- NOTE : This page is only for those who are just starting out with Arduino programming.
-If you already have an idea on Arduino , you can skip this page and go to Chapter 1
-
-
-
-Arduino is an open-source microcontroller platform designed for building and programming electronic
-projects with ease and flexibility.
-
-
--
-
Robotics Projects: Build and control robots, including autonomous vehicles and robotic arms.
-
--
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Home Automation: Automate lights, temperature, and security systems for smart home setups.
-
--
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IoT Applications: Create Internet-connected devices for data monitoring and control.
-
--
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Prototyping Electronics: Test and develop innovative electronic circuits and gadgets.
-
--
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Educational Tools: Learn programming, electronics, and engineering concepts interactively.
-
-
-Arduino boards come in many flavors , som eof the most famous ones being :
-
-- Arduino Uno
-- Arduino Nano
-- Arduino Mega
-
-All Arduino boards are programmed using the Arduino IDE.
-
-The Arduino IDE is the software that is used to program the Arduino Boards. It has a pretty easy-to-use
-interface that can make it easier for beginners to learn how to use Arduino using the Arduino IDE.
-Check out the official Arduino website for more information on the IDE.
-
-Now , installing the Arduino IDE in Windows is as easy as going to their website clicking on
-Download and done .
-But in the case of macOS (older distributions) and linux (especially) , the IDE requires a huge
-amount of permissions to be able to access the Serial Ports (The USB port in which the
-Arduino Board is connected).
-To avoid this , we do not have to install the Arduino IDE , instead , we can use the command line version
-of the IDE known as arduino-cli.
-This tool uses the Command Line Interface (CLI) instead of the traditional Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) of the
-Arduino IDE.
-This makes it easy for devs who want to use Arduino through linux.
-But , there is one teensy little problem.
-Here is an example of a command to upload the Arduino Sketch title "MySketch" to an Arduino Uno board.
-arduino-cli upload -p /dev/ttyUSB0 --fqbn arduino:avr:uno MySketch/MySketch.ino
-
-Here -p represents the serial port and the --fqbn flag represents the "Fully Qualified Board Name" ,
-which is used to denote the boards.
-Now , remembering the FQBN of 2 or 3 boards is pretty easy , but in case you are working with multiple
-boards of different types , say you are working with Arduino Uno , Arduino Nano , or ESP32.
-Remembering the FQBN of each and every board become increasingly difficult.
-To combat this problem , the project arduino-cli-interactive or aci was born.
-
-
-For now there are 2 ways to install the aci tool.
-
-- Download from source
-
-git clone https://github.com/Vaishnav-Sabari-Girish/arduino-cli-interactive.git
-cd bash_shell_script
-chmod +x main.sh
-./main.sh
-
-
-- Using Homebrew
-
-To download aci using Homebrew , you need to first have homebrew installed.
-To install homebrew , copy and paste this script in your terminal
-/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
-
-After Homebrew is installed , copy and paste the following commands in the terminal
-brew update
-brew tap vaishnav-sabari-girish/arduino-cli-interactive
-brew install aci
-
-
-For the aci tool to work as intended , there are 2 prerequisite tools required.
-
-Arduino-cli can be installed using 2 ways
-
-- Using Homebrew
-
-brew update
-brew install arduino-cli
-
-
-- Using their installation script
-
-curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/arduino/arduino-cli/master/install.sh | sh
-
-For other installation methods , check out their website here
-
-This tool helps create awesome looking Terminal User Interfaces (TUI's).
-You can download gum in multiple ways.
-
-- Using Homebrew
-
-brew update
-brew install gum
-
-
-- Using Package Managers
-
-#Arch Linux (btw)
-pacman -S gum
-
-# Nix
-nix-env -iA nixpkgs.gum
-
-# Flox
-flox install gum
-
-
-You can also install a few alternative text editors if you do not want to use the default nano editor
-of linux.
-Some options are :
-
-- Micro
-
-sudo apt-get install micro
-
-
-- Vim
-
-sudo apt-get install vim
-
-
-- NeoVim
-
-sudo apt install nvim
-
-
-- Gedit
-
-sudo apt install gedit
-
-
-- Visual Studio Code
-
-
-sudo apt-get install wget gpg
-wget -qO- https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | gpg --dearmor > packages.microsoft.gpg
-sudo install -D -o root -g root -m 644 packages.microsoft.gpg /etc/apt/keyrings/packages.microsoft.gpg
-echo "deb [arch=amd64,arm64,armhf signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/packages.microsoft.gpg] https://packages.microsoft.com/repos/code stable main" |sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/vscode.list > /dev/null
-rm -f packages.microsoft.gpg
-
-
-sudo apt install apt-transport-https
-sudo apt update
-sudo apt install code # or code-insiders
-
-
-- VSCodium
-
-#Using snap
-snap install codium --classic
-
-#Using Nix
-nix-env -iA nixpkgs.vscodium
-
-#Arch Linux
-yay -S vscodium-bin
-
-#For Debian/Ubuntu distros
-
-wget -qO - https://gitlab.com/paulcarroty/vscodium-deb-rpm-repo/raw/master/pub.gpg \
- | gpg --dearmor \
- | sudo dd of=/usr/share/keyrings/vscodium-archive-keyring.gpg
-
-echo 'deb [ signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/vscodium-archive-keyring.gpg ] https://download.vscodium.com/debs vscodium main' \
- | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/vscodium.list
-
-sudo apt update && sudo apt install codium
-
-
-- Helix
-
-#For Debian/Ubuntu distos
-sudo add-apt-repository ppa:maveonair/helix-editor
-sudo apt update
-sudo apt install helix
-
-#For Fedora/RHEl
-sudo dnf install helix
-
-#Homebrew
-brew install helix
-
-#AppImage (First download the .AppImage file from the official helix repo)
-chmod +x helix-*.AppImage # change permission for executable mode
-./helix-*.AppImage # run helix
-
-
-After the installation of aci there is one small step you have to do.
