Introduction to Mind+ – Arduino Programming Series for Primary and Secondary Schools

1. Understand what Mind+ software is.

2. Learn how to download and install Mind+ software.

3. Familiarize with the Mind+ software interface and understand the two modes.

4. Be able to write programs for Arduino in Mind+ software to light up the onboard LED.

1 DFRduino main control board

1 USB data cable

In the last lesson, we learned what Arduino is and what it can do. We also got to know the DFRduino UNO main control board and its main components. Today, let’s learn about Mind+ software, how to download and install it, and perform simple programming to light up the onboard LED.

We see various cool works that are inseparable from the control of peripherals by the main control board.

Why can the main control board control peripherals?

That’s because we have loaded programs onto the main control board.

How do we write programs?

Today, let’s talk about the software Mind+ that can be used to write programs for the Arduino UNO main control board.

1. Introduction to Mind+

Mind+ is a domestically developed programming software for young people with independent intellectual property rights. It integrates various mainstream main control boards and hundreds of open-source hardware, supports artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) functions, allowing users to experience the joy of creation easily through both graphical block programming and advanced programming languages such as Python/C/C++. In the upcoming courses, we will use Mind+ software to program the Arduino UNO board, achieving colorful creative manufacturing.

2. Downloading and Installing Mind+ Software

Next, let’s learn how to download and install Mind+ software. The steps are as follows:

Open the Mind+ official website: http://mindplus.cc, click the “Download Now” button, choose the appropriate client to download to a suitable location on your computer; run the program, select Simplified Chinese, click “Agree to Install”, and install it in an appropriate location on your computer; after installation, click the “Finish” button. The video on downloading and installing Mind+ software is as follows:

Video 1: Downloading and Installing Mind+ Software

(Note: If you encounter issues with downloading and installing the software, you can check the links below or leave a comment at the bottom of the article. Software installation FAQ: https://mindplus.dfrobot.com.cn/zhunbei

What? Don’t want to download the software because it takes up space? Then use online programming, which can also be used.)

3. Understanding the Software Interface and the Two Modes

When you open the software, the first thing to know is that Mind+ has two significantly different modes: “Real-time Mode” and “Upload Mode”, which can be switched in the upper right corner of the software interface.

Since we want to program a main control board like the Arduino UNO (the most representative hardware), and after making the project, we need to run it independently of the computer, we choose “Upload Mode”.

Here’s a “panoramic view” for your enjoyment.

Mind+ Software Interface

4. Lighting Up the Arduino Onboard LED

Preparation Before Programming

First, select “Upload Mode”, then connect the Arduino main board to the host using a USB data cable. Here, it is crucial to select “Upload Mode”, as the program written can only be uploaded to the Arduino Uno main control board via the “Upload to Device” button in “Upload Mode”.

On the first use, select the device connection, and install the serial port driver with one click, selecting the next step until the driver installation is complete. Once all drivers are installed, you can use them.

In the device connection dropdown menu, select the corresponding serial port COM3—Uno. Here, the serial port number may be COM4, COM5, etc. After connecting the device, we can see which COM port has been added in the “Connection Device” dropdown menu; this newly added one is the COM port we need to connect. If there are multiple COM ports and you are unsure, you can also determine the serial port number by plugging and unplugging the USB data cable connected to the Arduino Uno main control board and observing the changes in the “Connection Device” dropdown menu.

Click the expansion button in the lower left corner, and in the main control board options, we can see many different main control boards. We select the Arduino Uno main control board. In the upcoming “Introduction to Arduino and Mind+ Programming” course, we will always choose the Arduino Uno main control board.

Starting Programming

Next, let’s drag the code modules to write the program:

Find the program block “Set Digital Pin 2 Output to High” in Arduino, drag the block to the looping execution program on the right, and change “Set Digital Pin” to Pin 13. (The onboard LED corresponds to Pin 13).

Program to Light Up the Onboard LED

After completing the program, select “Upload to Device”.

After the program is uploaded to the Arduino Uno main control board, we can see the L light stays on. Our first program has been successfully burned onto the Arduino Uno main control board.

(Video 2: Connecting devices, programming, uploading programs, and testing the work)

Try to modify the program to achieve the effect of turning off the onboard LED.

Other programming software that supports Arduino main control boards

In addition to Mind+, there are many other software that support Arduino main control boards. Below are a few more programming software that supports Arduino main control boards and can perform graphical programming.

Mixly, developed by the Maker Education Laboratory of Beijing Normal University, is a graphical programming software based on Google Blockly graphical language. It currently supports most Arduino models, and third-party hardware can also create library files. The software is stable in updates and has many accompanying tutorials, suitable for students in upper grades of primary school.

S4A (Scratch For Arduino), as the name suggests, is an extension of Scratch that supports Arduino. If you are familiar with the Scratch interface, getting started with S4A is easy, but since S4A is developed by foreign programmers, the support for Chinese is not very good, and there are relatively few accompanying Chinese tutorials.

mBlock, produced by Makeblock Maker Workshop in China, is also based on Scratch 3.0. In addition to supporting Arduino, micro:bit, and other open-source hardware, mBlock also supports many products from Makeblock, such as Cheng Xiaoben, Neuron electronic building blocks, etc.

Handan High School Information Technology

Ma Jianhui Master Studio