Haven’t you ever thought to develop your own cool gadgets which can work on your command or you can control it in your desired way? Lets think of something innovative, for example it can be when I press this that happens, when door opens I get a tweet, when the sun is shiny turn on the air conditioner. Now you could think something more complex like when I press this if the sun is shiny and the wind is blowing fast send me a tweet, close the automated windows and turn on the AC.
There is a sea of revolutionary ideas, but what do we require? So here we are going to talk about the brain behind all such project starting from everyday object to complex scientific instrument that is ARDUINO.
Source: https://www.arduino.cc
Arduino is microcontroller, an open-source electronics platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software. Arduino was developed at the Ivrea Interaction Design Institute as an easy tool for fast prototyping, aimed at students without a background in electronics and programming.
Going more intense, we will first talk about integrated circuit. Integrated circuit (IC) is just a tiny computer that does some type of computation, traditionally IC have been a little difficult to use. One should have electronic knowledge are be able to know how to program in order to get them up and running, but the arduino team has a specific integrated circuit developed in the board so that somebody without any prior electronics or programming knowledge can really get started relatively simply. Arduino microcontrollers are pre-programmed with a boot loader that simplifies uploading of programs to the on-chip flash memory.
Now the way they have done this is in two-fold.
HARDWARE
Firstly, they have made the hardware easily accessible. The arduino board itself is just a printed circuit board and on the printed circuit board there is integrated circuit that is used.
The main component in the board is the microcontroller (in above illustration we have microcontroller Atmega328). Arduino board has digital pins, used to connect output source like LED, LCD etc and the analogue pins which is connected mostly to sensors, input components are connected to the analogue pins. The board has a power jack that is connected to the battery which supplies power to the arduino and a port which supplies power to the components. There is USB port which is used to upload the program in arduino and a reset button to restart the uploaded program.
SOFTWARE
Secondly, on the software side they have created an entire software programming environment that is very streamline for somebody who is just getting started with programming, to make it easier than ever to program. The microcontrollers can be programmed using the C and C++ programming languages, using a standard API (Arduino Language). To do so the Arduino programming language (based on Wiring), and the Arduino Software (IDE), based on processing is used. Now connect the arduino with the software using the USB cable and upload the program.
A worldwide community of makers – students, hobbyists, artists, programmers and professionals has gathered around this open-source platform and their contribution and ideas have added up to an incredible amount of accessible knowledge that can be of great help to novices and experts alike.
New Trends: As soon as it reached a wider community, the Arduino board started changing to adapt to new needs and challenges.
Source: www.electronics-lab.com
IoT is the latest technology that the transform devices in smart ones. Arduino in IoT applications, has developed so far that every instrument now a day is converted into smart devices.
Arduino machine learning (MI) is more beneficial rather sending all data to the cloud. ML is getting easier on arduino board.
Arduino is also used in artificial intelligence (AI).
Source: hackster.imgix.net
- Arduino find efficient use in 3D printing, and embedded environments.
Now, the question comes that why arduino only?
- The Arduino software is easy-to-use for beginners, yet flexible enough for advanced users.
- The arduino software is not restricted to any operating system. It runs on Mac, Windows, and Linux smoothly, whereas other microcontrollers are limited to Windows platform only.
- There are many other microcontrollers and microcontroller platforms available for physical computing. Parallax Basic Stamp, Netmedia’s BX-24, Phidgets, MIT’s Handyboard, and many others offer similar functionality, but all these tools take the messy details of microcontroller programming. Arduino also simplifies the process of working with microcontrollers.
- Arduino are comparatively inexpensive than other microcontroller platforms. Even the pre-assembled arduino modules costs less.
- The arduino software is published as open-source tools, available for extension by experienced programmers.
- It is the best platform for student to start themselves with programming and robotics and key tool to learn new things. Arduino is used in all possible stream you explore.
Following are the versions of other Arduino hardwares:
- Arduino UNO
- Arduino Leonardo
- Arduino Micro
- Arduino Nano
- Arduino Ethernet
- Arduino Mega
Till 2016, 17 versions of the arduino hardwares have been commercially produced. The different hardwares version can be selected depending on the application.
It would not be the arduino by itself you would have to have some extra hardware as well, but I think you got the gist of what arduino can do.
Currently, arduino find a lot of application worldwide and is being popular among the students and hobbyist. Now a days more arduino compatible devices and sensors are designed and invented. With these devices and sensors, arduino is becoming popular day by day with new ideas and innovations and it is used because of its simple and accessible user experience. Isn’t it extremely interesting, for you that you can mould your own ideas in your own ways. So, evoke the creativity hidden in you, and assemble some useful and efficient equipment or at least you can develop the prototype. Thanks for reading.