What is Arduino?

The Arduino is a pocket-sized computer (also called a " microcontroller") that you can program
and use to control circuits. It interacts with the outside word through sensors, leds, motors,
speakers... even the internet; this makes it a flexible platform for lots of creative projects.
Some popular uses include:

 programmable light displays that respond to music or human interaction

 robots that use information from sensors to navigate or perform other tasks
 anything interactive
 automating and prototyping

Doctor Areilza, 32. 48010 Bilbao Tel. 944 271 818 Fax 944 396 098 E-mail: colegio@indautxujesuitak.org 1
First we'll take a look at all the parts of the Arduino. The Arduino is essentially a tiny
computer that can connect to electrical circuits. The Arduino Uno is powered by an Atmega
328P chip, it is the biggest chip on the board. This chip is able to execute programs stored in
its (very limited) memory.

We can load programs onto the chip via USB using the Arduino IDE (download this if you
haven't already). The USB port also provides power to the Arduino. Alternatively, we could
power a programmed board using the power jack, in that case we do not need a USB
connection.

The Arduino has a few rows of pins that we can plug wires into. The power pins are labeled
in the image above. The Arduino has both a 3.3V or 5V supply; in this class we will use the
5V supply, but you might find some chips or components that require 3.3V to run, in that
case the 3.3V supply will be useful. You will also find some pins labeled "GND" on the
Arduino, these are ground pins (ground is the same thing as 0V). Electrical current always
flows from some positive voltage to ground, so these pins are useful for completing circuits,
we will use them often.

The Arduino has 14 digital pins, labeled 0-14, that connect to circuits to turn them on or off,
or to measure buttons and other 2-state circuits (a button is two state because it is either
pressed or not pressed, as opposed to a dial, which has a range of possible states). These
pins can act as either inputs or outputs, meaning they can control a circuit or measure it.

Next to the power connections are the Analog input pins, labeled A0-A5. These pins are
used to make analog measurements of sensors or other components. Analog inputs are
especially good for measuring things with a range of possible values. For example, an
analog input pin will let us measure the amount of flex of a flex sensor, or the amount that a
dial has been turned. You can use an analog input to measure a digital component (like a
button) or even act like a digital output, they are basically digital pins with extra powers.

Doctor Areilza, 32. 48010 Bilbao Tel. 944 271 818 Fax 944 396 098 E-mail: colegio@indautxujesuitak.org 2