Arduino Cookbook, 2nd Edition

This book presents the broad landscape of what's possible with Arduino. It is one of the few Arduino books available that have been updated for Arduino 1.0. Content is organized as "recipes", and you can combine them to do all kinds of things. Knowing what is possible should help to stimulate your imagination. The book does not go deep into any one subject, choosing instead to give you enough to get started, and pointers on where to go for deeper information. AUDIENCE Two kinds of skills are required (or developed) to build projects that use Arduino. One is working with electronics - gathering components, assembling them, and connecting them to the Arduino. The other is simple programming in C. If you have these skills but no experience with Arduino and want a quick start, this book will really help. Someone with little or no experience in these areas may be able to figure it out from Chapter 1 in particular, and reading the rest carefully. Absolute beginners may find it easier to start with an absolute beginners book. If you buy this book and find it is too deep, keep it, you can always get a simpler book, then come back when you're ready. The book is not a complete introduction to programming or electronics. The author chose to go broad to introduce his audience to a wide range of possibilities, rather than go very deep on any of them, but there is enough info to make it work, and references to go deeper. CHANGES FROM ARDUINO COOKBOOK FIRST EDITION The second edition has been updated to the Arduino 1.0 release. It is expanded to 724 pages, 62 more pages, and a few dollars less. Comparing the books side-by-side, the table of contents were nearly identical. The page numbers are different, owing to expanded text in the second edition, and a few new sections: Sending Messages Using Low-Cost Tranceivers Communicating with Bluetooth Devices Updating Third-Party Libraries for Arduino 1.0 Uploading Sketches Using a Programmer Replacing the Arduino Bootloader Reprogram the Uno to Emulate a Native USB Device ...and an Appendix: Migrating to Arduino 1.0, which describes the changes you need to make to older code to work with Arduino 1.0. If you have the first edition, you may not need to get the second edition. You can download the new source code from the publisher's Web site; you can google "Arduino Software Release Notes" for a list of changes, some of which will require minor changes to your code. The author says that a few newer hardware devices have replaced the ones described in the first edition, but less than one year passed between these two editions, so it would not be a lot. The change to Arduino 1.0 should not require changes to circuits. STRUCTURE The book has 18 chapters containing a total of 204 topics or "Recipes" structured as a Problem, a Solution, Discussion, and See Also sections. Most problems are things people would really want to do: pieces of a project. Solutions consist of C code and libraries, and electronic components. Discussion might be troubleshooting, variations, or more information. See Also provides references for more information - in the book, and URLs for Web-based information or libraries. The average "recipe" is 3.1 pages long; some are longer than others. CONTENT Chapter 1 discusses the software development environment (which is supported for Windows, Mac, and Linux, but comes from Arduino) and very basic information about the board. In introduces simple programming and wiring by way of the common "blinking light" example. In 21 pages, the goal is to get something running quickly more than learning how it all works. Two chapters explain a bit about C: types of variables and manipulations; mathematical operations for numeric types. Programs must have input and/or output to be useful. Since this is what makes your solution come alive, this is the bulk of the book, and the most interesting part. Chapter 4 introduces serial communications - exchanging information with a computer which is connected to the Arduino via USB. This can be used for I/O to a connected computer, as well as debugging your program by sending status messages at various points in the processing. Chapter 5 discusses digital and analog input and output at a very basic level - controlling output to pins, and reading input from the pins. This is the foundation for all I/O that follows. A strength of Arduino is the vast array of devices that work without a lot of extra circuitry. Chapter 6 discusses detecting light (or dark), movement, acceleration, vibration, distance, sound, temperature, location, direction, and interface to a computer mouse or a game controller. Chapter 7 discusses visual output using LEDs alone or in a matrix, 7-segment displays, and meters. Chapter 8 discusses producing movement, vibration, or controlling external devices with relays and solenoids. Chapter 9 shows you how to make sounds - as tones, melodies, playing recordings, controlling a MIDI synthesizer, and making a simple audio synthesizer. Chapter 10 presents uses of InfraRed devices (your home stereo, your camera, etc) as well as detecting and acting upon InfraRed signals from remotes you already have. Chapter 11 tells you how to use LCD displays available for Arduino to display text, or how to display text on the TV. Chapter 12 deals with dates and times - make Arduino aware of passing time, or to work as an alarm clock. Chapter 13 presents I2C and SPI, standards used for exchanging information between a variety of digital devices. Learn to use a standard and you'll find it can be used with other devices. For example, if you want to use a Wii Nunchuck controller to control your Arduino applications, you will need to learn about I2C. You can also use I2C to talk to external memory added to Arduino, get temperature for an external digital temperature measuring device, or display 4 numbers on 7-segment displays using only two wires. Chapter 14 is about wireless communication. Chapter 15 discusses using an Ethernet shield to Internet-enable your Arduino application. Chapter 16 discusses the creation and use of code libraries. Chapter 17 dives deeper into the subject of prgramming, especially in handling memory. Chapter 18 is all about using the controller chip hardware in ways not (yet) supported by libraries. Nine appendices give basic information on building with electronics, troubleshooting, digital and analog I/O pins, and character sets. For those who have code written prior to the release of Arduino 1.0, an appendix is there to help you migrate. The source code can be downloaded from the publisher's Web site; the URL is on page xv. ELECTRONIC VERSION You should seriously consider the PDF version of the book, because all of the many links are live, and the PDF is on your computer as handy reference. You can always print pages as needed for reference while building. O'Reilly currently has a good deal for upgrading to a new PDF edition. SUMMARY The book serves as an introduction to the broadest range of Arduino capabilities of any book I have seen. With a little experience, the book will get you going quickly by demonstrating a working example that may be enough for your purposes. For me, this book is indispensable for Arduino work.

