Introduction to Arduino

(programming, wiring, and more!)

 Goals of this lesson
• Learn what microcontrollers are and things they can do.
• Learn how to use a (solderless) breadboard to wire up sensors and other
hardware to an Arduino Uno.
• Learn to open, understand, comment, upload/run, and edit Arduino
programs (AKA sketches).
• Learn the difference between input, output, and power pins and also
between analog and digital pins.
• Learn to control things like LEDs and write information to the serial
monitor (a text window on the computer).
• Learn to read sensor values and log data to an SD card for later retrieval
and analysis.
• Learn the basics of using motors
• Learn to expand Arduino functionality with “shields.”
• Put you in a position to implement an Arduino-based computer system for
your own projects.
 What is a Microcontroller?
• “A microcontroller is a very small computer that
has digital electronic devices (peripherals) built
into it that helps it control things. These
peripherals allow it to sense the world around it
and drive the actions of external devices.” (Ref. 2)
• It is an “embedded computer system” that
continuously repeats software (programming)
commands
• Examples: Arduino Uno, Raspberry Pi, etc.
 Arduino Uno Digital
(Input/Output)
Pins
USB
Connector

Battery
Connector Analog
(Input)
Pins

Power Pins
Arduino Uno – more details (Ref. 2)
 Arduino Mega – Larger, more pins
(we won’t be using this today)
USB Serial Pins Digital Pins
Connector

Battery
Connector

Power Pins Analog

Pins
 Digital Pins
Arduino Mini (smaller)
Serial Connectors

Analog Pins

Power Pins
(Solderless) Breadboard (Ref. 2)
 Breadboard Innards (Ref. 2)

Insert 22-gauge solid wire jumpers and component leads into breadboard clips to make
electrical connections without soldering. Use the edge “rails” for power (5V) and ground.
 Introduction to Software
• Arduino microcontrollers are programmed using the Arduino
IDE (Integrated Development Environment)
– Can be downloaded for free from
http://arduino.cc/en/Main/Software
• Arduino programs, called “sketches”, are written in a
programming language similar to C and C++
• Every sketch must have a setup() function (executed just
once) followed by a loop() function (potentially executed
many times); add “comments” to code to make it easier to
read (technically optional, but actually required (by me))
• Many sensors and other hardware devices come with
prewritten software – look on-line for sample code, libraries (of
functions), and tutorials
 Parts of the IDE main screen
Name of current sketch
Main menus
Action buttons/icons
Verify (AKA compile)
Text area for Upload (send to Arduino)
writing/editing
sketches. Start a new sketch
Open a sketch (from a file)
Save current sketch (to a file)
Open Serial Monitor window

Error messages and other

feedback show up here.
BareMinimum – sketch organization
 Activity 1 – making an on-board and external LED blink
• Place an LED on the breadboard (don’t put both legs into a single (connected) column)
• Wire the LED’s negative (shorter) lead to a 560 Ohm “safety resistor” then wire the other
end of the resistor to ground (GND)
• Wire the LED’s positive (longer) lead to digital Pin 13 on the Arduino
• Plug in the Arduino with the USB cable and run the Arduino IDE software on the
computer
• Under Tools:Board make sure Arduino Uno is selected
• Under Tools:Serial Port select the correct COM port (e.g. COM3)
• Under File:Examples:01Basics select the Blink sketch
• Look at the code. Note delay(1000) waits 1000 millisec = 1 second
• Verify (AKA Compile) the code , then Upload it to the Uno – notice that it runs
immediately (and will re-run if you power cycle) – the sketch will stay in the Uno memory
until overwritten or erased
• Discuss how the sketch works (in general terms: setup(), loop(), liberal use of
comments); digital HIGH is 5V and LOW is 0V (ground)
• This is an example of “control (output) using digital pin 13”
 About Motors
• There are several different types
– Standard DC motor - input current for full continuous
rotation. No special pins or wiring.
– Standard servomotor (AKA servos) - Motor capable of limited
rotation (generally 180°) in precise degree increments. Uses
Servo library in Arduino. Have 3+ pins. Controlled by pulse-
width modulation (“~” pins)
– Continuous rotation servo – can go all the way around
continuously. Interprets PWM value as speed & dir.
– Stepper Motors - Servo capable of full rotation in small steps.
Uses Stepper library in Arduino. Have 3+ pins
– We are using a standard servo in this lesson.
 Activity 2: Using a Servo
• With the Arduino Uno unplugged, wire up the
servo according to the chart on the next slide
• Load the sketch Servo.ino
• Take a look at the code and note the commands
used to drive the servo. The comments should
help you understand what each does.
• Be careful – Some servos use a lot of power and
may need an external power source.
 Servo
Pin Description Attached To
Brown Ground GND
Red Power (5V) 5V
Orange Control Lead D3

