Arduino IDE

In this chapter, we will prepare the Arduino Integrated Development Environment for writing C++ code to run on the Arduino board. The Arduino IDE is great for learning the basics of programming an Arduino board and making smaller projects where code size is still manageable on a couple of tabs. This environment is optimal for uploading the test sketches included in the GitHub Gbox420 library to verify individual components.

The sample steps are based on a Linux operating system, but the basics apply in any environment be it Windows, Mac, or Linux. I have used 64bit Linux Mint 19.2 (Tina), Cinnamon edition in the below steps, but the setup is similar for all platforms. Throughout the setup, I’m going to be assuming every component is installed under the User profile, inside the Apps folder. Create the Apps folder using the following command:

Linux - Terminal: mkdir $HOME/Apps
Windows - Command prompt: mkdir %userprofile%\Apps

PS: Some settings do not support the $HOME or %userprofile% shortcuts, there you need to use the full path. This you can get by running:

Linux: echo $HOME/Apps

Expected output: /home/<USERNAME>/Apps

Windows: echo %userprofile%\Apps

Expected output: C:\Users\<USERNAME>\Apps

Setup

Download the Arduino IDE from: https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Software, it supports a wide range of operating systems:

- Windows
- Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion or newer
- Linux 32 bits
- Linux 64 bits
- Linux ARM 32 bits
- Linux ARM 64 bits

Linux users should download Linux 64bit, Windows users the Windows Installer for Windows XP and up version. Proceed to extract the source files under the Apps folder:

- Linux: $HOME/Apps/arduino-X.X.XX
- Windows: %userprofile%\Apps\arduino-X.X.XX

Step by step guides:

Commands to extract the downloaded archive and install Arduino IDE on Linux:

mkdir $HOME/Apps

tar -xf $HOME/Downloads/arduino-<PRESS TAB TO AUTOCOMPLETE> --directory $HOME/Apps

sudo $HOME/Apps/arduino-<PRESS TAB TO AUTOCOMPLETE>/install.sh

Windows users just need to start the arduino-X.X.XX-Windows.exe installer and follow the on-screen steps.

The result should be an Arduino IDE icon in the Menu and Desktop:

Uploading a sketch

Now we are going to set up and test the Arduino IDE by uploading the Blink.ino example on the Mega2560 board:

Open the Arduino IDE from the Start Menu.
Select File \ Examples \ 01.Basics \ Blink

Sample sketches are also available inside the IDE folder:

- Linux: $HOME/Apps/arduino-X.X.XX/examples/01.Basics/Blink/Blink.ino
- Windows: %userprofile%\Apps\arduino-X.X.XX\examples\01.Basics\Blink\Blink.ino

Opening the Blink example sketch

The Blink.ino sketch

Under the Tools tab make the following changes:

Board: Arduino/Genuino Mega or Mega 2560
Processor: ATmega2560 (Mega 2560)
Programmer: AVRISP mkII
Port: Depending on which USB port is used to connect the board, something like /dev/ttyUSB* or /dev/ttyACM* on Linux and COM* on Windows. If you get multiple ports, run the below commands while the board is disconnected, and then when it is connected:

Finding the port on Linux:

- - ls -l /dev/ttyU*
  - ls -l /dev/ttyA*

Look for the new entry that pops up when the board is connected:

Finding the port on Windows:

Control Panel -> Device Manager -> Ports(COM & LPT) -> USB-SERIAL CH340 (COM*).

Arduino board configured

Now try uploading the Blink sketch from Sketch \ Upload ( Ctrl + U), if it succeeds the built-in LED on the board should start blinking.

Enabling debugging

At this point, I highly recommend going to File \ Preferences and enabling verbose output and compiler warnings. This will generate a lot more output while the sketch is getting compiled and uploaded that will come in handy in debugging problems and optimizing.

Try to upload the sketch again, you should see a LOT more information:

Typical errors on Linux

Possible error 1: If you try to upload the Blink sketch using Sketch\Upload the connection might fail with: “avrdude: ser_open(): can't open device "/dev/ttyUSB0": Permission denied”.

To fix this open a Terminal window and assign the required permissions (Replace /deb/ttyUSB0 with the port identified above):

sudo usermod -a -G dialout $USER

sudo chmod a+rw /dev/ttyUSB0

Possible error 2: Another possible error message when uploading is: “avrdude: usbdev_open(): did not find any USB device "usb"

This is caused by Arduino IDE ignoring the Port settings. The workaround is to copy the entire upload command from the debug output and change the -Pusb parameter to -P /ttyUSB* (Where * is the USB port number), then running the command from a Terminal window.

Libraries

The Arduino IDE has a built-in library manager where you can install/update third party libraries. It’s worth checking it out and updating out of date components under Tools \ Manage Libraries. More about the libraries: https://www.arduino.cc/en/guide/libraries

Without the required libraries you will get a “No such file or directory” error in the Arduino IDE when trying to compile (Ctrl + R) code depending on an external library:

The Gbox420 sketch requires quite a few external packages, so if you are a fresh starter I recommend downloading the entire project from the Gbox420 GitHub main page, using the Code button - Download ZIP option. The ZIP file includes all samples and required libraries to get you started.

Extract the Gbox420-master folder from the zip file under the Apps folder created earlier:

Linux: $HOME/Apps/Gbox420-master
Windows: %userprofile%\Apps\Gbox420-master

Next, we are going to find the default folder where Arduino IDE stores the projects and loads library dependencies. To do this navigate to File \ Preferences and view the Sketchbook location under the Settings tab. Open this location and copy the content of https://github.com/growboxguy/Gbox420/tree/master/libraries folder into the sketchbook location.

Note: If you already have other projects that use 3rd party libraries this can cause duplicate library load attempts, check for conflicting libraries before copying. This is what you should end up after coping the libraries:

Serial monitor

Now let’s try to read the serial output from the Arduino board using the Serial Monitor. For this upload the File \ Examples \ 01.Basics \ ReadAnalogVoltage sample.

Update the Serial rate within the code: Serial.begin(CARD’S BAUD RATE); and add a delay(1000); to slow down the rate of printing the analog reading result:

Upload the sketch from Sketch \ Upload (Ctrl + U) then open the Serial Monitor (Tools\Serial Monitor or Ctrl + Shift + M). If you see garbage characters getting printed, adjust the baud rate to match your board’s rate. (115200 baud using the sample board)

If you are not seeing any output double-check the selected port, baud rate both in the sketch Serial.begin() command and in the Serial Monitor window. Make sure multiple applications (like a second Arduino IDE or Visual Studio Code) are not using the Arduino board connection at the same time.