-Type the following in the terminal
-arduino-cli board listall
-arduino-cli core install arduino:avr
-
-This step will make sure you have the cores of the basic Arduino Boards like Uno , Nano etc.
-
-By the end of this chapter , you will be able to do the following :
-
-- Select a Board to use
-- Create a New sketch using
aci
-- Edit the created sketch
-
-
-
-Open your terminal and type aci.
-You will be greeted with this page
-
-
-Press Enter to enter the Board Selection Menu :
-
-
-Type the Board Name you want to use and press Enter.
-Then a confirmation dialog box will open asking you to confirm the board you chose.
-Check the following GIF to see it in action.
-For example , let's use an Arduino Nano that is connected to my system ,
-
-
-Once you have selected a board, you can see the Board name and FQBN (Full Qualified Board Name) just
-below the "Welcome to arduino-cli-interactive" sign like so
-
-
-
-A sketch is a file with the .ino extension in which you will write the code to upload
-to the board.
-To create a new sketch , first navigate to the directory you want the sketch to be in , in the terminal , run the aci command , select a board and then use the
-Down arrow key to move down to the next option which Create a New Sketch and press Enter.
-This will then bring up an Input box where you can enter the name of your sketch.
-
-Congrats , you have created a new sketch using the command line.
-
-
-After creating a new sketch , let us add the code to be uploaded to the board.
-We will create a basic LED Blinking program to blink the inbuilt LED of the board every 1 second.
-Before we get into editing the sketch , copy the below program :
-const int ledPin = 13; //Depends on the board , for Uno and Nano it is pin 13
-
-void setup() {
- //This function will run only once when the board boots up
- pinMode(ledPin , OUTPUT); //Setting the ledPin as OUTPUT
-}
-
-void loop() {
- //This function runs infinitely until it is stopped
- digitalWrite(ledPin , HIGH); //Turn ON the LED
- delay(1000); //1 second delay
- digitalWrite(ledPin , LOW) ; //Turn OFF the LED
- delay(1000); //1 second delay
-}
-
-Now , let us go to the terminal where aci is already running and then open the sketch MyFirstSketch ,
-we created previously.
-Make sure you have selected your board and the sketch
-has been created.
-Now navigate to the Edit the Sketch option using the Down arrow key and press Enter.
-This will bring up a file picker throuh which you can navigate using the arrow keys to find the folder
-in which the sketch is present.
-Once you find the folder , press Enter , you can then see the .ino file in the file picker.
-Press Enter again and you will see a choice picker to pick your preferred editor. I will be using
-NeoVim as my main editor. You can choose whatever editor feels comfortable to you.
-
-Make sure you have any one of the following editors installed :
-
-- NeoVim
-- Vim
-- Vi
-- Nano
-- Micro
-- Visual Studio Code
-- VSCodium
-- Helix
-
-Select the editor of your choice.
-You will now be able to edit the file.
-If you are opening the file for the first time , you will be greeted with this code
-void setup(){
- //Run only once when the board boots up
-}
-
-void loop(){
- //Run infinitely until stopped
-}
-
-This is the default boilerplate code of any Arduino file.
-There are 2 functions setup() and loop().
-setup() runs only once. It runs when the board is switched ON.
-loop() run infnitely until it is stopped by switching OFF the board or by an interrupt.
-In the example code that was given , we can see that we have defined the constant
-ledPin as an Output in the setup() function and toggled the LED in the loop() function.
-You can paste the example code by deleting the default contents of the file and then
-pasting the given code.
-Then you can save the code and exit the editor.
-You will then be asked if you want to preview the contentns of your file to check for any kind of mistakes.
-Choose YES or NO by navigating between them using arrow keys.
-To quit the preview , press q on your keyboard.
-
-
-
-Each editor has different shortcuts to save and exit a file
-
-- Vi/Vim/NeoVim/Helix :
:wq
-- Nano :
Ctrl + S , Ctrl + X
-- Micro :
Ctrl + S , Ctrl + Q
-- Visual Studio Code/VSCodium :
Ctrl + S , Alt + F4
-
-
-By the end of this chapter , you will be able to
-
-- Compile Code for a specific board
-- Upload Code to the board
-- Install Libraries
-
-
-
-To compile the code in the Sketch you created previously , we open the
-and make sure that aci is running and you must have Selected the Board ,
-Created a new Sketch and Edited the Code.
