How to Code Your Arduino Board

With a budding community always making easy-to-follow and fun projects, you’ll never run out of ideas for what you can do with an Arduino microcontroller board.

That said, the most important part of any Arduino project is the code that runs everything. Programming your Arduino right is the key to ensuring a properly working electronics project. But how do you code Arduino?

What Is an Arduino?

Arduino is an open-source prototyping platform. It’s easy to use, features a GPIO header for connecting sensors and other electronic components, and has a relatively simple programming language. The boards come in different shapes and sizes, from as small as the Arduino Nano for deployable projects to the Arduino Mega 2560 for projects with more hardware. Read this Arduino beginner’s guide for more information on the platform.

How to Program an Arduino

Programming an Arduino is as simple as plugging hardware into one. All you need is an Arduino board, an appropriate USB cable (check which type of USB port your Arduino has), and a computer to get started. You’ll be using the Arduino Programming Language based on C++.

While it has a downloadable IDE, you can also use your web browser to code Arduino. Do keep in mind that you’ll have to install the Arduino Agent if you’re using the browser-based IDE – the first time you try it, you’ll be asked to download and install the Agent before you can get to coding.

Components of an Arduino Program

Arduino programs are called sketches. They’re usually written in two main functions:

• setup(): This function only runs once per Arduino boot cycle. This means that any initializations, declarations, or setting up are done within this function.
• loop(): This function keeps looping over and over as long as your Arduino has power. Most of the functional code is written in this method.

As you would with any other program or script, any important libraries and values are declared and imported before the two functions mentioned above. Based on your requirements, you’re free to add more functions if you’d like.

You can use the Serial Monitor to see the data that your Arduino is sending over the serial USB connection. The Serial Monitor is also used for interacting with the board using your computer or other capable devices. It also includes a Serial Plotter which can plot your serial data for better visual representation.

Read More: How to Code Your Arduino Board – MakeUseOf