I have been learning Arduino for about 6 months now. I had a few things I just could not figure out, reading all I could online and exploring the forums. I was hesitant to pay nearly $30 for a book but, did, largely because it is an Oreilly publication and pretty much every book of theirs is very good or better. This book is no exception. The cookbook style gives you just what you need to get things going but also explains the theory very well. There are a few areas I have been struggling to understand for months that this book cleared up in minutes. One example is the section on interpreting rotary motion. I was hoping to get a library ported to the new Arduino DUE to read some fairly high speed encoders. Although a quadrature encoder is not rocket science, all references I found made it seem like a big job to get working. Literally four lines of code from this book had my encoder working. Took me 10 minutes after reading the recipe. A few Arduino methods that almost no one else bothers with were mentioned in the first few chapters of the book and solved some of my long standing problems. Everyone who intends to spend time developing applications for the Arduino, is advised to buy this book and read it cover to cover. I am half way through in less than a day.

This book was written for programming and Arduino beginners, and it seems to fit the bill. I say "seems" only because I'm a professional programmer, and so I don't know if the book really provides a sufficient primer for someone that has never in their life written a program. I only skimmed the first few chapters looking mostly for any functions, operators and libraries that were Arduino-specific. I am, however, a complete novice when it comes to Arduino hardware, and I only have a light background in electronics generally. In fact, I'd ordered this book at the same time that I'd ordered my first Arduino board. For me, the book was quite useful and met my expectations: As a so-called "cookbook", I really didn't expect much in the way of theory or depth. I was only looking for practical projects that would familiarize me with the Arduino and related electronics. I had given the Arduino Cookbook a quick read while waiting on my Uno's delivery (sadly it was not ordered under my Amazon Prime account). A few days later I sat down with the Arduino itself, some electronics components (a breadboard, a multiline LCD, a couple of stepper motors, some buttons, switches, plus a lot of LEDs, resistors, capacitors and leads), and of course the Cookbook. I was able to get quite a few projects working in the first couple of hours. All that being said, I do grant that my prior programming and general computer experience made the process a LOT easier. This may not be the best book for people with absolutely zero programming and electronics knowledge. Then again, leaping into an intersection of those subjects isn't going to be easy regardless of the book. To those people I recommend shopping around for a good beginner's guide to programming as well as a beginner's guide to electronics (in addition to this book). There's no need to spend like crazy: Buy used. The programming and electronics concepts as related to the Arduino are older than me (in computer terms I'm ancient), and so even an older text can give you a solid background. In all, I'd say that buying this book was money well spent for me. If you're tight on cash and low on knowledge, you might be better off with programming and electronics books for the general theory, and web-based Arduino examples for the practice.

This book is inarguably the most useful reference book in my Arduino library. Not only does it contain hundreds of software examples but hardware hookups that the software will control. The examples are patterned after specific problems to be solved (thus a general format of problem-solution-discussion) but the problems are such that most are adaptable to one that you may have that is not exactely like their example. Also, enough detail is provided to understand their solutions such that you can not only adapt them but combine them to solve more complex hardware/software problems that you may be seeking to solve. One example of something like what I am trying to illustrate would be using the book's solution to controlling a RGB BlinkM module using I2C for some other I2C module project. Another example would be using their solution for a logic-level translator between a magnetometer and Arduino for something totally different. In my case, I interfaced a XBee radio with an Arduino using the book's general approach. Of the dozen or so Arduino reference books I own, this is the best closely followed by Purdum's "Beginning C for Arduino." I find myself grabbing one or the other more often than the rest combined. Highly recommended.

I purchased a half dozen books to help me get started working with the Arduino - this book was my last purchase as it only came out recently. This book has added value with its clear groupings of different examples for the Arduino - the cookbook walks you through a real world challenge and how you could apply the Arduino and appropriate hardware to complete the task. A brief review of the TOC of the book will give you an idea of the broad array of examples ('recipes') it covers - you will find them easy to understand and follow - and give you the head start you need to work the capability into your design. one comment - for me, it would be a little helpful if there were more illustrations / pictures of what the recipe 'looks like' while being assembled or post assembly.

