| | |  | Software Engineering | Home » » » Getting Started with Arduino (Make: Projects) | | | | | | | Description: | | This valuable little book offers a thorough introduction to the open-source electronics prototyping platform that's taking the design and hobbyist world by storm. Getting Started with Arduino gives you lots of ideas for Arduino projects and helps you get going on them right away. From getting organized to putting the final touches on your prototype, all the information you need is right in the book.
Inside, you'll learn about:
- Interaction design and physical computing
- The Arduino hardware and software development environment
- Basics of electricity and electronics
- Prototyping on a solderless breadboard
- Drawing a schematic diagram
And more. With inexpensive hardware and open-source software components that you can download free, getting started with Arduino is a snap. To use the introductory examples in this book, all you need is a USB Arduino, USB A-B cable, and an LED.
Join the tens of thousands of hobbyists who have discovered this incredible (and educational) platform. Written by the co-founder of the Arduino project, with illustrations by Elisa Canducci, Getting Started with Arduino gets you in on the fun! This 128-page book is a greatly expanded follow-up to the author's original short PDF that's available on the Arduino website. | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Massimo Banzi | | Paperback:
| 128 pages | | Publisher:
| Make | | Publication Date:
| October 15, 2008 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 0596155514 | | Product Length:
| 8.42 inches | | Product Width:
| 5.52 inches | | Product Height:
| 0.39 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.4 pounds | | Package Length:
| 8.4 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.4 inches | | Package Height:
| 0.5 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.4 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 59 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 59 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
85 of 85 found the following review helpful:
 Great, but be ready to buy some more parts!Jun 24, 2009
By Professional Nerd
While some reviewers decry the intro "fluff" chapters and the simplicity of some of the projects, by the end of this short book, you will have been exposed to many of the capabilities of the Arduino microcontroller. I found the book's projects to be very informative and fun. One warning to buyers: You will need to buy a few more electronic parts to take full advantage of this book and it's projects. Here's what you should get:
1. 5-10 x 10K-Ohm resistors
2. 1 x Momentary push button switch (4 pin), compatible with a breadboard
3. 5 x LEDs of differing colors (most will work with the 3-5V output of the Arduino).
4. 1 x MOSFET or 1 x 5V actuated relay (this is to turn on/off motors)
5. 1 x solder-less breadboard
6. 1 x jumper wire kit (various lengths and colors of short wires)
7. 1 x LDR (light dependent resistor)
8. 1 x 9V (or similar magnitude) battery case with leads for a breadboard
9. 1 x small motor (5-9V).
It seems like quite a bit, but if you get and use these parts with the projects, you will learn how to use sensors to take in data from the environment, have the Arduino process it, and then drive a response (in the form of lighting LEDs, turning on motors, etc.). Fortunately, the Arduino itself is USB-powered, so the other power sources (i.e. the battery case) will only be needed to run things like the motor.
131 of 138 found the following review helpful:
A word from the AuthorOct 29, 2008
By M. Banzi
Hello
I would like to specify that the book can't be found online for free.
There is a booklet that was written in 2006 that was 30 pages, this is 128 pages and it's up to date and correct.
The booklet had a lot of mistakes, inaccuracies and the way some things are taught is now out of date and has been removed from the site.
Having said this, Arduino is an open source project that prides itself from having a lot of documentation online so if you read the thousands of pages online you can learn about Arduino.
This book is for the complete beginner that wants to be taken by hand through the basic steps that it takes to get started.
16 of 17 found the following review helpful:
High Praise For Brief Artistic Introduction to The ArduinoNov 12, 2008
By Ira Laefsky
"Ira Laefsky"
I cannot offer high enough praise for this brief, artistic introduction to the Arduino Microcontroller and its enthusiastic user community. In this 118 page handbook, easily stored with your electronics tools, the author a co-designer of the Arduino controller, provides everything needed for the non-technical DIYer to program, test and build simple electronic projects with the Arduino board. In addition to Massimo Banzi's clear and informal writing about experimenting with electronics, software, and even descriptions of how to get answers from the open source community online, this pamphlet contains clear but artistic illustrations of the equipment used and ancillary tools by Elisa Canducci. It is an excellent introduction for the Artist, Teacher, DIYer, Electronics Hobbyists and Software People who are afraid to assemble physical electronics. I only wish there was more content along the lines of this book--but then it wouldn't fit in your toolkit or be available for $12.99.
--Ira Laefsky
10 of 10 found the following review helpful:
Got me startedDec 03, 2009
By Ry
I've never done anything with electronics before, but I got through this book over the course of a couple days. Surprisingly few difficulties for a beginner. I liked the casual style of the book. The Arduino language was easy to learn and I found myself making adjustments to the code between projects. You learn by doing in this book, so it doesn't feel like arduous studying. Basically, a chapter will introduce a project with some new functions that you haven't learned before - you'll build it and write the sketch (the Arduino code) and then learn what you did. It was fun.
Another reviewer mentioned getting some extras with the book and I heeded his advice. I bought the Arduino Duemilanove Starter Kit through Amazon and it included pretty much everything I needed to go through this book:
(I'll modify the other reviewer's list a bit)
1. 5 x 330 Ohm resistors
2. 1 x Momentary push button switch
3. 6 x LEDs
4. 1 x solder-less breadboard
5. 1 x jumper wire kit
6. The Aruino Duemilanove of course
The things above are all included in that kit.
The only other things you'll want to buy are:
7. LDR (light dependent resistor) [fun sensor to use]
8. Some 10k Ohm resistors [these are recommended in the book, though you can probably get away with the 330 Ohms]
The following devices (9-12) are shown in a setup on page 71 - but with no explanation of how to use them. If you know electronics already, you could probably figure it out. If you're a beginner - I'd say no need to buy (9-12) for use with this book, because although they are pictured - there is no explanation or code.
9. 1 x 9V (or similar magnitude) battery case with leads for a breadboard
10. 1 x small motor (5-9V).
11. 1 x MOSFET or 1 x 5V actuated relay (this is to turn on/off motors)
12. (A diode is pictured, but no indication of what type).
If you want to really build a permanent lamp with the last project the author recommends the items below (13-16). I'd say this is unnecessary. You can build a temporary version with just items 1-8.
13. IKEA "FADO" table lamp
14. RGB LED (RED, GREEN, BLUE all in one LED with four leads)
15. Soldering Iron
16. Hot glue gun
My three criticisms of the book are:
a. No explanation for using a motor
b. The final project is easy to set up, but it introduces the Processing language so you don't understand half of the project (unless you can understand Processing). That said, you do get to combine all the other stuff you did in the book - so that makes it a worthwhile project.
c. Leaves you wishing for more content. It was fun to go through - but pretty quick and light.
9 of 10 found the following review helpful:
 Very basic introSep 27, 2010
By Danny Thorpe
This book provides some interesting backstory to how the Arduino architecture came about, but there is very little actual technical info here beyond the obvious. If you have some programming experience already, you probably don't need this book.
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