Arduino as a learning tool
Ahmad Adamu Galadima
Nigerian Turkish Nile University
Abuja, Nigeria
Email: galadimahmad@gmail.com
Abstract-In this paper we shall take a brief look at the
Arduino microcontroller and some of its applications and how
it can be used in learning. Arduino is an open-source microcon­
troller used in electronic prototyping. Arduino hardware and its
components shall be looked at. Software and the Environment
that Arduino runs on are both looked at too. Some applications
will be taken as examples that can help make learning Arduino
more interesting. This can be used as a major way to encourage
students and others to learn more about electronics and program­
ming.
Keywords-Arduino, hardware, software, applications, micro­
controllers, arduino environment, learning.
I. I NTRODUCT ION
Arduino is an open-source physical computing [1] platform
based on a simple microcontroller board and a development
environment that implements the Processing language [2]. It
was originally meant for artists and designers to create elec­
tronic prototypes. They would be able to create these designs
easily with a little knowledge of programming and electronics
without going too deep into it. Electronic prototyping was
traditionally only associated with engineering and engineers.
Arduino can be used to develop interactive objects, taking
in inputs to control outputs. Projects done with Arduino can
be stand-alone or they can communicate with software running
on a computer [3]. So many interesting projects can be found
that center around arduino. In fact many "shields" [4] (separate
boards that can be connected) are created to add functionality
to the Arduino board.
Today the world we live in is becoming hugely depen­
dent on technology. This means there is a need for a more
technically skilled workforce to build and maintain required
technology. Many new technologies are interactive, therefore it
makes it easier to create environments in which learning can be
done by doing, recieving feedback and refining understanding
and building new knowledge [5].
Learning tools over the years have ranged from pieces
of chalk and slate to pencil and paper, from fountain pens
to ballpoint pens and so on [5]. Introducing the Arduino
microcontroller to various levels of education can help improve
interest of building/designing things. Through various projects
that would be worked on, it will greatly improve critical think­
ing and problem solving skills. There are a lot of projects that
can be found online and new projects are being built almost on
a daily basis. With an Arduino board, few other components
and a little imagination, the possibilities are limitless.
978-1-4799-4106-3/14/$31.00 © 2014 IEEE
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II. ARDUINO
A. HARDWARE
i) introduction: There are a wide variety of Arduino
boards [6] out there, but only the Arduino Uno will be looked
at. The Arduino Uno is a microcontroller board based on the
ATmega328 [7], which is a high-performance Atmel 8-bit AVR
RISC-based microcontroller. The device operates between 1.8-
5.5 volts [8].
The Arduino Uno has 14 digital input/output pins, 6 analog
inputs, a 16 MHz ceramic resonator, a USB connection, a
power jack, an ICSP header, and a reset button. It contains
everything needed to support the microcontroller; simply con­
nect it to a computer with a USB cable or power it with a
AC-to-DC adapter or battery to get started.
2) Power: The Arduino Uno can be powered via the
USB connection or with an external power supply (AC-to-DC
adapter or battery).
Leads from a battery can be inserted in the Gnd and Vin
pin headers of the power connector. The board can operate on
an external supply of 6 to 20 volts.
3) Input/Output: Each of the 14 digital pins on the Uno
can be used as an input or output. This can be done using
the pinModeO, digitalWriteO and digitalReadO functions [9].
They operate at 5 volts. In addition, some pins have specialized
functions.
4) Communication: The Arduino Uno has a number of
facilities for communicating with a computer, another Arduino
board, or other microcontrollers. A Software Serial library
allows for serial communication on any of the Uno's digital
pins. [10]
B. SOFT WARE
Arduino environment is open-source and easy to use [11]. It
is written in Java and based on Processing [12] and other open
source software. It runs on various platforms such as Windows,
Mac OS X, and Linux. It is designed to introduce programming
to people unfamiliar with software development, which makes
it convenient for students. It includes a code editor with
features such as syntax highlighting, brace matching, and
automatic indentation, and is also capable of compiling and
uploading programs to the board with a single click. A program
or code written for Arduino is called a "sketch".
