Understanding the reason of the Arduino

[Strube09]

Okay,

I have seen a lot of talk about the Arduino boards and I just have to ask why? Is it simply because of the bootloader and the PCBA itself?

I can through a microcontroller onto a PCBA with some headers and call it a day if people will think it is great. Shoot, I can through in a few dip switched and a regulator too if you would like!

If it is the bootloader, you can download free versions of bootloaders all over the place... is that really it, programming of the controller?

Or is it the interface that allows you to program in "Like C or C++". I would rather program without the "easy factor" to keep from bad habits forming when learning programming and aim and learning to keep code portable.

Can someone please explain the infatuation with this stupid (my opinion) little board?

Thanks

[logictom]

I think it's purely the simplicity factor. You can buy it and you have everything you need to get started that 'works out box'.
The environment has many examples and is simple to use, no need to download this and that to setup compilers and get the thing working.
Usually with a micro you will have to sift through a datasheet to work out what registers you need to enable/disable to get the thing running then for each of the peripherals. I think this is the stuff that people get wrong or put's them off.

[dmlandrum]

You can use it as a development board, then build this $8-$10 stripped down version for your actual project. Then all you need to do is buy another ATMega chip for your Arduino "programmer". (And before you criticize this guy's board layout, read the part where he says he did it this way deliberately to make it easier to illustrate what he's doing.)

[alm]

IMO Arduino is especially suited for people without strong EE/programming background, eg. for artists trying to create something fun. It will help you get something working very fast. Especially if you don't require compatibility with shields, you can just integrate an ATmega with some basic components in your own design, no need for a full Arduino (clone).

[EEVblog]

As others have said, it's just the simplicity of it.
You don't need a programmer, just a USB cable.
You don't need to know anything about Atmel AVR chips or how to set up config registers and timers etc just to flash a LED.
It was originally designed for artists who don't know anything about micros or electronics.

Even very experienced guy use it and other similar boards, because sometimes you just don't have the few extra minutes or hours it takes to muck around getting a raw blank chip working with an AVR or PIC programmer, and building it all up etc

For example, if I wanted to quickly test a new LCD I'd do it on the Arduino instead of breadboarding a PIC, it's just much easier.

Dave.

[ste hughes]

ive gone from knowing absolutely nothing about electronics to getting basic projects up and running in a week thanks o arduino

i looked at AVR/PIC stuff and tbh something about them made it look much more complicated and scary to me as a noob

i am now looking at dipping my toes into both PIC and AVR though

so thanks to arduino thats at least 1 person thats gone from knowing jack about electronics to going at it head on with confidence now i have got my head around the arduino

surely they are a good thing in this respect - not all of us have a electronics education back ground

i found this blog and website from searching arduino in youtube 

[mikeselectricstuff]

I think the main thing is someone packaged up a ready made board, the IDE, bootloader and a bunch of  hardware-bashing macros to make C less scary to beginners.

Pity they screwed up the header pitch though...

[easilyconfused]

Can someone please explain the infatuation with this stupid (my opinion) little board?

Thanks

It's obvious to a 64y/o newbie like me why you don't understand the need for something like Arduino. Your post is riddled with electronic talk. I don't even know what half of it means. So naturally you don't understand why I don't understand (electronics).I was born without a lobe for electronics. But I've hoped all my life that I'd figure it out. Now comes this little product that promises to show me the light. Due to my birth defect I'm still struggling even to understand the product description and haven't ordered mine yet. But many say it has worked for them. I was in the medical field and it blows my mind that people don't understand how an ABG indicating a pH of less than 7.2 with a PCO2 of about 60mmHg would suggest impending respiratory arrest. Why is that so hard?

[cybergibbons]

I've got an EE degree, my final year project was a multi-core processor system on an FPGA build from the ground up, and I'm into reverse engineering. But I still love the Arduino. Why?

1. One only software download and it works - when I'm working with AVRs I need to set up a toolchain, including compiler, linker, OpenOCD etc. It takes hours and often isn't easy.
2. I don't have to care about a bootloader, reset routines or anything like that.
3. If I'm working on a new project, I add "arduino" before my search terms on google and I will find someone else who has done it.
4. Shields make life a lot easier.
5. You can work with people all over the world on the same project, with the same hardware and development environment.
6. It's cheap.

[Simon]

I as a very untalented MCU programmer am just content to find a nice capable pic which in my case is the 12F615 or the 16F88 for my projects, learn about it once and then use it. I write basic programs with mikroe software compile them and flash them with my PicKit2, there is even a feature of the pickit2 where it will sense if the hex file has changed and will reflash on its own so you can decide you want to modify the code, put the chip in the programmer (if you have not implemented ICP) recompile and it reflashes. What is simpler than that ? why buy a bloated thing with yet another comfy environment and play with it thinking you know what your doing ?

[allanw]

It's pretty convenient to use their built-in libraries to do stuff like serial and I2C without having to look up the datasheet and figure out the registers to write to and such. Just saves a lot of time.

And it's not like it's very bloated -- only the functions you use will be actually compiled, of course. But I do agree that some commonly used functions like digitalWrite or digitalRead take many more clock cycles to do than just handling the registers yourselves, because the Arduino code does some extra work. I think it's handy.

[sonicj]

But I've hoped all my life that I'd figure it out. Now comes this little product that promises to show me the light. Due to my birth defect I'm still struggling even to understand the product description and haven't ordered mine yet.

i too was mystified & intrigued by microcontrollers and what really goes on behind the scenes in my favorite electronic toys, tools & gadgets but always feared the learning curve was far too steep for someone without a ee degree. i finally took the plunge and picked up a Duemilanove a month or so ago, and so far the only regret i have is not doing it sooner!

personally, would recommend starting with the "Electronics Learning Lab" from radio shack for $70. if you complete the projects in the two included workbooks, you'll have a solid working knowledge of circuits as well as a nicely stocked parts assortment & prototyping board that can be used with the arduino. though it may seem that way, its not complete voodoo & wizardry going on inside those electronic boxes. 
cheers!
-sj