What is Arduino? How to Get Started and Write Your First Sketch

It seems like everybody around you is doing Arduino, but not you? Why? It sounds interesting, but you’re not sure what exactly it is and why you would want to use it? How do you get started? If you have these questions or similar, then this video is for you.

What is Arduino?

Strictly speaking, it is the ensemble of a microcontroller board, programming tools, function libraries and a bootloader.

The most popular Arduino microcontroller board is the UNO based on the ATmega328 microcontroller from Microchip’s AVR family, but today it can be almost any microcontroller from any manufacturer.

The programming environment is a simplified and easy-to-use Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for creating usually small programs, commonly referred to as Sketches. There are offline versions and there is a cloud-based IDE that can be used without installing anything on your computer. The power lies in the huge collection of software libraries that make writing a working program a breeze. From sensors and peripherals to networking and home automation, there is a library for almost anything.

Finally, the bootloader programmed inside the microcontroller makes special programming tools unnecessary. The only tool you need is a computer with a USB port.  

Read More: What is Arduino? How to Get Started and Write Your First Sketch | Elektor Magazine