Arduino sketches are written in C or C++. The Arduino
integrated development environment (IDE) comes with a soft­
ware library called Wiring [13] from the original Wiring
project, which makes many conunon input/output operations
much easier.
C. ENVIRONMENT
The Arduino development environment contains a text
editor for writing code, a message area, a text console, a
toolbar with buttons for common functions and a series of
menus. It connects to the Arduino hardware to upload sketches
and communicate with them. [9]
III. A B RIEF HISTORY OF MICROCONTROLLERS
In the early 70's both Intel and Texas instruments started
developing higher integrated microprocessors. Intel continued
in the development of microprocessors while Texas Instru­
ments took a slightly different route. Instead of just a single
chip microprocessor, they decided to add built in memory to
it and the microcontroller was born [14].
Though microprocessors could be a basis for a much more
powerful computer, it would need other chips to work. The
microcontroller with its all-in-one approach needs little help
from other chips although it had a limited range of functions it
could perform [15]. From being used in simple calculators and
as gas pump meters, to its developement and wide usage in
various areas. Today microcontrollers can be found in virtually
every electronic device we use.
I V. ARDUINO AS A LEARNING TOOL
Arduino was actually formed when Massimo Banzi's
students couldnt find affordable and efficient microcontrollers
for a project they were working on. Banzi [16] together
with David Cuartielles [17] created their very own board
with one of Banzi's students, David Mellis [18], writing the
programming language for it. Because of how easy it was
to use, it became a hit amongst students even if they didnt
know much about computer programming and electronics
[19]. Soon enough interesting designs using the Arduino
microcontroller started springing up. Whether it was making
things move or controlling things, Arduino grew in popularity.
[20]
It is very interesting to see results of a project worked on.
Be it a blinking light, a moving part and so on. This interest is
what motivates people to design something of their own. The
number of projects that can be worked on are endless and are
limited only by one's imagination. In the following section we
shall look at a few project designs using arduino.
A. Why Arduino?
With the numerous amount of microcontrollers out there,
one might wonder, "Why use Arduino?" or "What makes
it different from others?". We shall give some reasons as
mentioned by Arduino co-founder Massimo Banzi [2]:
1) There is an active community of users: User commu­
nities are groups of people who use a particular product, in
this case the Arduino. Due to the very active nature of the
community, it is easy to get help on troubling issues from
others who may have faced similar problems. It also improves
the the design and helps drive the future direction of the
Arduino board. "What you find is that if you can create a
community around an open source project then it becomes
really alive because everyone starts to contribute. If you dont
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have an ecosystem, the platform wont be successful, If you
start charging for everything, everything dies very quickly."
[21] says Banzi, Arduino Co-founder .
2) Development of Arduino in an educational environment:
The Arduino project was developed in an educational setting.
This makes it ideal for newcomers to get started quickly.
3) The hardware is affordable: The Arduino hardware is
cheap to buy, or assemble. The hardware designs can be gotten
online free of charge. Damaged parts on the board can be
replaced at a token fee. So users dont have to worry about
burning out parts and can focus on "tinkering". Leaving the
Arduino board in a permanent installation would be affordable
enough. So a project designed using an Arduino board wont
have to be pulled apart just to retrive it.
4) Hardware and Software are both open-source: Given its
free licence to the Arduino hardware and software designs, the
circuit diagrams can be gotten and built by individuals without
paying anything to Arduino [22]. The software is also free
to download so the user can study and modify the software
if necessary [23]. Since the software is not purchased and
only cost of buying the board or buying parts for the board is
incurred, it is very cheap.
5) It is based on the Processing programming IDE: The
Processing development environment [24] was created to be
very easy to learn and use. Hobbyists, designers and artists
who want to learn programming can now do so easily as the
Arduino development environment is based on Processing and
other open-source software.