Note that the servo has a plug attached to its ribbon cable. This is so that we can more
easily extend the cable using plugs and more ribbon cable. It also allows it to plug into
specific plugs built into some shields. Several companies make a few different Motor
Shields, which are shields specifically designed to drive servos, motors, and stepper
motors. These usually support 2 to 4 motors, although Adafruit has one that will
control 16. They generally have plugs built into the shield for the motors and often
drive them through some sort of a serial connection (I2C or SPI is common).

Right: Adafruit Motor Shield

http://www.adafruit.com/products/1411
 To Sweep or Not to Sweep
• In many applications it might not be
necessary to use a “sweep” sketch, where the
servo sweeps between angles in incremental
small steps.
• Another way may be to set the servo to just
“open” (go to one angle) and “close” (go to
another angle). This might be easier to code
than “sweep.”
 Note about Libraries:
• Libraries take large amounts of code and refine it into a few simple
commands we can use. Ex: datalog.print will print something to
a file.
• This actually takes a lot of code, but by putting it in a library we can
ignore the basic code and focus on the useful commands and functions
• Usually ends in a .h (header file)
• Used in our programs by the #include command: #include
"SD.h"
• Almost everything that is not analog (digital sensors, servos, etc) use a
library of some sorts (Many use the same library-ie. Wire)
• You can install more libraries into your IDE. Look under
Sketch:Import Library to see which ones you have.
• Ex: “SD.h”, SoftwareSerial.h, Wire.h, OneWire.h,
“RTClib.h”
Proto shield & “tiny” breadboard
• We are not using the proto
shield today, but they can be seen
in your kit.
• Notice that this “tiny” solderless
breadboard (ours are white) has
no power rails and very limited
real-estate. Use it wisely!
 A few words on sensors
• The rest of the lesson will focus on how to use various sensors to make
measurements and how to “log” (record) those values to an SD card.
• Sensors can be broken into two major categories:
• Analog sensors
– Based on changing the voltage of the sensor
– Can only use analog inputs (A0, A1, etc)
– Generally easier to program and use
– Not as accurate & easily interfered with by other electronics (noise in voltage)
• Digital Sensors:
– Usually use digital pins
– Can use more advanced forms of communication to let multiple sensors share the same
pins (sometimes even using analog pins)
– Generally more difficult to program and wire up; often need libraries and significantly
more code for each type of sensor used
– Most advanced sensors (GPS, IMU, etc) are digital – this is the best way to pass more
data between sensor and microcontroller quickly & efficiently
 About Digital Sensors:
• Digital Sensors run at two major voltages: 3.3V and 5V
• Always check to be sure you are providing the correct voltage. If you send
a 3.3V sensor 5V it is very easy to blow it out.
• Watching for pin conflicts and voltage discrepancies is par for the course
when using microcontrollers. If you aren’t careful you can get bad data,
fry components, or possibly even damage the microcontroller itself. Also
watch out for components that look alike (e.g. the analog temp sensor
and the digital temp sensor). Also remember that most components
require specific orientations; almost all, except resistors and some types
of capacitors.
Activity 3 – Wiring and logging sensor data

Sensors involved:
• Micro-SD card shield
• Data LED indicator (tells whether the SD card
is logging data (steady flash) or not (multi-
flash (indicating an error))
• Analog temperature sensor
• Digital 3-axis magnetometer sensor
 Micro SD Shield and
Data LED Indicator
• Plug the micro-SD shield directly onto an unpowered Arduino
Uno. All the legs must go straight into the header – don’t
bend any.
• Wire an LED using the tiny breadboard:
- Positive (long) end wired to a safety resistor. Other end of
resistor connects to digital pin 5.
- Negative (short) end wired to ground.
 Analog Temperature Sensor
• With the Arduino Uno unpowered, wire the TMP 36 sensor using the
table below
Pin Function Attached To
1 5V (Power) 5V pin
2 Analog Output Pin A2
3 Ground GND pin

