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 An Introduction to Arduino IDE and Arduino Programming

An IDE (Integrated Development Environment) is a type of software that has all of the necessary features to make software development easier. An IDE contains a source code editor, a compiler or interpreter, and a debugger, which the developer can access via a graphical user interface (GUI). One of the primary goals of an IDE is to reduce the amount of configuration required to put together multiple development utilities and deliver the same set of capabilities as a single entity.

In this blog, we discuss the basics of Arduino IDE and Arduino Programming in detail.

What is the Arduino IDE? 

The Arduino Software (IDE) includes a text editor for writing code, a message area, a text console, a toolbar with buttons for basic functions, and a series of menus. It connects to the Arduino hardware, allowing it to upload and communicate with programs.

 The Arduino IDE provides a development environment for Arduino boards, as the name implies. It includes a powerful code editor, compiler, programmer, serial console, serial plotter, and other tools. It is simple and straightforward to use.

The Arduino IDE is cross-platform, meaning it can run on Microsoft, Linux, and Windows operating systems. You can also use the Arduino IDE and Arduino Language, which is a C/C++ variant, to program the boards.

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How to Install Arduino IDE?

Installing the Arduino IDE is a simple process. To get the most latest version of Arduino IDE, go to Arduino IDE. Multiple versions are available for various operating systems, including Windows, Mac, and Linux. Furthermore, the Arduino IDE is now available in two versions: Arduino IDE 1. x and Arduino IDE 2. x. The Classic 1. X variant will be discussed in this course. Both have nearly identical functionality, albeit with somewhat different user interfaces and some added capabilities like auto code completion.

  • From the above-mentioned website, download the installer for your operating system.
  • After the download is complete, run the.exe file.
  • Agree to the license agreement and select if the IDE should be installed for all users or not and click on “Next” to continue.
  • If you wish to modify the location where the IDE will be installed or keep it default, select it and click “Install.”
  • Wait for the installer to complete the installation before clicking “Close.”

Arduino Driver Installation

When it comes to getting started with Arduino Software, one of the most popular questions is how to install the board driver. But the truth is that you don’t need to be concerned. As soon as you connect the board to the computer, the installer will load all of the necessary files and install the drivers automatically.

Connecting Arduino Board to the Computer

To connect the Arduino board to the computer, simply connect the appropriate cable to the Arduino board and connect the other end to the USB port of your PC. The power LED will glow indicating the board is powered. The system will automatically install the driver for the board.

Arduino IDE – Basics

You can start the Arduino IDE by double-clicking the Arduino IDE shortcut on the Desktop or from the Start Menu after it has been installed. The Arduino IDE will now be launched. The Arduino IDE interface is shown in the image below.

Arduino IDE Introduction
  • Selecting the right Board on Arduino

Now it’s time to choose the appropriate board. Before compiling, it’s critical to choose the correct board because the compiler will utilize it in the compile instructions. To do so, go to “Tools” -> “Board” -> “Arduino AVR Boards” and choose your board from the list.

Arduino IDE Board Manager
  • Select the Arduino Serial Port

It’s also crucial to choose the right serial port to attach the Arduino board too. You won’t be able to upload the code to the board otherwise. To do so, go to “Tools” -> “Port” and choose the appropriate COM port. If you’re not sure which COM port to use, detach the Arduino board from the USB port and reopen the menu. The missing COM port entry will be the right COM port. Connect the Board to the same USB port as before and choose it.

Arduino Serial Port

Arduino Example Codes

To begin, we’ll use the LED Blink example that comes pre-installed with the Arduino IDE. Go to Files -> Examples -> Basics -> Blink to launch the Blink example.

Arduino Example Code

Example Blink Program for Arduino

Let’s open an example code to understand it further. For that click on File -> Examples -> Basics -> Blink.

A new window will open with the example blink code. Two functions, void setup() and void loop, are visible in the code area (). When the Arduino is turned on, the first function that runs is the void setup() function. Normally, any initialization codes will be added to this method. We’ll add any code that has to be repeated to the void loop() method, which will execute in a loop.

Arduino LED Blink Code

As mentioned earlier, in the void setup() function there is an initialization code.

pinMode(LED_BUILTIN, OUTPUT);

The pin attached to the built-in LED is set as an output in this line with pinMode(). pinMode() is used to change the status of a given pin from INPUT to OUTPUT. The syntax is pinMode (pin, mode). . The mode is INPUT or OUTPUT, and a pin is the pin number. We’re turning on the built-in LED pin, which is pin number 13 in the Arduino board definition file, as an output in this example.

Void loop () {
digitalWrite (LED_BUILTIN, HIGH);   // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)
delay(1000);                       //wait for a second
digitalWrite(LED_BUILTIN, LOW);   //turn the LED off by making the voltage Low
delay(1000);                     // wait for a second
}

When we look at the Loop method, we can see that we are continually calling two functions: digitalWrite() and delay ().

The digitalWrite() function is used to change the state of a single pin, i.e. to set it to high or low. The syntax is digitalWrite(pin, value), where pin is the pin number and value is the state or value we wish to set to the pin, such as HIGH or LOW.

The delay() function is a blocking function that stops a program from performing a job for the number of milliseconds supplied. Delay(1000) will, for example, suspend the program for 1000 milliseconds.

After setting the pin as an output, we set it to HIGH and wait 1000ms in the blink example. We change the pin status to LOW after 1000ms and wait another 1000ms or 1 second. The program will change the pin status back to HIGH after the 1Second wait, and this loop will repeat continuously. As a result, that pin will produce a square wave. When an LED is connected to this pin, it will blink. The blinking rate can be altered by altering the delay, which is done by adjusting the values in the delay() method.

Uploading Code on Arduino

Click the upload button in the quick action bar or go to Sketch -> Upload to confirm that the Arduino is plugged in and the correct board and port are selected before uploading the code. You can also use the Ctrl+U keyboard shortcut.

Programming Arduino

If everything went well, you’ll notice a message in the status bar that says “Done uploading” and the LED will begin to blink.

Conclusion

Hope this blog helps you to understand Arduino IDE and Arduino Programming. Hope you enjoyed the project and learned something useful. We, MATHA ELECTRONICS  will come back with more informative blogs.

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