Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Why is it awesome?
Arduino is an open source microcontroller development plaform based on the
Atmel
series
of microcontrollers. It has brought engineers, arists, and students to the same table. The
programming interface (programs are writen in C/C++ usually) is so simple and this was the
sole reason that made the plaform so popular. Hence, it is widely used for prototyping in
product development.
Over the years, there have been several hardware add-ons that aided in hardware
development using the Arduino. Some of these add-ons can be stacked on top of the
Arduino development plaform, and they are commonly referred to as
shields
. There are
shields for medical devices, interfacing sensors, GPS units, and actuators such as stepper
motors, servo motors, and so on. The ecosystem of the gadgets that are built around the
Arduino is so vast that the microcontroller plaform was launched into the stratosphere
along with a helium balloon.
Where can you buy an Arduino?
Since the Arduino is an open source microcontroller board, there are many resellers for
the product. The basic version of the Arduino is the Arduino Uno and costs about $29.95.
Arduino-related products are sold at websites such as Sparkfun, Adafruit, and Seeed Studio.
Your Hotshot objectives
In this project, we will do the following:
F
Install the Arduino IDE
F
Program the Arduino using the Raspberry Pi
F
Raspberry Pi AlaMode (or any other Arduino development board)
F
Introducion to Weasley Weather Clock and Bill of Materials
F
Control the stepper using the Arduino
F
Control the RGB LED Strip using the Arduino
F
I2C Communicaion using the Arduino (opional)
F
Serial port communicaion with the Raspberry Pi
Mission checklist
We need a Raspberry Pi along with an SD card flashed with the Raspbian OS, a micro USB
power cable, display setup, and an Arduino to get started. In the later secion of this project,
we will need some addiional hardware such as RGB LED Strips, motors, wires, and so on.