-We then use the Arrow keys to naviigate to the Compile Code Option and press Enter.
-Since you have already selected the board , it will compile the code for that specific board.
-In the following example we will compile the code for an Arduino Nano.
-
-
-
-To upload the code , you need to first Compile the code and then back in the homepage ,
-navigate to the Upload Code option and press Enter
-Once you are inside the Upload Code , you will be asked to choose the Serial Port your board
-is connected to.
-In Linux/macOS , the Serial port will show up as /dev/ttyUSB0 and for windows , it will show up as
-COM7 or any other number other than 7.
-After selecting the Serial Port , you will then be asked to choose between OLD and NEW Bootloaders.
-OLD Bootloaders as usually only for Arduino Nanos , so make sure you do not mess up that one.
-Choose between OLD and NEW Bootloaders and the the code will be uploaded.
-In the below recordings , one will be for Arduino Nano (Old Bootloader) and one for the WeMOS D1 R1
-(New Bootloader).
-
-
-
-
-
-
-To install libraries , there is no need to Select a board or Create a New Sketch.
-Open a new terminal and type aci.
-The Navigate to the Install Libraries option using the Arrow Keys and click Enter
-Now an input dialog box will appear prompting for the name of the library.
-Enter the name of the library and press Enter
-When do you do , there will be a list of libraries that have the name you entered.
-Select the one you want to install and click Enter
-Let us install the DHT11 Library by Dhrubha Saha.
-To check if the library has been installed , type arduino-cli lib list and check the table
-for the library you just installed. If it is present then the library has been installed successfully.
-
-You have successuflly , compiled and uploaded a sketch and also installed a library.
-
-By the end of this chapter , you will be able to add 3rd party cores to the aci tools.
-These 3rd party cores are required to be able to use boards like ESP32 and ESP8266.
-To do this , we have to first create the config file.
-To create the config file , type the following in the terminal
-arduino-cli config init
-
-This will create the config.yaml file at /home/<username>/.arduino15/arduino-cli.yaml.
-The previous step is optional. Because the script itself will create it for you.
-Just incase it doesn't , you have to create the .yaml file using the command given above.
-To do the above , type aci in the terminal , navigate to Edit Configurations option and choose your
-preferred editor.
-Then copy and paste the following links for :
-
-- ESP8266
-
-http://arduino.esp8266.com/stable/package_esp8266com_index.json
-
-- ESP32
-
-https://raw.githubusercontent.com/espressif/arduino-esp32/gh-pages/package_esp32_index.json
-Then exit the editor.
-Then in the terminal type :
-arduino-cli core update-index
-arduino-cli core install esp32:esp32 (esp8266:esp8266 for ESP8266)
-arduino-cli board install
-
-#To list all boards
-arduino-cli board listall
-
-
-
-NOTE : These features were introduced from aci version 1.0.2.
-By the end of this chapter , you will be able to do the following :
-
-- Display the installed libraries
-- View the library examples.
-
-
-
-We installed the libraries as shown in Chapter 3
-To confirm that they have been installed and to also view all out installed libraries ,
-navigate to the Display Install Libraries option using the arrow keys and press Enter.
-You will now be able to see all the libraries installed in our system.
-
-
-
-To make it easier for first time users , the developers of each library have created a few basic
-examples that outline how to use their libraries and the functions present in those libraries.
-To see the examples of the libraries you installed , navigate to the View Examples option using the
-arrow keys and press Enter.
-Then navigate to the library whose examples you want to view and press Enter.
-A viewing widget pops up that lets you see the contents of the example file.
-You won't be able to edit the file.
-You can also search for specific phrases in the widget.
-You will also see that the Sketch File text on the top will have the path of the example you chose,
-making it easier for you to upload that very example if necessary.
-
-
-I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to you for choosing arduino-cli-interactive.
-Your support and feedback have been invaluable in shaping this tool into what it is today.
-Whether you’re a hobbyist, a student, or a professional, your trust motivates me to keep improving
-and delivering a better experience for everyone in the Arduino community.
-Your enthusiasm for this project means the world to me! If you’ve enjoyed using arduino-cli-interactive,
-I kindly request you to star ⭐ the repository on GitHub
-to help it reach more users. You can also fork 🍴
-it to make your own contributions or explore its capabilities further.
-I also invite you to stay connected with me as I continue this exciting journey.
-Be sure to follow me on Medium ,
-Dev.to and GitHub
-for insightful blogs, updates, and tutorials related to Arduino, CLI tools, and embedded systems.
-There’s so much more coming your way, including new features for this tool and engaging content on
-these platforms.
-Your support keeps this project alive, and your feedback helps me grow. If you have any suggestions,
-feature requests, or just want to share how this tool has helped you, don’t hesitate to reach out.
-Together, we can make arduino-cli-interactive an even more powerful tool for the Arduino community.
-Thank you once again for your trust and support. Let’s build something amazing, one project at a time!
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