Preparation

For this workshop you will need:

  • An Arduino UNO and it’s USB cable.
  • A few basic electronic components, as found in most Arduino starter kits: a breadboard, some jumper wires, a piezo, a 10k ohm resistor, a few 220 or 330 ohm resistors, a photoresistor, and a few LEDs.
  • Access to Arduino IDE Software, either installed on your computer or via the online Web Editor – see notes below.

Most of this workshop is based on projects from the official Arduino starter kit. This means the code examples are built into the IDE and the parts are readily available.

At U of I The MILL will provide all the required materials. However, it may be helpful to set up Arduino IDE on your own computer so that you will have the code and tools available after the workshop.

Choosing an Arduino IDE Version

The Arduino IDE is software used to write code for your Arduino projects, then compile and load the code onto your boards. There is a browser-based version or a stand alone desktop application.

Each version has some advantages and limitations–but in the end they function very similarly and do exactly the same thing! Personally, I suggest using the desktop version for starting out.

Arduino Desktop IDE

The Desktop IDE (v2) is open source software than can be installed on your computer.

  • Visit the Arduino Software page, and look in the “Download Options” section for the version matching your operating system.
  • Check the installation documentation for step-by-step instructions for different operating systems:
    • Windows – download the first option (“Win 10 and newer”) which is an installer file. Run the file to install on your system (this will require administrative privileges!)
    • Mac – download the Max OS version depending on your processor type. Drag the downloaded package into your Applications.
    • Linux – download the AppImage, set to executable, and modify USB rules.
  • Check the full IDE documentation for more information and tutorials.

Note: the IDE recently went through a major redesign to version 2. The old version 1 is now called the Legacy IDE.

Many tutorials and documentation still refer to the old version. However, the interface and options are nearly the same! You should be able to follow along with out issues using the new version.

Sometimes the initial install on Windows does not require administrative privilege, however, on first time booting the IDE will try to install cores for your boards and may encounter permissions errors–click the “Board Manager” tab, select “Arduino AVR Boards”, and click “install” to get them manually installed and working.

For workshops and teaching where you do not have administrative privileges, unfortunately the IDE v2 doesn’t have a “portable IDE” version yet. You can still set up a portable version using the legacy v1, follow Arduino IDE Portable Installation.

Arduino Web Editor

The Arduino website tends to push people towards using the Web Editor, which is a browser based version of the Arduino IDE. It allows you to edit and store all your code online without installing the desktop IDE.

The Web Editor enables some advanced IoT features (that aren’t necessary if you are just getting started using Arduino UNO projects), and is tied to a subscription service model–normal use should fall in the “free” tier, but you might get reminders about how great it would be to upgrade!

To get started you will need an individual account set up and the “Arduino Create Agent” installed on your laptop with administrative privileges. In many workshop and teaching situations these requirements might make getting started harder with the Web Editor than using the desktop version.

Get started:

Note: the documentation is a bit of a maze, seems to be undergoing some updates and rearrangement. It is easiest to use the links built into the Web Editor to find help. Chromebooks are supported in the newest version, which isn’t clear from documentation–and you do not need the old paid app version!