On Sun, 22 Jul 2018 11:34:33 -0400 cyaiplexys <cyaiple...@sitesplace.net> wrote:
> On 07/22/2018 11:13 AM, Erik Christiansen wrote: > > On 22.07.18 10:29, cyaiplexys wrote: > >> I think my mindset also came from my days of trying to program the > >> WowWee RoboSapien RS Media (ARM/Linux with Java). That was like a > >> fully programmable computer and robot all in one. > > > > Then the full arduino environment will be more comfortable than raw > > C on bare iron. While I program AVRs, including the ATmega328P used > > on most arduino boards, in C and assembler, I understand that the > > arduino environment provides a high level programming interface > > which allows e.g. artists to write "sketches" to perform real-time > > tasks. This is the great strength of the Arduino. Run the IDE on Windows or Linux (the program format is the same on both), select the board you have, plug it into a serial port (USB/serial chip these days) and you're away. The Arduino board has a built-in bootloader, meaning you don't need a specialist programmer, just a serial port. > > After watching some YouTube tutorials, I am starting to see that. The > IDE isn't "real" C in that you're not directly compiling using gcc > from the command line. It does everything for you behind the scenes. > Not used to that since my old Windows days. > > > There is quite a bit of peripheral hardware on an ATmega328P, from > > serial USART, through timer/counters useful for e.g. PWM motor > > control, through multi-channel 10 bit Analogue to digital > > converter. The chip datasheet is 440 pages in length, and learning > > to initialise and drive the on-chip paraphernalia is a non-trivial > > task. The arduino environment provides a library of drivers AIUI, > > to allow programming at the application level, rather than writing > > your own drivers¹. It won't necessarily give you the last > > microsecond of real-time performance, but it should be a low-pain > > introduction. (Must be some reason for its popularity, I figure.) > > I got the starter kit with the Arduino UNO R3. Not knowing what that > means yet (I need to read into that) I am assuming that ATmega328P is > the Arduino MEGA and not the Arduino UNO R3? Or is it the CPU in all > Arduinos? I'll have to look into that. I did find out a bit after my > first post in this thread that Arduino isn't and ARM processor. > > >> I don't mind using C, but am pretty bad at it. Maybe this is the > >> time to finally get better at it. > > > > Learning two things at once is for self-driven stoics only, at > > least if they're both non-trivial. Beginning with a friendly > > development environment and application framework, complete with > > examples which could be downloaded and used for tutorial purposes, > > avoids the pain of a lot of stuff failing not because of coding > > errors, but because not yet grokking the 440 pages of hardware spec > > left one bit in that other mode enabling register unset, so it'll > > never work until you find the clue in the doco. > > > > There must be an arduino ML or forum, which would be a sanity saver. > > Once master of that, then there's the AVRfreaks forum when the more > > serious C journey begins. At the level of the Arduino, and what it is used for, the C required isn't going to differ too much from Python. You're mostly going to be bit-banging. If you know one modern procedural language, you can at least potter around in others quite easily. > > I'll have to look into these forums and find one to join. I find > forums and lists, etc. to be indispensable when learning new stuff. > And also even if I am good with using something (like I am with > Debian), still having some community based help had been very useful. > > > OK, there are one or two arduinos with ARM chips, but I don't count > > that as original arduino. > > Maybe that was the source of my confusion. But I think I'm sure that > the Elegoo Super Starter Kit's Arduino UNO R3 is *not* ARM. They say > it's 100% compatible with original Arduino so I assume it's got the > same processor as the original. > > > A raspberry Pi, running linux, would be a more familiar environment > > by the sound of it. No problem running python there, but would > > there be python I/O libraries? The 'Pi' comes from Python, which is its intended primary user language. Peripherals intended for the Pi will come with Python drivers, or at least Python interfaces. > > That's ok. I am getting good enough in Python (and have made my own > libraries at times) that if it's not there, I might be able to create > one. Thing is, Raspberry Pi seems more like a computer, rather than a > way to experiment controlling things (safely) like electronic > circuits on breadboards for the fun of it. It is indeed. A Pi running a Debian desktop is painfully slow, but it works. What it's surprisingly good at is running streaming software for Internet TV, the system is optimised for high-definition HDMI output. Google raspberry pi tv. You won't do that on an Arduino. > > > ¹ OK, drivers for e.g. 2x20 character LCDs can be found on the net, > > but where there's an arduino LCD "shield" (plug-in daughterboard), > > there'll be an arduino driver ready to use. > > > > Erik > > The kit comes with a LCD display, actually, and tutorials and > examples on using it. That I know I'll find interesting too. Ever > since I saw a video about LCD displays on a "The 8-bit guy" YouTube > video, I been wanting to toy around with those things. > Wait till you've had a bit of practice with them before you try writing a driver for a new LCD display. The documentation for them is skimpy, and you may need to guess a bit. I've made a few for the PIC 18F series, which is comparable to this Atmel series. > I am thinking this is going to be quite an interesting and fun hobby. > Certainly. My only work with the Arduino was using one as a graphics co-processor for a PIC project to drive a 320x240 touch screen for a camera control panel. There was a suitable Arduino library but not one for the PIC, and time was in short supply. One drawback to the Arduino here is that it doesn't have a lot of memory, so the screen fonts were a bit chunky. -- Joe