 This 3-pin sensor has TMP written Note: The photo

on it. This is called a T0-92 shows flat side
package. facing you.
 Make sure the flat side of the
sensor has TMP written on it!
 Check the orientation!
 Digital 3-Axis Magnetometer
• With the Arduino unplugged, add the Digital 3 Axis Magnetometer to
your breadboard using the table below:
Pin Function Attached To
VCC Power Input (3.3V) 3.3V
GND Ground GND
SDA Serial Data Line (I2C A4
Bus)
SCL Serial Clock Line A5
(I2C Bus)
INT Interrupt Pin Not Connected
• The magnetometer can be combined with an accelerometer (and
maybe gyros) to make an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit)
– Not perfect - a magnetometer can be interfered with by magnets,
metals, and other electronic devices (good IMUs can account for
interference to some degree)
 Logging the Data
• Open the sketch Temp_Mag_Log.ino
• As you can see in the code setup, data logging can be a bit complex.
– Most of the time you can directly copy the code from the setup
loop used for the SD card
• A few details to keep in mind:
– Must do all reading/writing of data in the main loop.
– We included a special piece of code to write a new file each time
the Arduino is powered. Without this, it would overwrite our old
data
– Pins can change depending on the SD card reader you use.
Sparkfun MicroSD Shield uses D8 and D10-13.
 Datalogging (To SD Card)
• Load the sketch onto the Arduino
• Open the Serial Monitor window
- Important note! The serial monitor normally operates at 9600
baud but this sketch runs it at 115200 baud so you will need to open
the serial monitor and change the baud rate using the drop-down
menu at the bottom right hand corner.
• What is shown in the serial window? How can you verify the data
recorded is being saved onto the SD card?
• After you have run the Arduino for a bit, unplug it, disconnect the
SD card, and read the SD card on your computer. How does the data
look?
 What is always useful…
• How can you analyze raw data off the SD card? You may not
remember when/where it was taken so it is useful to add a
“time stamp” and/or a “GPS (location) stamp” to data as it is
saved.
• A RTC (real time clock) comes in certain SD shields or
breakout boards – use to put a time stamp on data.
• GPS can also come as a separate shield or a breakout board
on its own – use to put a location stamp on data.
• Again, when logging sensor data, it’s useful to tag the data to
help remember exactly where it came from.
 Note on writing to the “Serial Monitor”
• Before setup, the variable being recorded in a serial monitor or SD card
is declared
• In setup, the serial communications need to be started, with the baud
rate (char per second) given in parentheses: Serial.begin(9600);
• At the end of the loop, the command Serial.print(); is used to
print the data to the serial monitor.
• Every time the serial monitor is reopened, it is “refreshed” and starts
data over (e.g. if you were counting, it would always start at one when
you open it)
 Notes
• Flashing LEDs and/or writing information to the serial monitor (window) lets
the sketch tell observers what it is up to – the latter only works when you
are attached to a computer with a screen so the former method is more
likely for in-flight implementation
• Digital pins can be set to OUTPUT mode, after which you can send them
digital values (just HIGH or LOW) with digitalWrite or else more-
continuous analog values (from 0 to 255) with analogWrite – the latter
still sets them just HIGH or LOW, but does so only some fraction of the time
which makes some devices think the output voltage is somewhere between
HIGH (5 Volts) and LOW (0 Volts)
• Fritzing (free download): breadboard view (fairly realistic) vs circuit diagram
(AKA schematic)
A “breadboard view” looks fairly realistic
A circuit diagram (AKA schematic)
Typical wiring of a powered analog sensor
Note the utility of having breadboards with
“power rails” running down their sides.
 Next Steps
• This has only been a brief intro, things can get a lot
more complicated!
• Look on-line for help with advanced projects, weird
things (pin conflicts, voltage issues, software bugs, etc)
can happen pretty easily.
• Also keep in mind how much power you are drawing-
you can drain individual 9V batteries quickly- use more
in parallel to provide enough current for a long run
time.
• Research and think through projects before building. A
good plan can solve many problems before they occur.
 Additional resources
• https://learn.adafruit.com
– Adafruit makes many shields and sensors, and they have
tutorials for almost everything they carry
• http://www.arduinoclassroom.com/index.php/arduin
o-101
– Arduino Classroom is currently doing an intro series on
Arduinos. Check it for updates and more topics in the
future
• http://playground.arduino.cc/
– Arduino playground is the wiki run by the Arduino
company for its products. There is a lot of helpful
information on almost everything imaginable here.