ways.

Understanding Boolean Data Types and Using the Boolean NOT (!) operator to Switch Arduino Pin States

What to do when you just don't know :: Arduino, ADXL345 triple axis accelerometer and an RGB LED

This lesson discusses what to do when you open an existing program and realize that you simply don't understand all the stuff that is going on. It also talks about using the ADXL345 triple axis accelerometer breakout board to control the hue of a Red-Green-Blue (RGB) LED.

3 Ways to Use Acceleration in an Arduino Sketch

This lesson covers three easy ways to implement some form of acceleration in your Arduino sketches. It will cover the following: Linear Acceleration Exponential Acceleration Messing Around with the Square Root function What is Acceleration? Acceleration is the rate of change of something over time.  Acceleration would help describe things like: Have fast can a stopped car get to 88mph? If I do a wing-suit jump from the top of Mount Everest, how fast will I be when I am gliding o...

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Understanding the Arduino uber functions loop() and setup()

Discussion: In this lesson, we're going to discuss two very special functions that you will use in every single Arduino sketch that you write.  They're called Setup and Loop. Specifically, we’ll cover: How Setup Operates and the type of code that it executes How Loop Operates and the type of code that it executes Loop Function’s Responsive Outputs How to get those little ships inside the glass bottles I want you to pretend for a moment that you own a specialty Italian sub shop.  ...

Functions: Let's make programming Arduino as easy as possible

Discussion: In this lesson, we're going to do an overview of functions.  This will be just a general discussion to lay out a framework for understanding how functions work and how we can use them. More specifically, we'll be talking about: Function Calls Function Parameters Passing Arguments Different Ways Functions Work In an earlier lesson, we said functions are like the verbs of a programming language.  If you want to get something done, it's probably going to involve a functi...

Data Types: One size does not fit all

Discussion: We're going to explore some of the specific data types you'll encounter as you begin to program with Arduino.  We’ll tackle data types in more detail, to include: Integer and Integer Qualifier Long Float Byte Boolean Character Data Types Recap Let's review what we’ve learned in previous units.  We know that when we create a variable, we need to declare its data type.  We also know that a data type is simply a way to classify the types of information that you're go...

Syntax; the spelling and grammar of programming

You Will Need: The Arduino IDE installed and an Arduino connected to your computer. Discussion: In this lesson, we're going to be talking about programming syntax.  We'll be introducing some of the basic programming syntax that you'll be using every time you write a sketch. Specifically, we'll be talking about: what programming syntax is comments the semicolon keywords function syntax layout & indentation Programming Syntax What is programming syntax? I like to use this a...

Progress vs Perfection: Chicken Analogy

Discussion: Will the Chicken Cross the Road? So there's this chicken, and he's on the side of the road. He wants to cross the road. He wants to get to the other side. Before he steps out and crosses the road, he looks both ways. That is a rational thing to do. If he doesn't look both ways, and he just steps out, he's going to get smashed by a car, and he won't get to the other side of the road. This chicken is a little bit of a nervous chicken. He is just sitting there and watching. ...

The Arduino Development Toolchain - How it all gets done...

Discussion: In this lesson, we're going to do an overview of the Arduino toolchain.  The toolchain includes all of the software tools that are between us pressing the Verify/Upload buttons and that code actually getting loaded onto the integrated circuit on the Arduino board. I definitely want to stress the keyword overview because there is a lot going on behind the scenes that actually makes it happen.  In practice for us, though, the entire process is just a matter of pressing a button...

Arduino Board Hardware overview for people like me

Discussion: This lesson continues our quest of learning more about programming and electronics.  In previous lessons, we already discussed several reasons why we have chosen to use an Arduino board as the tool to help us learn. Specifically, we chose the Arduino Uno board.  The Uno is the baseline Arduino board, being the one around which other Arduino boards are designed . Therefore, the Uno is a great place for us to start digging in.  It’s also a fantastic launchpad if you decide to...

Everything you need to know about the Arduino IDE (for now)

Discussion: Now that you have downloaded and set preferences, you need to become familiar with the Arduino Integrated Development Environment, or IDE for short.  It works just like a text editor program. I'm only going to cover what I think is important for us to know right now.  We do a deeper dive on an as needed basis as we progress through the course.  Specifically, in this lesson we'll cover: Selecting an Arduino Board and Serial Port Saving an Arduino File The Editor, Message ...

