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Learning Arduino, programming, electronics? Here's a MASSIVE tutorial on serial library and binary data with Arduinos - Ladyada is on a roll...

Ah, Arduino, I remember when you were just crawling around and blinking LEDs. Now you're ready to learn how to speak! In this lesson we'll learn how to use the Serial Library to communicate from the Arduino board back to the computer over the USB port. Then we'll learn how to manipulate numbers and data.

For this lesson we won't be using the shield, so simply remove it (keeping the mood light LEDs on it you'd like). The shield doesn't contain any programs or data, This way we can examine the RX and TX LEDs which will help you with debugging

More:

• Lesson 0 - Pre-flight check...Is your Arduino and computer ready? - Link.
• Lesson 1 - The "Hello World!" of electronics, a simple blinking light - Link.
• Lesson 2 - Sketches, variables, procedures and hacking code - Link.
• Lesson 3 - Breadboards, resistors and LEDs, schematics, and basic RGB color-mixing - Link.

Related:

Arduino @ Adafruit... Arduino is a project from Ivrea University. A simple microcontoller board with an ATmega168, and a USB connection. Its great for learning and small projects - Link (starter pack!).

Arduino @ MAKE! Arduino is a tool for making computers that can sense and control more of the physical world than your desktop computer. It's an open-source physical computing platform based on a simple microcontroller board, and a development environment for writing software for the board. Arduino is open source! - Link.


Making Things Talk. THE ARDUINO BOOK!!! Programming microcontrollers used to require an expensive development environment costing thousands of dollars and requiring professional electrical engineering expertise. But recent innovations, such as open-source physical computing platforms with simple i/o boards and development environments, have given hobbyists, hackers and makers new options for homebrewing video games, robots, toys, and more.

This book contains a series of projects that teach you what you need to know to get your creations talking to each other, connecting to the Web, and forming networks of smart devices. Whether you need to plug some sensors in your home to the Internet or create a device that can interact wirelessly with other creations, Making Things Talk shows you exactly what you need.

The projects in this book are powerful but inexpensive to build: the Arduino and Wiring microcontroller kits themselves cost around $40. The networking hardware covered here includes Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, and Bluetooth, and can be had for $50 to $100. With a couple of microcontroller kits and the networking gadgets of your choice, you can make things and make them talk to each other! - Link.