[chbot] APC Magazine Arduino Article

[jimmy allen]

I would say that I your target audience.
I only started programming at the beginning of last year in QBasic.
Only been working with micros for a half a year.AVRs for a few
months(not very much though)

A 7 segment display is fairly cool.That was one of my first thing that
I did on my ATTiny2313
I didn't take too much work ,mainly creating a bit table(assigning the
digital outputs into variables kind of like a library) then calling a
procedure and passing a number or letter(the one you want to
display)through to it.

A good thing to add would be links to more information so that if you
get people interested they can easily follow on.

I have been looking into Arduino and building one for myself (there is
some stuff under the bootloader(AVR) mail listing.But i will repeat
the more relevant stuff .
On their site they have instructions on how to build an Arduino
http://arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardSerialSingleSided3 which could
be added.

The flashing LED is good one as it is very easy to get going
Maybe taking a push button in(getting a response from the user)
7 seven segment dislpay flashing out H E L L O simple but fairly
cool(more than flashing LED).

As I am still learning the basics you could always try some of you
ideas on me and could give you some feed back on how good they are if
you want

Good luck
Jimmy


On 8/4/09, Morris <skibear at gmail.com> wrote:
> Tim
>
> Programming an Arduino is hard and has many show-stopper problems for
> the novice. I think your articles will have to dedicate a large amount
> of space to the basics of the development environment and how to program
> the Arduino ... complex stuff for a novice who just wants to achieve
> some project using an Arduino.
>
> One alternative worth considering is to install python, pyserial and
> pyduino on a PC, and Standard_Firmata sketch on the Arduino (I
> personally would have loved to have just a hex file for the Duemilanove
> with instructions for using avrdude).
>
> Benefits:
>
> 1) For an article series, there are lots of fantastic things you can do
> with a PC that has a hardware interface. PC's are traditionally
> difficult to interface with real hardware - the Arduino is a great
> solution to that problem!
>
> 2) Python: Python is brilliant for novices. Python programming at the PC
> allows you to quickly try different programs, with debugging "print"
> statements. You can assume a novice will just "get" Python with little
> explanation, whereas C is an advanced topic (types anyone!?). I have
> very little experience with Python but it has been a pleasure to use
> (and it is well known to be a great language for novices and experts
> alike).
>
> 3) Avoiding getting depressed by C/IDE frustrations (I have experience
> in those areas and I still find them to be a huge timesink). The
> electronics interfacing is where most of my time goes and I reserve my
> frustrations for that area!
>
> 4) You can presume a lot about a user's knowledge of PCs.
>
> My idea of a good series of articles is one that gives some excellent
> examples of fun things to do, where it is obvious how to modify those
> examples to do something else I want to do.
>
> The main downside is that the Standard Firmata does not have servo
> control and I agree servos would be fantastic for your articles (there
> is a servo firmata but it is very limited). I love servos and want to
> control them from my PC (I intend to integrate
> http://www.arduino.cc/playground/ComponentLib/Servo into the Standard
> Firmata but am away for a month so not going to happen soon!).
>
> Disclaimer: I am a programmer by trade, have an EE degree, and have
> worked in embedded design so I am not your target audience!
>
> I do think it is a great topic for a series of articles!
>
> Cheers
>
> Morris
>
> On Mon, 2009-08-03 at 23:00 +1200, Tim Carr wrote:
>
>> Hi all, I'm hoping I may be able to help me with some ideas. I've been
>> asked by APC Magazine in Australia to write a series of articles
>> related to getting started with Arduino. APC have picked up on the
>> growing popularity of the platform and I've been tasks with writing a
>> complete beginners article that gives them an interesting grounding in
>> Arduino in just 2-3 magazine pages and followed on by one or two more
>> advanced articles.
>>
>> The challenge I see is not so much in the technology but in picking an
>> interesting first project that leaves them with the desire to
>> experiment and extend their knowledge. As a result I'm loath to start
>> with the blinking light 'hello world' as I imagine there must be
>> better options that haven't been thrashed. I must admit though, at
>> this point it really does seem to be the best fit. Please prove me
>> wrong....please.
>>
>> So, my question is this: When you started building robots, what really
>> took your fancy and what do you feel may be a good starting
>> 'micro-project' for others to start with?
>>
>> One aim (that may be asking too much) is to develop the howto in such
>> a way that the initial article demonstrates the key essential elements
>> of Arduino setup and use while being easily extended in the second
>> article to produce something fun and functional. So perhaps the first
>> may be setting up a servo to move and the second may make it follow
>> the light (I'm not sure if that's too hard for newbies but you get my
>> drift).
>>
>> Thanks in advance for any thought you can share on this.
>>
>> --
>> Regards,
>> Tim
>> MindKits Chief Ninja
>>
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