Installing the Arduino IDE and Running Examples

Summary

This post sets up the environment for Arduino programming and verifies that programs are downloaded properly using the examples provided by Arduino. The details are as follows:

• Recommended installation method for Arduino IDE
  • Recommended installation with Windows Installer
• Running the Arduino Blink example
  • Preparation for running the example
  • Arduino IDE environment settings: Board/Port Selection
  • Loading and running the Blink example
  • Execution results

Installing the Arduino IDE

Arduino download path -> Link

The description is based on Windows. There are three ways to install Arduino IDE on Windows. I prefer the Installer method. While you can use other editors (Ex. Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text, Vim, Atom...) for Arduino programming instead of Arduino IDE, the Windows Installer method is the most convenient for environment settings.

The installation method is omitted because there are no special requirements.

Running the Blink Example

Let's run the Blink example. The steps to run the Blink example are as follows:

1. Preparation
2. Connect the Arduino Uno to the PC
3. Run the Arduino IDE
4. Select the board and port in the Arduino IDE
5. Load the Blink example
6. Download the Blink example to the board
7. Check the execution

Preparation

We will use the Arduino Uno board. Please refer to the following preparations:

• PC or Laptop
• Arduino Uno
• USB A/B cable

Connecting the Arduino Uno to the PC

Connect the Arduino Uno to the PC using a USB A/B cable.

Arduino IDE Settings: Board/Port Selection

After the Arduino installation is complete, run the Arduino IDE. Generally, the following Arduino shortcut icon is created on the desktop during the installation process.

The board and port must be configured in order to download the program written in the Arduino IDE to the board so that it can be executed. If you are testing with a different board, you need to select that board.

• Board Selection: Menu Bar > Tools > Board > Select Arduino/Genuino Uno
• Port Selection: Menu Bar > Tools > Port > Select the COM port where Arduino/Genuino Uno is selected

Load and Run the Blink Example

Arduino has various examples provided by itself. In addition to general examples, examples that can only be run on the selected board are also provided separately. Here, we will load and run the Blink example to run the example that blinks the LED built-in to the Arduino Uno board.

• Load Example: Menu Bar > File > Examples > 01.Basic > Blink
• Download: Click the upload button on the Tool Bar

Execution Results

The Blink example is an example that blinks the LED of the Arduino Uno board at 1-second intervals. If the upload is completed successfully, you can see the LED on the board blinking as shown below. This is a step to check the configuration of the Arduino programming environment. The code explanation will be explained in a later post.

Conclusion

We have installed the Arduino IDE, loaded the Blink example provided by Arduino, downloaded the program to the Arduino Uno board, and ran it. The next post will be about configuring the Arduino IDE environment to improve productivity before Arduino programming.

Thank you for reading until the end.^^