Mac - Download and Install the Arduino IDE

Discussion: Before you begin using the Arduino IDE, you must first learn how to download, install, and set your preferences.  This lesson is specifically tailored for those who use a Mac. (The last lesson covered this same topic, but for PC users.) I'm currently running Mac OS X Yosemite.  You are probably running a newer version of Windows.  However, the following instructions will be almost identical from one version to the next.  If this should ever change, I’ll update this lesson to ...

PC - Download and Install the Arduino IDE

Discussion: Before you begin using the Arduino IDE, you must first learn how to download, install, and set your preferences.  This lesson is specifically tailored for those who use a PC.  The next lesson will cover this same topic, but for Mac users. I'm currently using a Windows 8.1.  You are probably running a newer version of Windows.  However, the following instructions will be almost identical from one version to the next.  If this should ever change, I’ll update this lesson to refl...

Arduino Integrated Development Environment Version

Discussion: The following videos will show you step by step how to download and install the Arduino Integrated Development Environment, or IDE for short.  We'll also be setting up some preferences in the IDE. The phrase Integrated Development Environment may sound complicated and crazy, but it's really not.  To be perfectly honest, it looks and feels a lot like a text editor, such as Microsoft Word or Notepad. Arduino IDE is simply a small software program that we're going to load on ou...

Map of the Familiarization Module

Discussion: Before we can start diving into programming the microcontroller on the Arduino, we need to have a solid understanding of the tools used to make it happen.  Therefore, in this particular lesson, we're just going to do an overview of what you'll learn in this familiarization module. As the name implies, this module will get you familiar with the software and hardware tools used throughout this course and beyond.  More specifically, this section will cover: The Arduino IDE Vers...

Parts List

Discussion: In this video, I’ll explain what parts you'll need to complete this Arduino Crash Course. Immediately below this discussion section, there is a summary checklist of links for these parts. You're welcome to check it out! The links take you to Jameco, a United States based electronics supplier. I'm actually one of their affiliates. So, if you decide to click any of those links below, you’ll be helping to make me a multi-millionaire and continue to buy fuel for my yacht. So that...

Rebranding Clarification

Open Source Hardware Group is now Programming Electronics Academy - we rebranded!

Our Premium Arduino Training

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If Statement Conditionals

If Statement (and else-if), Comparison Operators and Conditions In the last lesson, we learned about the if statement. The if statement was the perfect choice for setting up instructions to run only when certain conditions were met. “If 30 seconds has passed – stop the heating element” or “If the sensor perceives a wall – turn 180 Degrees”. This lesson will expand on this amazingly useful function and show you how to stack different conditions to satisfy the flexibility you want in your d...

Fade an LED with Arduino

Let’s expand the repertoire of output that we can use by looking at the function analogWrite(). I experienced much confusion with analogWrite(), because I suspected that it had to do with the analog pins on the Arduino. The function, however, has nothing to do with the analog pins. There are 5 pins on most Arduino boards marked with ‘PWM’ next to the pin number (on some boards it is an “~” symbol) – these pins can be invoked to rapidly change the power being applied at the pin – this is ...

How to read voltages with analogRead()

In the last lesson you learned about using the analogRead() function to collect data from a sensor connected to one of the Arduino analog pins. The range of data we received from the analogRead() function was mapped between 0 to 1023. What if we want to know the actual voltage being applied at the pin? If you like this tutorial, click here to check out FREE Video Arduino course – thousands of people have really enjoyed it. You Will Need Potentiometer (any resistance range will work) J...

analogRead() and the Serial Port

Knowing if something is on or off can be extremely useful, but often you will want to know more. How bright is the light? How fast is the satellite moving? These types of answers are often analog – they cover a large range of values, not just on or off. The Arduino handles analog inputs with 6 dedicated pins, labeled A0 through A5. These pins have access to an analog-to-digital converter, which takes the range of input values and creates a digital version by cutting up the range into tin...

digitalRead() and the Serial Port

As simple as it may seem, knowing when something is either on or off can be a great tool for designing something useful. This lesson will answer the following questions: Is a button being pressed? Has a switch been turned on? What is the on/off sensor status? When you can answer questions like these, you can implement actions based on the current status – if the button is pressed do this – otherwise, do that. If the sensor is HIGH take this action, otherwise do nothing. You get the gi...