Skip to content

MicrocontrollersšŸ”—

A microcontroller is a tiny computer that runs one program and connects straight to circuits through its pins. This topic uses an Arduino Uno to go from an empty board to a project that measures temperature and shows the result on a row of LEDs.

The articles assume the basics of voltage, current, and resistance from Circuit Foundations, and no coding background: the code is introduced a line at a time.

Microcontrollers reading order, as a transit map One line through six stops in three stages. Meet the board: What Is an Arduino?, Digital Pins; Outputs and inputs: Blink an LED, Pull-up and Pull-down; Measuring the world: Analog Sensor, Threshold Ladder. Every stop is a link to its article. Click any stop to open its article Meet the board Outputs and inputs Measuring the world 1. What Is an Arduino? 1 What Is an Arduino? 2. Digital Pins 2 Digital Pins 3. Blink an LED 3 Blink an LED 4. Pull-up and Pull-down 4 Pull-up and Pull-down 5. Analog Sensor 5 Analog Sensor 6. Threshold Ladder 6 Threshold Ladder
The reading order as one line, from an empty board to a working project. Every stop is a link.

1. Meet the BoardšŸ”—

  • What Is an Arduino? ā€” what's on the board, what a microcontroller is, and how to read your first sketch
  • Digital Pins ā€” how a pin drives an LED and reads a button, and why each pin needs a resistor

2. Outputs and InputsšŸ”—

3. Measuring the WorldšŸ”—

What You'll NeedšŸ”—

An Arduino Uno (or a compatible board) and its USB cable, a breadboard, a few LEDs, resistors, and pushbuttons from any starter kit, and arduino-cli to load the code.

Where to StartšŸ”—

Start with What Is an Arduino?. If you want something running in the next ten minutes, jump to Blink an LED and come back for the why.