My experience with electronics peaked with changing light bulbs and the batteries in some flashlights. My programming skills topped out with Fortran and, years later, Visual Basic. The Arduino caught my eye one day while browsing the web so I got an Arduino Uno. First I read some of the basic Arduino books like "Getting Started with Arduino", "Programming Arduino: Getting Started with Sketches" and others. I made the LEDs blink, endlessly rotated a servo or two. Cool, now what? I got a copy of "Arduino Cookbook" and a whole new world opened up for me. I'm not sure where the other books are, probably on a bookshelf at home somewhere. But I always know where my dog-eared, highlighted copy of the Cookbook is. For every project I start to research it has become the first go-to source. My first two-wheeled robot with ultrasonic sensors to avoid obstacles morphed into a roving IR transmitter/receiver (causing my lovely bride no small amount of angst when the TV would suddenly and without apparent reason to change channels or seemingly turn itself off and on). Now there are two Arduino Unos that communicate over simple RF transmitters/receivers. I send commands from my laptop to the attached Uno connected through a serial port and that Uno sends those commands via a 433mHz transmitter to the mobile Uno which acquires the move commands with its RF receiver and moves accordingly. Buy it, read it, browse through it and keep it close at hand. The Cookbook is the initial go-to for each project and a great source of thought stimulation for what kinds of things are possible.

Not for kids! When this behemoth of a book arrived, I knew it wasn't going to be well received by my 10-year-old son. It's about the same size as a pack of copier paper, and weighs about the same. What's that mean for you? TONS of information packed into 700 pages! I didn't realize it is a college textbook when I ordered it. Since my wife also gave me an Arduino, and I'm a college student, this is perfect for me, especially since I need to be able to mentor my son in this area and will have to answer many questions that I don't know. More importantly, he's going to want to know how to take his basic circuits to more advanced levels, and this gives us what we need to do that without getting bogged down in academia. Also, the source code for the sketches (Arduino source code) is available for download at the O'Reilly site. The URL is in the book. My only wish is for a section devoted to the Mega. Maybe the next version.

Me gustó mucho

Gran libro de iniciacion al Arduino, solo apto para expertos en electronica y/o informatica. No es recomendable para profanos, pues se hara complicado de seguir con las recetas mas sencillas. El libro esta dividido en apartados concretos del uso del Arduino, cada apartado esta dividido en recetas en las cuales se plantea un problema, se desarrolla y posteriormente se soluciona y discuten los pasos realizados. Imprescindible entender bien el ingles tecnico.

Trés bon livre technique ,compréhensible par le non anglophone que je suis à mettre entre toutes les mains pour tous les niveaux

Ich habe mir das Cookbook bestellt weil mir für ein aktuelles Arduino Projekt noch einige Informationen fehlten. In dem Buch findet man so ziemlich alles was man so braucht. Unter anderem Servoansteuerung, Serial Communication, Ansteuerung von Motortreibern, Ansteuerung von Displays....Der Stil entspricht genau dem was ich mir vorgestellt habe. Es gibt immer eine Problemstellung, die Lösung in Form eines Listings, und eine Diskussion zum Thema. Die Problemstelllungen sind absolut praxisorientiert, weswegen man sicher für fast jedes Arduino Problem passende Lösungsansätze findet. Ohne das Buch wäre ich mit meiner Arduino Cocktailmaschine wohl niemals fertig geworden...Nebenbei sei zu erwähnen, dass man hier getrost auf die englische Ausgabe zurückgreifen kann zumal diese doch erheblich günstiger ist und das Englisch im Buch nicht wirklich schwer verständlich ist.

This (second edition) is an outstanding guide to the Arduino environment. It is probably not for the absolute beginner, who would find "Getting Started with Arduino" by Massimo Banzi a clear and concise introduction. By contrast this 700 page Cookbook covers a huge range of topics, from using the C++ language to do simple arithmetic to detailed control of associated hardware. The 18 chapters are arranged in a total of over 200 sections, each of which contains a recipe describing a task, a circuit diagram and sample computer code where appropriate, followed by a detailed discussions which are in effect mini tutorials. The style is concise, extremely clear and objective - the author being able to make his point without being patronising and without any misguided attempts to liven the text with unnecessary humour. It is extraordinarily comprehensive; with four different recipes for controlling ordinary DC motors, as well as sections on stepper motors and servos. Using these recipes you will be able to communicate with other Arduinos, with your PC and with Web pages. You will also be able to send Twitter messages containing sensor data, keeping you informed even when off-site. It does not stop there, as with other O'Reilly books, there is comprehensive on-line support. I did find a diagram with one unlabelled component. If I had not been an absolute newcomer to this world I would have been able to guess the component value, but instead I asked for clarification by email and received a response from the author within hours. With this kind of support you cannot go wrong! Heartily recommended!

Ottimo libro per imparare ad utilizzare Arduino. Ci sono molti esempi che spiegano al lettore come realizzare molti esperimenti.