Introduction to Arduino

With ArduBlock & LilyPad Dev

Brian Huang
Education Engineer
brian.huang@sparkfun.com
Pre-Class Survey

http://bit.ly/14Xk3Ek
 Resources

This PPT 

ArduBlock Download & Installation 

http://www.ardublock.com/
 General Rules

Raise your hand if you have a question.

Be respectful.
When I raise my hand…
Share your findings with the people near
you.
Poke around, experiment, and have fun…
Imagine, create, and play!!!
 Objectives

Provide a thorough introduction to the Arduino

programming environment.

Develop a use of simple functions to interact

with the LEDs, light sensor, push button, and
buzzer on the Protosnap Pro Mini.
Arduino LilyPad Protosnap Dev

What is it?

What can it do?

Who cares?
 What is it?

Heart of it – ATMega328 (a $4 microcontroller)

Open Source
High tolerance for ESD and “bad” electronics
practices…
Provides easy way to interact with a computer
physically – a.k.a. physical computing
What can it do?

-Great for prototyping

ideas
-Great to teach Intro to
Programming Arduino (no
assembly required!)
-Lots and lots of options!
-Large pads can be sew-
able
 Who cares?

Hackers / Makers
Engineers
Artists
Musicians
Kids!
Teachers!!
You!!!
Physical Computing
Components, Silk Screen & Pins
What is all this???

the Brain
ATmega328

Temp.
Sensor

Light
Sensor

Buzzer /
Speaker
Actual Pin-outs
 ArduBlock

Introduction to Programming
Scratch-like interface
Clear transition to text-based coding
Block Organization
Control
Block Organization
Pins
 Block Organization
Numbers/Constants
Block Organization
Operators
Block Organization
Operators
Block Organization
Utilities
Block Organization
Utilities I2C
 Understanding Input vs. Output
Referenced from the perspective of the microcontroller (electrical board).

Inputs is a signal / information Output is any signal exiting the

going into the board. board.

Almost all systems that use physical computing will have

some form of output

What are some examples of Outputs?

 Startup Arduino IDE

Double-click on either
the Arduino Icon or
wherever you installed
(saved) the Arduino
program.
Plug it in
Lesson #0 – Configuring Arduino

1. Setup Board
(LilyPad Arduino w/ ATmega328)
2. Setup COM Port
PC – Highest COM #
Mac – /dev/tty.usbserial-A####xXx
Settings: Tools  Board
Settings: Tools  Serial Port
Other Board Types
Load ArduBlock
Lesson #0 – Test Upload
Check for Status Messages
 Let’s get to hacking…

Lesson #1 – Blinking an LED

“Hello World” of Physical Computing

Psuedo-code – how should this work?

Turn
Turn Rinse &
Wait LED Wait
LED ON Repeat
OFF
 Let’s get to hacking…

Lesson #1 – Blinking an LED

“Hello World” of Physical Computing
LED Pins

16 18 17
 How are Analog Pins really
identified?

Digital Pins are numbered 0 to 13.

Analog Input Pins are A0 to A5.
A0 = 14
A1 = 15
A2 = 16
A3 = 17
A4 = 18
A5 = 19
 Alright? Let’s blink!

Challenge 1a – Blink multiple LEDs

Plan out a pattern – can you make it?

Challenge 1b – Blink to mimic a heartbeat

Challenge 1c – Multiple LEDS – Knight

Rider style
Save your Project

• Save early, Save

often!

• Enumerate your
iterations – (e.g.
blink_10.adp,
blink_11.adp,
blink_12.adp…)
 Concept: Analog vs. Digital
Microcontrollers are digital devices – ON or OFF.

An Analog signal is anything that can be a full

range of values. What are some examples? Think
of like a ramp or a hill.
 Concept: Analog vs. Digital
To create an analog signal, the
microcontroller uses a technique called
PWM.
Pins 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11 are capable of producing an
Analog Output

Pulse Width Modulation (PWM)

 Color Mixing with 3 LEDs
analogWrite()

Challenge 2a:
1) How do you turn on the RED LED?
2) Experiment with different values – what do you observe
happens?
3) How do you turn on the GREEN or the BLUE LED?
 Color Mixing with 3 LEDs
Tri-color LED

The RGB LED is a Common-

Anode (means the positive side 5V
of the LED is all tied to Vcc).

