Editing arduino

{{title|Arduino}}[[File:Arduino Logo.svg|175px|right]]
An '''Arduino''' is an [[evaluation kit]]-like single-board, [[microcontroller]] intended for hobbyists by making electronic projects easier and more accessible.<ref>[http://arduino.cc/ Arduino] accessed on December 22, 2013</ref> The Arduino is an open-source hardware project that use 8-bit to 32-bit processors. The Arduino has a [[C]] compiler with a set of [[Arduino standard libraries|standard libraries]] that provide easy functionality for performing common tasks such as setting up interrupts, reading I/O pins, setting up [[PWM]] pins, reading and writing to the [[EEPROM]], and various other services. A major reason for the Arduino's popularity steams from its easy way of interfacing with an extensive set of sensors, motors, and other modules (called '{{arduino|shields}}').

Arduino board are an open specification. They can be bought pre-assembled, as a DIY kits, or in individual parts to be assembled by hand.

== History ==
[[File:A hand-soldered Arduino.jpg|thumb|right|250px|A hand-soldered Arduino board]]
The original project started in 2002 when Massimo Banzi was brought into [[Wikipedia:Interaction Design Institute Ivrea|IDII]].<ref>[http://spectrum.ieee.org/geek-life/hands-on/the-making-of-arduino IEEE Spectrum], accessed on December 24, 2013</ref> Unfortunately their dwindling budget caused them to look for alternative means of doing interactive design. At the time, students relied on the [[BASIC Stamp]], another microcontroller designed by [[Parallax] which can be programmed in [[BASIC]] and has been used in the field for over a decade. Their major issue with that board was that it was relatively expensive (around $100 per board) and it lacked the processing power needed for some of his student's projects.

After seeing the success of the [[processing programming language]] developed by his colleague from [[Wikipedia:Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]] which was due to its simplicity of use, Banzi wondered if the same concept can be applied for a [[microcontroller]].

The first prototypes were done using [[Wiring]], programming framework for [[microcontrollers]] which was developed at the same school in 2003.<ref>[http://code.google.com/p/wiring/ Wiring], accessed on December 24, 2013</ref> From there they fine-tuned it, making it cheaper and lighter. Additionally, their microcontroller was accommodated by an [[IDE]]. The first prototype board was released in 2005. The same year the board got its name: the Arduino.<ref>Arduino and Kinect Projects: Design, Build, Blow Their Minds, Enrique Ramos Melgar, Ciriaco Castro Diez Apress, Apr 18, 2012 [http://books.google.com/books?id=_wd7WLbBBVoC&lpg=PA2&pg=PA2#v=onepage&q&f=false Book]</ref> The Arduino was released under Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license. Today, the Arduino can be bought from as low as $10-$30.

== Software ==
{{main|Arduino IDE}}
The Arduino comes with a free, cross-platform, [[IDE]], written in Java. The IDE is designed to be very simple to get started with and use. It features a subset of just the most common features found in most other IDEs such as the bracket matching and syntax highlighting. Additionally, the IDE makes it extremely easy to compile the program and upload it to the microcontroller with a single button click. The Arduino programs can be done using [[C]] or [[C++]].

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

[[Category:Arduino]]
[[Category:Stubs]]