Are you interested in making your own Robots, Electronics devices, Internet of Things (IoT) projects, and more? It seems so daunting, doesn’t it?
Electronics projects can be very expensive and time-consuming. So much must be put in place to get things right. These can be a great drawback for many.
Well, this is where Arduino boards come in.
Arduino is an open-source electronics platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software. Arduino boards are able to read inputs – light on a sensor, a finger on a button, or a Twitter message – and turn it into an output – activating a motor, turning on an LED, publishing something online.
You can tell your board what to do by sending a set of instructions to the microcontroller on the board. To do so, you need to use the Arduino programming language (based on wiring), and the Arduino Software (IDE), based on Processing.
Arduino boards ease the process of working and understanding Electronics. This enables you to make your projects fast and on a shoelace budget.
Arduino boards can be used to make devices for everyday use or complex scientific instruments. During the time I participated in the ZICTA ICT Innovation program in 2019-2020, there was a team that made a mobile Weather Station powered by an Arduino Board’
Another group was working on a medical device to measure some vital body parameters; it was also powered by Arduino. There are thousands of projects out there that are powered by Arduino boards.
Some of my favorite includes:
Remote Locking / Unlocking of Door, Vehicles tracking Devices, Obstacles avoidance Integration, 3D Printing, Home/Vehicle alarm system, automated plant watering system, and many more (You can find all these projects on Youtube).
You can extend the capabilities of Arduino boards by using Arduino shields, there are many shields available for Networking, Bluetooth, Ethernet, Xbee, ultrasonic sensors, Motors, capacitive touch, LCD, Relay, Biometric sensors, Temperature, and many others too numerous to mention.
BENEFITS OF ARDUINO BOARDS
OPEN SOURCE: simply put, you can get an Arduino board, change a few things (or as it is) give it your name, and sell it as your own product. Isn’t that cool? You can also contribute to making the platform better.
INEXPENSIVE: Arduino boards are cheap compared to other Microcontroller platforms.
CROSS-PLATFORM: Unlike most microcontroller platforms which are limited to Windows, Arduino software runs on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux.
LARGE COMMUNITY: The Arduino platform has a huge community of developers, in the event you get stuck, help will always be available.
There is hardly a limit to what you can make with Arduino Boards, plus it’s going to enhance your understanding of Electronics and programming. It also has the potential of blowing into a full-scale business, if you can make a product and sale.
If you would like to get started with Arduino boards, you can get a starter kit that comes with all the necessary equipment plus a guide to get you moving