6) Arduino is programmed via USB cable: As most com­
puters now do not have serial ports, using USB cables is a more
viable option for programming boards. No special components
are needed to operate the Arduino board, making it accessible
outside a lab environment [25].
7) It is a multiplatform environment: The IDE can run on
several platforms including Mircrosoft, Linux and Mac OS X
giving it an even larger user community base.
V. APPLICATIONS
In this section we shall look at some examples of how
Arduino has been used to create amazing projects.
A. Lilypad Arduino
The Lilypad Arduino is a wearable version of the Arduino
that helps to build soft interactive electronic textiles or e­
textiles [26]. It was developed and designed by Leah Buechley
and SparkFun Electronics [27].The design of e-textile involves
the use of several modules being sewn on the fabric with con­
ductive thread to give it the electrical connections necessary.
The microcontroller can be programmed just like the normal
Arduino boards using the usb-to-serial connection. The lilypad
Arduino is an example of a user community driven project
with the commercial version of the kit designed by Leah and
SparkFun Electronics.
Some designs using Lilypad Arduino include:
 •
Fig. 1. Lily Arduino and so add-on components that can be sewn together
1) Propinquity: "Propinquity takes embodied gameplay to
an extreme by turning each player into the other players game
controller. Wearing proximity and touch sensors, players must
move around score points by coming close together, but never
touching" [28].
Fig. 2. Propinquity glove by Wyld Collective Ltd. and Propinquity being
played by two players
2) Turn Signal Biking Jacket: This design is a jacket with
turn signals that will let people know where you're going when
on a bike [29].
Fig. 3. Examples of jackets with tum signals powered by Lilypad Arduino
sewn onto them
3) Musical Pillow: Another example is using the Iilypad
arduino sewn to a pillow with a speaker and fabric tilt sensor,
playing a different note for each petal of the sensor. The pillow
also has an analog pin broken out to one of its corners to be
connected to any external analog sensors to make noise [30].
B. ORP / pH / Temperature Data Logger
This is an inexpensive data logger that would measure and
record pH, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), and temper­
ature levels of a particular liquid. The three parameters are
commonly mearsured in water and wastewater systems [31].
For example certain fish cannot live in a certain pH range. So it
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Fig. 4. Lilypad Arduino pillow
is very important to know. Other areas it could be used include:
hydroponics, monitoring of lake and rivers, and monitoring
solutions in the lab environment. [32]
The list of materials include: An Arduino Uno board,
Prototyping Shield,pH probe, ORB probe, pH ORP circuits,
BNC connectors, Temperature sensor, LCD keypad shield,
SD card shield, 170 tie point breadboards, Nylon mounting
hardware and a box to place the project in [33].
The instrument takes in pH, ORB and temperature readings
periodically depending on the user. It saves the readings in a
text file on the SD card. The readings are displayed on the
LCD.
Fig. 5. ORP / pH / Temperature Data Logger schematic and actual photo
The code for this project can be found on the instructables
website (http://www.instructables.comJ)
C. ArduSat
ArduSat or Arduino Satellite [34] is a small open source
miniaturized satellite based on Arduino. The project is being
run by NanoSatisfi, now known as Spire [35]. The project was
created to form an educational platform for space exploration.
It was the first platform that allowed the general public to test
out their own space based applications.
The ArduSat which contains several sensors including
some cameras, geiger counter [36], spectrometer, magnetome­
ter, GPS, pressure and temperature sensors etc. These sensors
which gather information from the space environment, are
connected to some user progranunable Arduino processors.
These processors can run a users application or experiment. It
measures Wcm on every side and weighs roughly 1 kilogram,
so it is pretty light weight. The things that can be done with
the ArduSat are numerous, some possibilities are: observing
meteors, photography from space, making a spectrograph of
the sun, detecting high energy radiation, compiling temperature
readings etc [34]. The possibilities are endless.
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