Beginning your Adventures in
Electronics: Arduino
Jaroslaw Lupinski
NYCResistor Teacher: Beyond Arduino
The Recent Revolution
• Arduino has dominated
the market
• Low-cost, easy to use
• Less hardware logic,
more software
• Programmed in C++
What is the Arduino
•
•
•
•
•
Easy to use platform
Ease of programming
Simple USB interface
Modifiable IDE
Many shields available
Components of the Arduino
• ATMega168/328
• 16MHz crystal/filtering
capacitors
• Onboard power
regulators
• FTDI USB <-> Serial Chip
• Hardware
Schematic
Necessary parts for any circuit
• ATMega168/328
• The ‘brains’ of the
Arduino
• Program is loaded onto
the chip
• Runs main loop until
power is removed
• That’s it! All other parts
are optional!
Optional parts: Timing
• 16Mhz Crystal
• The ‘heartbeat’ of the
ATMega chip
• Speed of crystal
determines chip speed
• Possible to
over/underclock
depending on application
• ATMega series has
onboard oscillator; less
precise
Power Supply
• 5 Volt and 3.3 Volt
Regulators
• Filtering capacitors
• Automatic switching
between external and
USB Power
• Leave it out if you have
a filtered 5 Volt power
supply
FTDI USB Chip
• Allows your Arduino to
communicate with your
computer over a simple
USB link
• Abstraction
• Only necessary for
communicating with
USB
Hardware
•
•
•
•
•
Circuit Board
Headers
USB port
Sockets
All optional, use them
if you need them
Two methods of using the Arduino
• Working with the
Arduino to solve a
problem
• Temporary solution
• One time only
• Prototyping with the
Arduino to solve a need
• Preparing a product for
market
• Mass production
Phases of Circuit Design
Arduino Approach
•Idea
•Sketch
•Read datasheets
•Gather materials
•Prototype
•Testing
•Optional ---------------->
Stand-alone approach
•Idea
•Sketch
•Read datasheets
•Gather materials
•Prototype
•Testing
•Refining
•Testing
•Release to manufacture
Using the Arduino as a Prototyping
Platform
• You can prototype using
an Arduino, and skip
many steps from the
stand-alone approach
• Use the Arduino to
develop your product
• When your planned
circuit works, skip
straight into standalone product testing
Idea
• Problem to be solved
• Market need to be filled
• “Necessity is the
mother of all
invention.”
Sketch
• Draw out what you
need to do to solve your
problem
• No need to get
technical, rough ideas
and abstractions will
suffice
• Take constraints into
consideration: Size,
budget, audience
Optional step: Present
• If the project requires
substantial resources
(funding, rare
materials/components),
you will need to create
a presentation
• Venture capitalists
• Crowd-sourcing
• Material Sourcing
Read datasheets/Gather materials
• Start turning sketch into
reality
• Read about chips/parts
that are available
• Examine options for
unavailable/nonexistent parts
• Order materials
Prototype
• Using protoshield or
long jumper wires,
develop your solution
• Attach external chips,
sensors, circuits
• Leave breadboarded or
solder permanently
• Most hands-on part,
usually taught in labs or
dedicated classes
Side-note: How to learn to prototype
• Desire
• Choose a project that
appeals to you
• Easier to rebuild an
existing circuit, or have an
experienced tutor for
your first design
• Time-Cost/Experience
tradeoff: Premade kits are
less expensive, but may
teach less technical skills
• Example of good first
projects to complete by
yourself:
– Digital Clock
– Basic Robot
• Good projects to
complete with a tutor:
– Nixie tube clock
– Advanced Robot
Testing
• Does it fulfill it’s
purpose?
• Can it be optimized?
• Can you add/remove
features? (consider
cost)
• Have friends, family,
colleagues break it!
• Debugging
Creating a Stand-alone Product
• Sketch out Arduino
circuit
• Eliminate unnecessary/
redundant components
• Add broken-down
Arduino circuit back
into design
Side-Note: Making your own shield
• Depending on your
audience, you may
choose this route
• Best of both worlds
approach
• Assurance that it will
work with any Arduino:
The Mac Approach
• Limited to Arduinoowning market
That’s the great thing about Arduino
• Programming an
identical chip with the
same Arduino code will
result in identical
execution
• No need for
complicated IDE,
porting code
Using EAGLE to design your circuit
• Powerful schematic
capture tool
• Integrated circuit
board design tool
• Free version’s
limitations are enough
for a shield
Lay out the circuit board
• Position
components using
electrical
engineering
principles
• There aren’t many,
but there are a few
critical ones
• Power supply
splitting, Star
Ground, Ground
plane, EMI
Take your time laying out the board
• Most designers
spend ~5-10 hours
laying out a simple
shield!
• Personal
preferences,
aesthetic appeal,
ease of use, ease
of manufacturing
Send circuit board out for production
• Research fabrication
houses
• Compare rates, lead
times, shipping
• Consider assembly
Marketing
• Kickstarter!
• Word of mouth
• Reach out to
hackerspaces/hacker
fairs
• Get people talking
about it!
Cost Analysis
• Determining costs is usually
done at the idea phase
• Spreadsheets!
• Excel is your friend
• Understand that prices rise
and fall, stock is depleted
and replenished, and
suppliers may fail to deliver
• The longer it takes to
develop, the more variables
will develop
Start selling your product!
• Keep up to date on your
products status
• Twitter, Facebook,
Blogs, News
• Every product is 1%
inspiration, 9%
perspiration, and 90%
marketing!
Congratulations!
• You are now a
marketable inventor!
• Consider patenting your
idea if it is worth more
than $10,000
• Open source
alternatives
• Creative Commons
Understand that your product will not
always sell
• Many factors go into
making a successful
product
• Even if you did all the
steps correctly, you may
still fail to make a profit
• Engage the customers
that you do bring in
Questions/Comments
• Notes:
•
•
•
•
Contact:
Jaroslaw Lupinski
jarek@soniktech.com
AIM: jarek319