National Engineering Design Challenge (NEDC)

The first thing that you will need to do is get an Arduino and finding some software that you can use to program your new Arduino. We refer to this software as the IDE or Integrated Development Environment. You have two choices. You can download the IDE and use it offline at the following link:

https://www.arduino.cc/en/software

or you can use the online version Arduino Create. Even though it requires that you are working online, we recommend this route as this gives you access to a wide array of example code. You can find the link for Arduino Create below:

https://www.arduino.cc/

just click on sign in and it will get you started. 

The next thing that we are going to do is get familiar with the various components on the Arduino board. Please look at the link to the right so that you know what each piece of your microcontroller actually does. 

On the right is a great introductory video on breadboards which is what you will be using to build all of your prototype circuits.  

Now that you know what you will be building on, here is a great guide to electronic components and what they actually do. Please note that at this level you will not be needing all of the tools suggested by this resource: 

Getting started with Arduino can seem like an overwhelming hurdle. My best piece of advice is to look at the circuits that other people have built and the code that they have written for it and copy it. By going through examples you will become familiar with how to wire your circuits, how code affects the way that your circuit performs, and learn about various kinds of sensors and outputs that can be incorporated into your own project. Below is a fantastic resource that will walk you through your first project.   

Click on the link to the right, recommended to working your way down the “Arduino” tab starting with “LED’s”