Will an Uno get me Through the Early Stages of Learning Arduino Programming?

[Roy Batty]

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

[rstofer]

I think you'll know when you outgrow the Uno and I don't think it is going to be a sudden surprise.  You will have plenty of time to get the next model.

It seems to me that most of the Arduino tutorials I run across are directed at the Uno and this makes the Uno an ideal starting point.

Working with tutorials is good exercise.  So build the circuit and write the code using the tutorial.  Then toss the documentation and build it again.  From scratch!  Did you really learn the material or did you just follow along?  This is where I find myself in many things I work on.  It all seems simple when somebody else is at the blackboard.  It's a bit different when I have to do the 'show and tell'.

Kick back and enjoy the ride.  The Arduino is an excellent platform for getting your feet wet.  Examples projects abound!

[Rick Law]

UNO is a better platform than the "bigger" Arduinos.  Tons of examples for UNO whereas fewer for the other models.  When you try search the web to figure out how to hook something up, chances are, the example you see is an UNO example.

Once you get comfortable, then you can always branch out.

[DimitriP]

Stick with the UNO so you dont' have to work out pin and signal differences among the different models. I started with a Mega, and ended up spending some time realizing the differences and modfying  UNO code and connections to the Mega.
Then I got a Teensy....and did some more realizing...
As for breadboards...if you think you need one, get two ...You should have at least one extra breadboard

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MB-102-830-Point-Prototype-PCB-Breadboard-65pcs-Jump-Cable-Wires-Power-Supply-/221446294579?hash=item338f3a4c33:g:da0AAMXQ1ZhTfgqR

[daybyter]

I would also get one of those cheap 3$ nano clones. They fit nicely on breadboards.

[Rick Law]

Thanks for the help. I will try to make the most of the Uno.

Get the UNO with the ATMEGA 328P-PU.  That is the MCU in 28pin DIP model.   There is another one with the MCU in SMD.

Stuff to do after you get comfortable:

The one with the 28pin DIP, you can remove the MCU.  There are a few projects out there that uses the UNO (without the MCU) as USB communication connector.

You can also use the MCU on "let's try this without UNO" and just connect the bare minimum to have your own MCU on breadboard running.

[retrolefty]

UNO is a better platform than the "bigger" Arduinos.  Tons of examples for UNO whereas fewer for the other models.  When you try search the web to figure out how to hook something up, chances are, the example you see is an UNO example.

Once you get comfortable, then you can always branch out.

 Of course the Uno does have a bigger brother that is also AVR based, mega2560. It will do all the uno does but with 4X flash mem and sram, uarts, timers. At Asian prices I use a mega2560 for prototyping work and pro mini or nano for final projects.

[Luminax]

I apologize if I seem to be raining on the Arduino parade here, but I do believe getting just an Atmel with a suitable programmer/debuger (I'm using AVRDragon) to go along side-by-side the Arduino set up is a good thing.

The setup is mostly Atmel Studio, Programmer/Debugger, breadboard, and a 6-pin ICSP header (in the case of AVRDragon you can solder a DIP or ZIF socket to the prototyping area) and some jumper cables, and you're good to go!

I'd recommend looking at your current Arduino's atmel chip on board, get its part number and get the datasheet to see how it's all connected. All other projects are connected pretty much similarly to those anyway.

Good luck on your foray to the world of firmware-ing!

[Seekonk]

Get a bunch of 328 NANOs.  Almost all the UNO clones now use the CH340 chip so you have to load in a driver for the chip anyway. And the NANO gives you two extra analog ports.  I have pretty much given up building anything with discrete chips.  Everything for less than $3 and it serves as a breadboard for most small projects.   Skip putting the pins in and just solder to the board. Just remember these were designed to run autonomous jobs.  Adding massive displays, GPS WiFi chews up a lot of pins and makes them useless. I would avoid buying any shields.

[cdev]

An arduino can be used as a general purpose USB computer interface. So if you have them around you can always use them, (in "non-arduino" projects)

[Rick Law]

Get the UNO with the ATMEGA 328P-PU.  That is the MCU in 28pin DIP model.   

That's the one I have. It was the only one I could find!

I forgot to mention release number.  I hope they are UNO R3.  I doubt there is any pre-R3 being sold anyway.

9 out of 10 examples you'll find are based on those AtMega 328 UNO R3.  So there would be minimum complication during initial learning.

An arduino can be used as a general purpose USB computer interface. So if you have them around you can always use them, (in "non-arduino" projects)

Yeah, just pop the ATMega328 out and there it is.  A bit big comparing to an FTDI USB-RS232 TTL board, but works just as well.  I don't use it much, but I look at my two UNO's as USB-RS232 converters on stand-by to be used when in a pinch.

Get a bunch of 328 NANOs.  Almost all the UNO clones now use the CH340 chip so you have to load in a driver for the chip anyway. And the NANO gives you two extra analog ports.  I have pretty much given up building anything with discrete chips.  Everything for less than $3 and it serves as a breadboard for most small projects.   Skip putting the pins in and just solder to the board. Just remember these were designed to run autonomous jobs.  Adding massive displays, GPS WiFi chews up a lot of pins and makes them useless. I would avoid buying any shields.

