Getting Started with Arduino (Make: Projects) Review

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Getting Started with Arduino (Make: Projects) ReviewWhile some reviewers decry the intro "fluff" chapters and the simplicity of some of the projects, by the end of this short book, you will have been exposed to many of the capabilities of the Arduino microcontroller. I found the book's projects to be very informative and fun. One warning to buyers: You will need to buy a few more electronic parts to take full advantage of this book and it's projects. Here's what you should get:
1. 5-10 x 10K-Ohm resistors
2. 1 x Momentary push button switch (4 pin), compatible with a breadboard
3. 5 x LEDs of differing colors (most will work with the 3-5V output of the Arduino).
4. 1 x MOSFET or 1 x 5V actuated relay (this is to turn on/off motors)
5. 1 x solder-less breadboard
6. 1 x jumper wire kit (various lengths and colors of short wires)
7. 1 x LDR (light dependent resistor)
8. 1 x 9V (or similar magnitude) battery case with leads for a breadboard
9. 1 x small motor (5-9V).
It seems like quite a bit, but if you get and use these parts with the projects, you will learn how to use sensors to take in data from the environment, have the Arduino process it, and then drive a response (in the form of lighting LEDs, turning on motors, etc.). Fortunately, the Arduino itself is USB-powered, so the other power sources (i.e. the battery case) will only be needed to run things like the motor.Getting Started with Arduino (Make: Projects) OverviewThis valuable little book offers a thorough introduction to the open-source electronics prototyping platform that's taking the design and hobbyist world by storm. Getting Started with Arduino gives you lots of ideas for Arduino projects and helps you get going on them right away. From getting organized to putting the final touches on your prototype, all the information you need is right in the book. Inside, you'll learn about:
Interaction design and physical computing
The Arduino hardware and software development environment
Basics of electricity and electronics
Prototyping on a solderless breadboard
Drawing a schematic diagram
And more. With inexpensive hardware and open-source software components that you can download free, getting started with Arduino is a snap. To use the introductory examples in this book, all you need is a USB Arduino, USB A-B cable, and an LED. Join the tens of thousands of hobbyists who have discovered this incredible (and educational) platform. Written by the co-founder of the Arduino project, with illustrations by Elisa Canducci, Getting Started with Arduino gets you in on the fun! This 128-page book is a greatly expanded follow-up to the author's original short PDF that's available on the Arduino website.

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Beginning Arduino Review

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Beginning Arduino ReviewFinally, somebody got it right! I have to agree with Mr. Young and Mr. Laefsky's reviews, but feel that I should add just a bit more.
There are plenty of books out there on Arduino and I own or have examined most of them, so I thought my Arduino Library was full. I was wrong, this one was under the tree for Christmas and it's definitely a keeper. I read the book all the way through and then I started working through the activities early yesterday morning. Having now completed the projects through Chapter 3, I feel competent to review it.
The bottom line is that if you are starting out with Arduino and have been trying to piece together your skills from web tutorials and a few of the popular books, but have felt either out of your depth reading Making Things Talk: Practical Methods for Connecting Physical Objects, or that the material in, for example Getting Started with Arduino (Make: Projects) is too basic, this is the book that will vault you to the next level.
Books and tutorials on Arduino generally seem to trend toward two extremes:
On the one hand there is the "box of crayons" approach- tutorials (see practically every website of every vendor that sells Arduino and variants) that give very short and specific instructions on how to wire one or two components to Arduino and interact with them via a brief, illustrative, but not especially useful code example. These examples are intended, I guess, to give the reader some general ideas of the creative uses for Arduino, and the code snippets and discrete components are treated individually like crayons in the box of 64, with little guidance as to how they can be combined and blended together to make amazing and wonderful creations, or why you might choose one method of blinking an LED over another.
On the other hand, there is the pet project approach. These present someone's grand idea for a complex interactive project, usually costly, usually inspirational, but usually ill suited as a learning platform. You indeed can learn a tremendous amount by following along and building the projects in, for example, Practical Arduino: Cool Projects for Open Source Hardware (Technology in Action), and I did. But unless you actually WANT an internet connected, GPS enabled, refrigerator monitor (I'm making that up), you will end up spending a lot of extra time and money to nail down the knowledge to design your data logging cell phone seeker robot (I'm making that up too).
Beginning Arduino takes a third path. The projects are designed to be wired up on a breadboard with mostly reusable, reasonably priced components. You will not end up soldering something together only to realize that you are going to have to buy another one for the next phase in your learning. Each project is a bit more complex than the one preceding, but in each case the code and the hardware added push off into new areas and new uses. Once you complete a particular project, and the suggested exercises, you have a clear understanding of how the new component works and what you can do with the new code you learned. For me this lead to a much clearer understanding of how I could approach the challenges in my own pet project.
Before I started reading and working through Beginning Arduino, I had about decided that I would never grok C programming, feel comfortable with Arduino, or meet my ultimate goal of embedding Atmel chips in a variety projects floating around in my imagination. But over the past few days my enthusiasm and confidence have returned and I thank Mr. McRoberts for that.
One final note, while there are a few minor typographical errors, I can report that so far there has not been a single error that has interfered with the completion of a functional project. This is, in my experience, rare in a book with such technical depth. I applaud Mr. McRoberts and his technical reviewer, Josh Adams for such a fine job.Beginning Arduino Overview
In Beginning Arduino, you will learn all about the popular Arduino microcontroller by working your way through an amazing set of 50 cool projects. You'll progress from a complete beginner regarding Arduino programming and electronics knowledge to intermediate skills and the confidence to create your own amazing Arduino projects. Absolutely no experience in programming or electronics required! Rather than requiring you to wade through pages of theory before you start making things, this book has a handson approach. You will dive into making projects right from the start, learning how to use various electronic components and how to program the Arduino to control or communicate with those components. Each project is designed to build upon the knowledge learned in earlier projects and to further your knowledge in programming as well as skills with electronics. By the end of the book you will be able create your own projects confidently and with creativity.

