What the Heck Is an Arduino?

What exactly is Arduino? According to the Arduino website (http://www.
arduino.cc/), 

it is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible,
easy-to-use hardware and software. It’s intended for artists,
designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive
objects or environments.

 In simple terms, the Arduino is a tiny computer system that can be programmed with your instructions to interact with various forms of input and output. The current Arduino board model, the Uno, is quite small in size compared to the average human hand, as you can see in Figure. 

Although it might not look like much to the new observer, the Arduino system allows you to create devices that can interact with the world around you. By using an almost unlimited range of input and output devices, sensors, indicators, displays, motors, and more, you can program the exact interactions required to create a functional device. For example, artists have created installations with patterns of blinking lights that respond to the movements of passers-by, high school students have built autonomous
robots that can detect an open flame and extinguish it, and geographers have designed systems that monitor temperature and humidity and transmit this data back to their offices via text message. In fact, you’ll find an almost infinite number of examples with a quick search on the Internet. 

Download Arduino Software:

 

You’ll need to download the Arduino Software package for your operating system from the http://arduino.cc/en/main/software When you’ve downloaded, follow the steps below to use arduino with PC:

1.Extract the downloaded files to C:\Program Files -> 

2.Attach the Arduino Uno to the PC using a USB cable.  

3.Windows will attempt to install drivers for the Arduino but will not be able to find the correct drivers.

4.Click the Driver tab on the Arduino Uno properties window, then click Update Driver.

5.Choose Browse my computer for driver software.

 

6.Browse to C:\Program Files\Arduino-xxxx\drivers.

7.Click Next. 

8.Click Close.

9.The Arduino UNO  should be now listed in ports(COM&LPT) in the windows device manager.

 Now open the arduino software from the saved place and this is what you get.

 

This is where you type the code you want to compile and send to the Arduino board.

Programming Arduino...

On the board left of the Arduino logo there’s an LED, short for Light Emitting Diode, a small light, with the letter L next to it.We’re going to switch it on and off and then look in to making it blink on and off for 2 seconds at a time.When you first plug your USB cable in to your Arduino and your computer, you may notice that this LED is blinking. Not to worry! It’s the default program stored on the chip. We’re going to override this.The USB cable powers the device. Arduinos can run standalone by using a power supply in the bottom left of the board. Once you’re done programming and don’t require it to be constantly connected to your machine you can opt to power it separately. This is entirely dependant on the use case and circumstances you want to use the device in.

So this what simply arduino is.... this will be followed by few other projects using Arduino UNO. Hang on frens........!!!!!