1. What is Arduino?

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• Arduino is a set of tools that are better than your desktop computer for sensing and controlling the real physical world. It consists of a computer platform based on a simple microcontroller and an open-source development environment for programming Arduino boards.

  Arduino can be used to develop interactive products, as it can read a large number of switch and sensor signals, and can control various lights, motors, and other physical devices. Arduino projects can be standalone or communicate with programs running on your computer (e.g., Flash, Processing, MaxMSP). You can choose to assemble the Arduino board yourself or purchase a pre-assembled one; the Arduino open-source IDE can be downloaded for free.

  The programming language of Arduino is similar to wiring corresponding to a physical computing platform; it is based on a multimedia programming environment.

2. The Origin of Arduino

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• Massimo Banzi was previously a teacher at a high-tech design school in Ivrea, Italy. His students often complained about not being able to find affordable and easy-to-use microcontrollers. In the winter of 2005, Massimo Banzi discussed this issue with David Cuartielles, a Spanish chip engineer who was then a visiting scholar at the school. The two decided to design their own circuit board and brought in Banzi’s student David Mellis to program the circuit board’s programming language. Two days later, David Mellis wrote the code. Three days later, the circuit board was completed. Massimo Banzi liked to go to a bar called di Re Arduino, named after the Italian king Arduin from 1000 years ago. To commemorate this place, he named the circuit board Arduino.

3. Why Use Arduino?

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• There are many microcontrollers and microcontroller platforms suitable for designing interactive systems. Examples include Parallax Basic Stamp, Netmedia’s BX-24, Phidgets, MIT’s Handyboard, and others that provide similar functions. With all these tools, you do not need to worry about the intricate details of microcontroller programming; they offer you an easy-to-use toolkit. Arduino also simplifies the workflow of working with microcontrollers, but compared to other systems, Arduino has advantages in many areas, making it particularly suitable for teachers, students, and hobbyists:

4. Features of Arduino

• From the beginning of its development, Arduino clearly defined its application environment and designed an open-source platform for easy secondary development. The main features of Arduino are as follows:

  Open-source circuit diagram design. The program development interface is available for free download and can be modified as needed.

  Uses low-cost microcontrollers (ATmega8 or ATmega128). Can be powered via USB, requiring no external power supply, or use an external 9VDC input.

  Supports ISP online burners to burn Bootloader firmware into the chip. The Arduino controller comes with a Bootloader program, which is the first code that runs after the system powers up, similar to the BIOS program in a PC, performing self-checks and configuring ports, etc. Of course, the microcontroller is set to start from the boot area by burning the fuse bits, and using this program allows you to directly store the program sent from the serial port into the flash area. Therefore, when downloading programs using the Arduino compilation environment, the microcontroller is first reset to start the Bootloader program, guiding the program sent from the serial port to be successfully written into the flash area, which can be rewritten, making software updates very convenient. With the Bootloader, firmware can be updated via the serial port or USB to RS232 cable.

  Can simplify the Arduino module based on the official PCB and SCH circuit diagrams to complete independent microcontroller operation.

  Can easily connect to sensors and various electronic components, such as infrared, ultrasonic, thermistors, photoresistors, servos, etc.

  Supports various interactive programs such as Flash, Max/MSP, VVVV, PureData, C, Processing, etc. Uses low-cost microcontrollers.

  In terms of applications, using Arduino breaks the limitations of interaction that could only be achieved with mouse, keyboard, CCD, etc., allowing for simpler single or multi-player game interactions. The features of Arduino have led to its increasingly widespread application.

5. Basic Structure of Arduino

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• The Arduino system has developed different versions for different application environments. This article uses the “Arduino DuEMIlanove” version as an example, which was developed in 2009, based on the ATmega328 microcontroller board, capable of automatically selecting the power supply. Just connect it to a computer via USB or power it with an adapter to start using it.

  1 9V DC input provides external power output for the Arduino board, enabling it to drive high-power external devices like servos;

  1 USB port connects to the computer, allowing the Arduino IDE to upload user-written control programs to the control board, while also powering the circuit board to drive low-power external devices;

  14 digital input/output ports, where ports 0 (RX) and 1 (TX) are connected to the serial pins of the main control chip for receiving and sending TTL serial data. Ports 2 and 3 can receive external signals to realize external interrupt functions; ports 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, and 11 serve as PWM ports for motor PWM speed control or music playback; ports 10 (SS), 11 (MOSI), 12 (MISO), and 13 (SCK) can provide SPI communication mode with the support of the SPI module library; port 13 internally connects to an LED indicator light, which turns on and off with the high and low levels of pin 13;

  6 analog input/output ports, where ports 4 (SDA) and 5 (SCL) can achieve I2C communication;

  1 5V DC output and 1 3.3V DC output can provide 3.3V and 5V DC power for other circuits; 1 reset interface.

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