Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
4.3 Getting Started with an Arduino Microcontroller
Very detailed instructions on how to install the Arduino software are provided by the Arduino
getting started page for Windows, Mac OSX and many versions of Linux. 15 In keeping with
the open-source ethos of this topic, we will quickly go through how to install the Arduino
software on Linux. First, install Linux on your computer if you are not using it already. The
hardest part about doing this is choosing the right flavor of Linux, there are many distribu-
tions with various atributes, 16 and I would recommend either going right to Debian 17 or us-
ing Linux Mint. 18 You can try Debian by booting a live system from a CD, DVD or USB key
without installing any files to your computer. When you are ready, you can run the included
installer . 19
Regardless of what distribution of Linux you chose, you will have access to some form
of package maintainer. 20 For example, in Ubuntu Linux, the package manager is called Sy-
namptic Package Manager, which you can get to by search for package manager in the dash-
board. Installing the Arduino software is this easy:
1. Open your package manager.
2. Ensure it is updated by clicking “reload”.
3. Type in “Arduino”.
4. Select the packages you want to install from the list generated (the first two).
5. Click “apply”.
The package installer will then (1) install it, (2) put it in your menus and (3) take all depend-
encies automatically. It just works. Most Windows users will be pleasantly surprised by the
ease of the process.
4.4 Working with the Arduino
Open the Arduino IDE software you installed in the last section. It should look like Figure 4.3 .
 
 
 
 
 
 
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