What is Ad

riuno? UNO
What language can be used
to program adruino device?

•C++
•Arduino code is written in C++ with an a
ddition of special methods and function
s, which we'll mention later on. C++ is a
human-readable programming languag
e.
Site some major
components of a
druino and give
explanation to
each component
 USB Connec
tor
• This is a printer USB port us
ed to load a program from t
he Arduino IDE onto the Ar
duino board. The board can
also be powered through th
is port.
 Power port:
•The Arduino board can be powere
d through an AC-to-DC adapter or
a battery. The power source can b
e connected by plugging in a 2.1m
m center-positive plug into the po
wer jack of the board. The Arduin
o UNO board operates at a voltag
e of 5 volts, but it can withstand a
maximum voltage of 20 volts. If th
e board is supplied with a higher v
oltage, there is a voltage regulator
(it sits between the power port an
d USB connector) that protects th
e board from burning out.
 Microcontroll
er
• It is the most prominent b
lack rectangular chip with
28 pins. Think of it as the
brains of your Arduino. Th
e microcontroller used on
the UNO board is Atmega
328P by Atmel ( a major
microcontroller manufact
urer). Atmega328P has th
e following components i
n it:
• Flash memory of 32KB. The program lo
aded from Arduino IDE is stored here.
• RAM of 2KB. This is a runtime memory.
• CPU: It controls everything that goes o
n within the device. It fetches the progr
am instructions from flash memory an
d runs them with the help of RAM.
• Electrically Erasable Programmable Rea
d Only Memory (EEPROM) of 1KB. This
is a type of nonvolatile memory, and it
keeps the data even after device restar
t and reset.
• Atmega328P is pre-programmed with b
ootloader. This allows you to directly u
pload a new Arduino program into the
device, without using any external hard
ware programmer, making the Arduino
UNO board easy to use.
 Analog input pins
:
• The Arduino UNO board has 6 anal
og input pins, labeled “Analog 0 to
5.” These pins can read the signal fr
om an analog sensor like a temper
ature sensor and convert it into a d
igital value so that the system unde
rstands. These pins just measure v
oltage and not the current because
they have very high internal resista
nce. Hence, only a small amount of
current flows through these pins.
• Although these pins are labeled an
alog and are analog input by defaul
t, these pins can also be used for di
gital input or output.
 Digital pins:

• You can find these pins labeled “Digital 0 t

o 13.” These pins can be used as either inp
ut or output pins. When used as output, t
hese pins act as a power supply source for
the components connected to them. Whe
n used as input pins, they read the signals
from the component connected to them.
• When digital pins are used as output pins,
they supply 40 milliamps of current at 5 vo
lts, which is more than enough to light an
LED.
• Some of the digital pins are labeled with til
de (~) symbol next to the pin numbers (pin
numbers 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, and 11). These pins
act as normal digital pins but can also be u
sed for Pulse-Width Modulation (PWM), w
hich simulates analog output like fading an
LED in and out.
 Reset switch:
• When this switch is clicked, i
t sends a logical pulse to the
reset pin of the Microcontrol
ler, and now runs the progra
m again from the start. This
can be very useful if your co
de doesn’t repeat, but you w
ant to test it multiple times.
Crystal oscillator:

• This is a quartz crystal oscilla

tor which ticks 16 million tim
es a second. On each tick, th
e microcontroller performs o
ne operation, for example, a
ddition, subtraction, etc.
USB interface chip:

• Think of this as a signal

translator. It converts s
ignals in the USB level t
o a level that an Arduin
o UNO board understa
nds.
TX-RX Leds:
• TX stands for transmit, and R
X for receive. These are indica
tor LEDs which blink wheneve
r the UNO board is transmitti
ng or receiving data.
• Now that you have explored t
he Arduino UNO board, you h
ave started your journey tow
ard building your first IoT prot
otype. In the next article, we
will discuss Arduino program
ming and do a few experimen
ts with Arduino and LEDs.
•Why is computer application is
applicable to your course?
•Computer Applications provides an introduction to soft
ware applications that prepares students to succeed in t
he workplace and beyond. Students will develop an und
erstanding of professional communications and leaders
hip skills while gaining proficiency with word processing
, email, and presentation management software.
•In information technology, an application program or ap
plication software is a computer program designed to h
elp people perform an activity. Depending on the activit
y for which it was designed, an application can manipul
ate text, numbers, audio, graphics, and a combination o
f these elements.