What you'll learn
Controlling LEDs
Displaying text and graphics on LCD displays
Making a line-following robot
Using touch screens
Using digital pressure sensors
Reading and writing data to SD cards
Connecting your Arduino to the Internet

Who this book is for
Electronics enthusiasts who are new to the Arduino as well as artists and hobbyists who want to learnthis very popular platform for physical computing and electronic art.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Light 'Em Up
LED Effects
Simple Sounders and Sensors
Driving a DC Motor
Binary Counters
LED Displays
Liquid Crystal Displays
Servos
Steppers and Robots
Pressure Sensors
Touch Screens
Temperature Sensors
Ultrasonic Rangefinders
Reading and Writing to an SD Card
Making an RFID Reader
Communicating over Ethernet


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30 Arduino Projects for the Evil Genius Review

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30 Arduino Projects for the Evil Genius ReviewSimon Monk provides Arduino newbies a guide that goes way beyond "Getting Started With Arduino", yet deals with the subject in an easy to read, accessible format. His projects are also far more practical eg he deals with flashing a simple led (like every other Arduino text) but then scales this up to high power Luxeon leds in various different applications but based on similar circuitry. This lead me to adapting one of his circuits to a real-world interest of mine, involving led lamps.
I look forward to a sequel where he might take us into the (so far) murky world of timers and interrupts, an area not covered very well (yet) in the Arduino world.30 Arduino Projects for the Evil Genius Overview
30 Ways to Have Some Computer-Controlled Evil Fun!
This wickedly inventive guide shows you how to program and build a variety of projects with the Arduino microcontroller development system. Covering Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms, 30 Arduino Projects for the Evil Genius gets you up to speed with the simplified C programming you need to know--no prior programming experience necessary.
Using easy-to-find components and equipment, this do-it-yourself book explains how to attach an Arduino board to your computer, program it, and connect electronics to it to create fiendishly fun projects. The only limit is your imagination!
30 Arduino Projects for the Evil Genius:
Features step-by-step instructions and helpful illustrations
Provides full schematic and construction details for every project
Covers the scientific principles behind the projects
Removes the frustration factor--all required parts are listed along with sources

Build these and other devious devices:
Morse code translator
High-powered strobe light
Seasonal affective disorder light
LED dice
Keypad security code
Pulse rate monitor
USB temperature logger
Oscilloscope
Light harp
LCD thermostat
Computer-controlled fan
Hypnotizer
Servo-controlled laser
Lie detector
Magnetic door lock
Infrared remote

Each fun, inexpensive Evil Genius project includes a detailed list of materials, sources for parts, schematics, and lots of clear, well-illustrated instructions for easy assembly. The larger workbook-style layout and convenient two-column format make following the step-by-step instructions a breeze.
Make Great Stuff!TAB, an imprint of McGraw-Hill Professional, is a leading publisher of DIY technology books for makers, hackers, and electronics hobbyists.

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