Great suggestion too.  After I got comfortable with the UNO, I switched to the CH340 NANO a couple of years ago.  Very cost effective.  The NANO is the main one I use these days.

[EBRAddict]

Not just a good place to start, probably *the* place to start. The Uno is the default board.

[slicendice]

Just go with the UNO, it's a really good starting point. Those blinking led and text on a screen projects help you learn the basics. Try to understand how the chip works and try to figure out how you can make other chips talk with the UNO. Once you figure that out you will notice that all the Arduino compatible chips are essentially the same and you can start using any of the Arduino boards or even build an Arduino from scratch using only the chip, a crystal, a few caps and a few resistors. :-)

Edit: Almost forgot, yes any of the boards will help you learn Arduino programming. But if you just copy/paste code you will learn nothing. You have to dig deep into all the examples and try to understand what thecode is doing and also what the device itself is doing during code execution.

[westfw]

I hope they are UNO R3.

It's not that important that you have an R3.  the main thing added was a couple of I2C pins on the top connector row, but they're just duplicates of signals available elsewhere, and not many "shields" use them yet, anyway.

For that matter, the important part is the "ATmega328p" processor and the 20 basic IO pins.  A wide variety of "not really an Arduino Uno" boards (counterfeits, clones, derivatives, compatibles, etc) will work fine for most of the "early stages of learning Arduino."

[slicendice]

the important part is the "ATmega328p" processor and the 20 basic IO pins.

Absolutely correct! Arduino is just a board with IO pins routed from the ATxxx chip and PC software that can interface with the chips, everything else is quite irrelevant when learning to code with Arduino.

Having the basic 20pins is a good starting point.

As I said earlier, all you really need is the Chip, few caps, a crystal and few resistors. When you can build that hardware configuration, build your own AT-chip programmer hardware, code it, and code it right, then you know Arduino. Then you can easily switch over to any of the Arduino boards or even build your own board with features not found on the official versions (Arduino/Genuino).

If you want to build that robot then learn how to interface with sensors and motors, and that is what all the tutorials are about. They don't just teach how to get a led flashing or an LCD to display some garbage. :-)

[Rick Law]

I hope they are UNO R3.

It's not that important that you have an R3.
...
For that matter, the important part is the "ATmega328p" processor and the 20 basic IO pins.  A wide variety of "not really an Arduino Uno" boards (counterfeits, clones, derivatives, compatibles, etc) will work fine for most of the "early stages of learning Arduino."

Yup, I brought up R3 is because I have seen old ATMega168 based UNO-clones from China.  I almost got one of those by mistake.

A month or two of playing with it, a typical user will not be confused by the minor differences, but when first out of the gate, it could be awful confusing.

[boffin]

Get a bunch of 328 NANOs.  Almost all the UNO clones now use the CH340 chip so you have to load in a driver for the chip anyway. And the NANO gives you two extra analog ports.  I have pretty much given up building anything with discrete chips.  Everything for less than $3 and it serves as a breadboard for most small projects.   Skip putting the pins in and just solder to the board. Just remember these were designed to run autonomous jobs.  Adding massive displays, GPS WiFi chews up a lot of pins and makes them useless. I would avoid buying any shields.

Yep. I use pro-minis, but I know what you mean.  You can buy a pro-mini from china for less than a ATMEGA328 from Digikey, so I basically consider that the building block these days.

[Seekonk]

I go by the pictures and make sure it has a USB port.  I have some of those that require the serial programmer.  But, I have temporarily lost the serial programmer. Nice to have everything self contained for a quarter more.  I think the titles have gotten confusing over time.  I know a guy that bought 5 of the little Microchip boards because it had Arduino in the name

[slicendice]

Hey, I was pretty excited about my flashing LED's. Don't hate.

Awesome! That is how you should feel. You are on the right track! Now try to build a LED cube that animates different patterns using multiplexing.

After that is done make a cube using rgbLEDs instead of single color LEDs ;-)

[macboy]

I would also get one of those cheap 3$ nano clones. They fit nicely on breadboards.

One? No, get half a dozen of them, just to start with. One or two might fall victim to oopsie moments of miswiring, static, etc., and you will occasionally build projects that you will want to keep rather than tear down for the parts.

[Rick Law]

I would also get one of those cheap 3$ nano clones. They fit nicely on breadboards.

One? No, get half a dozen of them, just to start with. One or two might fall victim to oopsie moments of miswiring, static, etc., and you will occasionally build projects that you will want to keep rather than tear down for the parts.

Same here.  I used to have "occasional use" stuff and use it load-as-needed basis to run it on the UNO.

I now have most of them on dedicated NANO sitting on small proto-boards.  I can connect permanent jumper with proper labels rather than reviewing the code and see "hmm, Relay board Hi connects to Analog Pin 2... Ah yes, using analog because I am out of digital..."

[jwm_]

Heh, those little clones are so cheap, I hacked one to just be a USB breakout as it was cheaper than an actual USB breakout. I am a fan of the digisparks. There is rarely a time I'd need more than six pins that I won't find a bare atmega or attiny chip easier to deal with.