After a short primer in the physics of electrical circuits, the book guides you gently into the first project, which is to create a push-button controlled LED light on the breadboad.
The project doesn't actually use the Arduino except to draw power; its just to get you familiar with the breadboard. Once I had created the first LED in series with a push switch I added a second LED in parallel with the original circuit as shown below, and hey presto, two robot eyes (well, OK, two red LEDs).
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| It's not the most impressive project in the book, but at least I have got to grips with the components now. |
- a good light source (to see the colours of the resistor bands);
- magnifying glass (to see any of the components at all - my eyesight is deteriorating);
- digital multimeter (not essential, but should be in the toolbox of any electrician);
- component box (there are a lot of small components).
And since it is customary to end an Arduino post with a Douglas Adams quote - here goes:
A learning experience is one of those things that says, 'You know that thing you just did? Don't do that.’
Still here? Dang! Well, you might like to look at this LEGO TARDIS kit, or maybe you want to solve some puzzles.