The signal line is connected to the

bottom of each LED.

Don’t worry - it’s just a different Pin

9
Pin
11
Pin
10
method of completing a circuit!
 Color Mixing with 3 LEDs
analogWrite()
Challenge 2b:
Experiment with different values of Red, Green, and Blue
to create a couple different colors.
Write down the values you used. Check these values
with www.colorpicker.com

Challenge 2c:
Create a unique lighting display that integrates a blink,
fade, or a switching of colors. Be prepared to have a
name for your art piece and show this to the rest of the
class.
Save your Project #2
Concept: If(), If() – else…
conditional logic
Concept: If(), If() – else…
conditional logic
 A Simple Example

DIG
INPUT 2

Try this bit of code.

What do you think will happen?

Test it and write down your
observations.
 digital Inputs
Buttons / Slide Switches

What about
this??

Analog Pin Digital I/O ID

Analog Pin Mapping

A0  14 INPUT A5
INPUT A5
A1  15 (a.k.a. 19)

A2  16
A3  17
A4  18
A5  19
A6  20
 digital Inputs
Buttons / Slide Switches

Same as
Pin A5

Challenge 3a:
Re-arrange the blocks or add new ones to:
• Turn ON an LED when the button is pressed.
• Otherwise blink continuously…
 digital Inputs
Buttons / Slide Switches

Challenge 3b:
Now, using the button / switch – to start a disco/light changing
pattern

Challenge 3c:
Now, using the button / switch – to turn on and off the VIBE
motor.
 Serial Monitor

Serial print
command
Any
message
“glue”
Data
Example
Open up Serial Monitor
 Reading the
Light Sensor?
 Challenge

Use the light sensor input to affect the blink

rate of the LEDs.

Use the light sensor input to affect the speed

of a “knight-rider” or cylon display.

Use the light sensor to ___________.

Save your Project #3
Sensors
 Making Music
Setting up the Speaker
 Making Music
Let’s Play a song…

Twinkle-Twinkle:
CC GG AA G FF EE DD C GG
Happy Birthday:
GGAGCBGGAGDCGGGECCBA
Hot Cross Buns:
B A G <> B A G <> G G G G <> A A A A B A G
Mary Had A Little Lamb:
B A G A BB B <> AA A <> BB B <>
B A G A BBBB AAA BAG.
 Musical Notes / Frequencies

Note Frequency (Hz) Note Frequency (Hz)

C4 261 C5 523
C#4/Db4 277 C#5/Db5 554
D4 293 D5 587
D#4/Eb4 311 D#5/Eb5 622
E4 329 E5 659
F4 349 F5 698
F#4/Gb4 369 F#5/Gb5 739
G4 392 G5 783
G#4/Ab4 415 G#5/Ab5 830
A4 440 A5 880
A#4/Bb4 466 A#5/Bb5 932
B4 493 B5 987
Save your Project #4
Tone
Getting started with Arduino
 Additional Resources

http://www.sparkfun.com

http://learn.sparkfun.com

http://www.arduino.cc

http://www.bildr.org
SparkFun Tutorials and Projects
- GardenBot:
www.sparkfun.com/news/598
- High Altitude Balloon:
www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/180
- GPS Clock:
www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/47
- Earthquake Data Logger:
www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/235
 Thousands of Amazing ideas…

The Cat Defender…

http://www.plasma2002.com/blenderdefende
r/
List of projects at Sparkfun:
http://goo.gl/2M3AM
Questions?
 Feedback?

Before leaving, please fill out a quick survey

so that I can get your e-mail and a little
info about your familiarity with Arduino /
Sparkfun.

Thanks!

http://bit.ly/ZAmDMk
 www.sparkfun.com
6175 Longbow Drive, Suite 200
Boulder, Colorado 80301
 Buttons / Slide Switches
Digital Input, Pull-up Resistors, and
digitalRead()

DIG
INPUT
 Buttons / Slide Switches
Digital Input, Pull-up Resistors, and
digitalRead()

DIG
INPUT