HEC Arduino AVR Tutorial (updated March 17)
HEC is holding two events in March: the first is an Arduino group buy/assembly session on Thursday March 27, 2008 at 10:00 AM in ENG303 and the second is an Arduino/Atmel AVR tutorial on Friday March 28 at 3:00 PM in ENG408.
- The assembly session and group buy is where you can purchase an Arduino if you don’t already have one. They come in kits that require some soldering. Experienced HEC members will be on hand for assistance. This is the March 27 event in ENG303.
- The tutorial is a two hour seminar on March 28 in ENG408 where we will be teaching/presenting/demonstrating how to use your new microcontroller. All you need is a basic understanding of C and similarly basic electronics experience. The goal is to come out of the seminar with basic experience on the Arduino platform and with the ability to read from the PS2 controller so you can use it for your own projects.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I do with it?
It’s a full-fledged microcontroller. You can program robots, automate things, make lights flash, make a really crappy digital synthesizer… See next question for limitations.
How powerful is it?
It’s about as powerful as a PIC and in the same class as the 68HC11. However, unlike the HC11, it’s a new design and so benefits from modern CMOS process. For the geeky details, see this page
Why not the PIC?
For a comparison of the two, see this page. I just happen to prefer the AVRs over PICs.
What do I get?
You get the microcontroller board, a special serial cable, a PS2 controller adapter and maybe a couple of other fun things necessary for the session. Here is a pic of the micro and PS2 adapter.
