Pro Tips for Arduino Beginners

(This instructable is aimed at people who have just bought an Arduino kit, and have no background in Arduino or coding Arduino.)

All right! I made this instructable to highlight some of the mistakes that I made after purchasing an Arduino kit, and how you can do better!

Also, if you like this instructable, please vote for it in the Pro Tips Challenge.

When you first get and open up your Arduino kit, you will probably be amazed at all the different parts and pieces, (especially if this is your first step into the world of complicated circuits and micro-controllers) you want to leave most of it alone. For now, anyway. When I first got my Arduino, the first thing I did was to go onto instructables and search for a cool Arduino project. I quickly assembled the circuit for an Ultra Sound Measuring Tool, downloaded the code onto my computer, and uploaded onto the Arduino board. It was awesome! But, it was also the wrong move, because afterward I didn't want to make LEDs blink, or write small bits of custom code. I wanted to build the best, awesomest projects I could find! (And I didn't code most of them, because I didn't bother to start coding in the beginning.) DON'T. Start out small, try to create custom code and figure out how the circuits work.

While I have downloaded code from the internet multiple times, I still think it is always better to write your own.

Let us weigh the sides.

Downloading Code Writing Code

Very little work/time. You learn as you write.

Is written for a specific project. Easier to debug, and customize.

YOU made it! (Pride/joy of creating)

I think it is a clear victory for Writing Code. However, sometimes you do need to download code, which is fine. I just think it is better to write your own.

NOTE: I am NOT talking about downloading libraries, I think it is good to download libraries because it gives you more options with your code and projects.

While you can just "mess around" until you figure out how everything works, I strongly suggest finding a reliable source or author (check instructables :) and sticking with them until you feel you can create your own projects! However, if you feel the urge to create, create! Making projects and inventing things is a great thing to do.

Thank you for reading my instructable, if you have any questions or tips, don't hesitate to ask in the comments below.

Build-Bot