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  • Writer's pictureMaulik Chopra

Essentials #1: Arduino | What is Arduino? | Why Arduino?

Updated: Aug 8, 2021

Every pitch of a startup holds that it will change the world. Arduino not only has changed the world but also invented a whole new industry.



To know what is Arduino, we need to understand that why it exists in the first place? Why a group of researchers decided to form a CPU that can easily be programmed?


The first Arduino board was introduced in 2005 to help design students — who had no previous experience in electronics or microcontroller programming — to create working prototypes connecting the physical world to the digital world. Since then it has become the most popular electronics prototyping tool used by engineers and even large corporations.source


Initially, Arduino launched as an open-source hardware project that enabled hackers and enthusiasts to tinker with the board and create their own inventions. The company soon got attention on a global scale developing a well-connected community,

Major Arduino boards.

  • Arduino Uno (R3)

  • Arduino Nano

  • Arduino Micro

  • Arduino Bluetooth

  • Arduino Mega (R3)

The most used boards are the Uno, nano, and micro.


The Arduino Uno.

This is the most popular Arduino board capable of performing any complex task and nowadays every Arduino kit comes with this great board.

Technical aspects:

  • Microcontroller: ATmega328P

  • Digital I/O Pins: 14

  • PWM Digital I/O Pins: 6

  • Analog Input Pins: 6

The high number of pins and connectors with greater versatility has made it one of the most popular choices for any project.


The Arduino Nano

This board has the advantage over Uno in terms of size, it can fit perfectly in any project performing equally to its elder.

Technical aspects:

  • Microcontroller: ATmega328

  • Digital I/O Pins: 22

  • PWM Digital I/O Pins: 6

  • Analog Input Pins: 8

This is the go-to board for any developer. In fact, Uno is used for the initial prototyping and then ported over to the Nano for the final implementation of the project.


The Arduino IDE

Coded in C++ with a touch of java, it is the god-sent programming tool for any enthusiast. The language C provides proper connectivity to the memory and serial ports.

The easy to configure straightforward software welcomes any beginner to code their first project.



The Future of Arduino

Today with its ever-growing community and the exponentially increasing markets in developing nations, Arduino holds an even bigger future than anticipated.

Not only individuals but many startups like kiwi Co have been seen to collaborate with Arduino to provide more sophisticated builds for innovative minds.

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