Arduino for Beginners!

Are you interested in getting started with the popular Arduino family of microcontroller development boards? Take this three hour, introductory class and go from zero to playing games and music on the Arduino!

This class is free! If you would like to take your project home with you, there is a $15 fee to cover the cost of the kit, but you can use the provided kit during the class for free.

In this hands-on class you will learn:

• How to download and install the Arduino software onto your computer
• How to connect an Arduino Uno or Nano board to your computer
• How to use an Arduino board and a solderless “breadboard” to create fun projects!
• How to connect parts to the Arduino board and to the breadboard using “jumper” wires
• How to write your first Arduino “sketch” (program) to blink an LED!
• The rudiments of the Arduino programming language (based on C++)
• How to connect sensors (inputs) and actuators (outputs) to your Arduino board, to make it interactive
• How to use popular built-in and third-party “libraries” (pre-written chunks of Arduino code) to make programming your Arduino board easier
• How to use AI services such as Grok, Copilot, ChatGPT, and Gemini to help you write Arduino code
• How to make fun projects with the Arduino such as:
• An LED that “breathes” (fades in and out)
• An Arduino "nightlight" that turns on a bright, white LED when the light in the room is dim or dark
• An adjustable LED "chaser" circuit using 8 LED's inspired by a 1980's TV show
• A “reaction time” game that displays the player with the fastest reflexes on an OLED display
• An ultrasonic distance measurer that displays the distance to nearby objects on an OLED display
• An Arduino “die roller” that “rolls” a virtual “D20” (twenty-sided) die and displays the result on an OLED display. (The D20 die is used in the popular Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.)
• An Arduino version of the classic “Magic 8 Ball” toy that gives you mirthful answers to your “yes or no” questions
• An Arduino “music player” that plays a well-known pop tune from the 1980’s on a piezo buzzer
• And more!

You will get a printed, hard copy class outline!

While there will not be time to make all of the above projects in class, you are guaranteed to make at least THREE fun projects in class. You will get PDF files explaining all of the other projects, including the Arduino code for the project, the hardware needed, and how to wire up the circuit. Each of the projects in the documentation has been tested by the instructor and is known to work.

You will also receive PDF files containing a basic tutorial for Arduino and links to useful, on-line resources about Arduino. The PDF files will be available to download at the start of class.

For each of the projects you build in class, you will receive a hard copy, printed document showing the Arduino code, the parts needed, and how to wire up the project.

The class is completely free!

Each student will use a parts “kit” in class that contains an Arduino board, a solderless breadboard, jumper wires, LED’s, resistors, and all of the other parts needed to make the Arduino projects you make in class. If you wish to take the kit home with you after class, a nominal fee of $15 is requested to defray the cost of the parts kit. The PDF files and the printed instructions for making the class projects are yours to keep, totally free.

Class space is limited so that each student can get real-time, hands-on help from the instructor during the class. Two person “teams”, such as an adult and a young person, are encouraged to participate! The two person team will use one parts kit, one computer, one set of PDF files, and one set of printed instructions. The person on the team who registers for the class must be 18 years of age or older. To register a team, just register one student and sign up the second person as a "guest".

(For the best class experience, we recommend that you bring your own laptop computer to the class so that you can download the Arduino software and the PDF file to your own computer for later use at home. If you do not have a laptop computer or do not wish to bring one to class, a loaner laptop computer will be provided for your use in class.)