Arduino is an open-source electronics platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software. Arduino is having a microcontroller as a core. Which means Arduino boards can read inputs from different analogue and digital sensors/devices, then process them and turn it into an output – activating a motor, turning on an LED, publishing something online. You can tell your board what to do by sending a set of instructions to the microcontroller on the board. To do so you use the Arduino programming language (based on Wiring), and the Arduino Software (IDE), based on Processing.
The program written in Arduino IDE is called a sketch and is compiled and uploaded to Arduino Board. Sketches are saved as a text file with the file extension .ino.
Some of the variants of Arduino available are:
- Arduino UNO.
- Arduino Nano.
- Arduino Nano Every.
- Arduino Micro.
- Arduino Mega.
- Arduino 101.
- Lilypad Arduino.
- Arduino Leonardo.
- Arduino Gemma.
- Arduino YUN.
- Arduino TIAN.
- Arduino Pro.
Arduino Uno
Arduino Nano
Arduino Lilypad
Arduino MEGA
Why use ARDUINO over other platforms?
- Arduino boards are Inexpensive compared to other microcontroller boards.
- Open-source hardware and software
- Cross platforms: the Arduino IDE runs on Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems.
- Easy-to-use programming environment yet flexible for advance users.
