Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
computer programming. This simplii ed electronics; instead of using multiple
logic gates, everything was connected directly to the microcontroller, which could
then be programmed to react to events from the outside world. Programs could be
l ashed and re-l ashed, and devices could be programmed and re-programmed,
opening the gates to a whole new world of electronics. In theory, a device could
be made that would adapt to almost every situation possible. The technology
existed; all that was left was for someone to create the device.
The Arduino Project
The Arduino project started in 2005, and was a project for the students at the Interaction
Design Institute Ivrea in Ivrea, Italy. Students were taught to use a BASIC Stamp, a
small microcontroller device programmable in PBASIC (a variation of the BASIC
programming language), but the price for this device (almost $75) was considered
to be too expensive for students, not only on acquisition, but also to replace dam-
aged units.
Arduino started as a project for design students, targeted as a replacement
for the BASIC Stamp. The Atmel 8-bit AVR was chosen for its simplicity and
low price, and had the extra advantage of requiring few external components.
It also has an impressive amount of inputs and outputs, making it a perfect
choice for future designs.
Students and teachers worked together on a new design, one that used the
Atmel AVR and that could easily accept external cards. When the original
design was completed, researchers worked to make the design lighter, less
expensive and easily usable by students, enthusiasts, and engineers. The i rst
Arduino board was born. Improvements on the Arduino's original design,
such as replacing the DB-9 serial connector with USB, has helped expand the
platform's appeal.
There are two sides to every Arduino. There is, of course, the hardware, but
this is only part of an Arduino project. Every Atmel microcontroller used for
Arduino comes with a specii c i rmware, a small program embedded on every
device that looks for a program to run or helps install a program using a serial
device.
The i nal design was released as open source and was designed and sold
by Arduino. Releasing Arduino as an Open Source Hardware project was an
interesting move. Because it was open source, it attracted more and more users
to look into their projects. Because the Arduino already had an excellent input/
output design, users began to create boards that could be added to the original
Arduino. When Arduino designed a new board, it kept the original input/output
layout, enabling existing add-ons to be used with new designs.
Originally designed for education, the Arduino project became famous with
electronics enthusiasts, and its boards were sold by more and more distributors.
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