artuino

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This tutorial is an awesome reference for LED/Arduino knowledge (they even have quiz questions to test your retention).

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LED Pathway via Arduino.

You can also check out its humble beginnings.

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PAPERduino

I stumbled upon the PAPERduino project earlier and I just had to share it. Cheapest way to make a full functioning Arduino that I've seen so far.

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Using a Rainbowduino sold by SeeedStudio (an LED favorable Arduino alternative) and 64 superflux LEDs, sawomedia was able to make a coffee table using cardboard dividers and a table frame.

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An awesome Arduino/Lego "Like" light. Definitely giving me a few ideas.

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I Wonder If : Ferrofluid and the Arduino can get along

For those unfamiliar with ferrofluid, it is a liquid substance made of thousands of tiny iron particles floating in oil which creates a spiked blossom when a strong magnetic presence is near. A bottle (60 cc) of ferrofluid with cost you about $29.99 on Amazon.com.

 Sachiko Kodama and Yasushi Miyajima created a breathtaking installation that has really got me thinking about the artistic potential of ferrofluid:

With some collaboration, I wonder if the Arduino could turn this substance into something intelligent (reacts to sound, dynamic magnetic current, etc).

The closest I've seen thus far has been this pulsing Arduino ferrofluid project I found:

It will be interesting to see if anyone will be able to push the envelope when it comes to Arduino and ferrofluid interactivity.

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Arduino Comic

Jody Culkin illustrated a how-to comic about the Arduino (published in 2011) that was pretty effective for me. Simple and well thought out.

Original PDF version can be found here.

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"Acquiring Code" or "How To Steal Like An Artist"

Arguably the most challenging aspect of the Arduino is figuring out exactly how to communicate with it. I can imagine all of the cool projects I want to, but if I can't communicate to my Arduino UNO then it's useless.

So I steal like an artist.

This idea comes from Austin Kleon who wrote the book How To Steal Like An Artist

from Austin Kleon's blog

1. Steal like an artist.

Every artist gets asked the question, “Where do you get your ideas?”

The honest artist answers, “I steal them.”

I drew this cartoon a few years ago. There are two panels. Figure out what’s worth stealing. Move on to the next thing.

That’s about all there is to it.

Here’s what artists understand. It’s a three-word sentence that fills me with hope every time I read it:

Simple.

There is a very large open-source community of Aduino users across the globe and this translates into a myriad of projects out there that may tie in very closely to the parameters of your own project. Users provide the code and blueprint of their project with the hopes that you take it (steal it), create something better and share your information when you're done. Someone has probably done most of the legwork for your project already... you just need to find it. The Arduino forum is a good place to search for projects and their code, but you'll be able to find some basic project code  right in the Arduino software (under File -> Examples).

If your project is to build a robot that greets you when you walk into your room, then research the basic necessary functions required for your idea.

Usually I'd go into google and start typing phrases like:

Motion Detector Arduino

Arduino Playback Sound

Then I might try to bring the two functions together:

Motion Detector Sound Arduino - and sure enough using that search phrase got me to this blog post about an Arduino "Robot" that triggers sound with a motion detector.  

Once you track down relevant projects from forum posts or youtube demos, start looking for the code, diagrams, and/or parts list. Don't feel bad for reaping the benefits of their hard labor - people share this stuff for a reason. In fact, like learning any language, it's important to start surrounding yourself with all this code that you don't understand so that you'll eventually see patterns and begin to catch on.

The Arduino Language Reference page is a great place to start to have a glossary of terms you'll definitely see in all of this code.

It only makes sense to borrow from other projects who are already sharing all of their information. They want you to take it. Unless you're trying to really immerse yourself in the programming language, there are projects that likely have already created a foundation of code for your project (depending on what it is). But at the end of the day, it's not about what you take - it's about where you take it to. Just make sure when you're done with your project, you give credit where credit is due... and share the damn code so we can steal it.

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What is Arduino?

Arduino.cc product description:

Arduino is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. It's intended for artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments.

Arduino can sense the environment by receiving input from a variety of sensors and can affect its surroundings by controlling lights, motors, and other actuators. The microcontroller on the board is programmed using the Arduino programming language (based on Wiring) and the Arduino development environment (based on Processing). Arduino projects can be stand-alone or they can communicate with software running on a computer (e.g. Flash, Processing, MaxMSP).

The boards can be built by hand or purchased preassembled; the software can be downloaded for free. The hardware reference designs (CAD files) are available under an open-source license, you are free to adapt them to your needs.

For my first projects, I will be using the Arduino UNO. For the most part all signs have pointed me towards the Arduino UNO as opposed to the smaller or more powerful ones due to its price (can get for around $20 on Amazon.com).

To make things simple, i purchased an Arduino UNO starter kit from Amazon.com for about $40:

The device can be powered by either USB cable or 9VDC Power Adaptor.

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Introduction

I am an artist with no programming background, no knowledge of circuitry, and no idea where to begin. This blog was created to document my experiences with the Arduino UNO (www.arduino.cc) and its creative potential. 

Welcome to Artuino.