Errata

Getting Started with Arduino

Errata for Getting Started with Arduino

Submit your own errata for this product.

The errata list is a list of errors and their corrections that were found after the product was released.

The following errata were submitted by our customers and have not yet been approved or disproved by the author or editor. They solely represent the opinion of the customer.

Color Key: Serious technical mistake Minor technical mistake Language or formatting error Typo Question Note Update

Version Location Description Submitted by Date submitted
Printed Page 18
Starting in paragraph 2

The author says, "here is what every element of the board does", but several elements shown in the figures on page 19 aren't mentioned:

The 6 power pins are never described.

The ICSP pins are never mentioned at all in the book. Even if they're not used in the examples, it would be useful to know what they're for.

In the Uno I have, there is another set of 6 pins next to the AREF pin. They don't appear in the diagram on page 19.

 Denis Williamson  Jan 09, 2013 
PDF Page 21
2nd paragraph in section "Installing Drivers: Windows"

The paragraph starting with "Windows XP will ask you whether to check Windows Update..." is essentially irrelevant to the discussion at hand, which is installing the driver for Arduino. It is confusing to the reader, and adds no value.

 Anonymous  Oct 13, 2011 
PDF Page 24
1st paragraph in section "Port Identification: Windows"

The paragraph starts as "On Windows, the process is a bit more complicated...". This approach assumes that the reader has read the preceding installation instructions for Macintosh. This is not how a typical reader will read the book. A reader will usually be interested in one platform. Therefore, comparing the port identification process for Windows to Macintosh is useless information and adds no value. It also puts the reader in doubt as to whether *all* sections of the book need to be read even if they are for a different platform than the one the reader is interested in.

 A.M. Sabuncu  Oct 13, 2011 
Printed Page 30
2nd paragraph

Wrong link: www.makezine.com/getstartedarduino
Correct link: www.makezine.com/gettingstartedarduino

 Anonymous  Aug 21, 2015 
PDF Page 68
bit.ly links

Both bit.ly links on this page are broken. These are the only bit.ly links I tried to follow, quite possible others/all are broken.

 Marius Scurtescu  Sep 17, 2011 
PDF Page 68
1st paragraph

In the description of a MOSFET it is stated that it is "an electronic switch that can be driven by applying a voltage to one of its three pins, each of which is called a gate". However, if I understand correctly only one of the three pins is referred to as a gate. The Note on MOSFET later on the same page confirms this.

 Thomas Weisbach  Apr 01, 2013 
Mobi Page 73
Coding for example 6-1 (Arduino Networked Lamp)

I copied the code from the download page, but received an error I don't know how to fix when I checked the program in Arduino 1.0.5 on a Mac.

What do I need to change in the code to make it correct?

There are a bunch of errors, but I think they are related. Here is the list of errors:


sketch_sep07a:50: error: 'c' was not declared in this scope
sketch_sep07a:50: error: 'background' was not declared in this scope
sketch_sep07a:54: error: 'color' was not declared in this scope
sketch_sep07a:55: error: 'hex' was not declared in this scope
sketch_sep07a:57: error: 'text' was not declared in this scope
sketch_sep07a:61: error: invalid operands of types 'const char*' and 'const char [9]' to binary 'operator+'
sketch_sep07a:64: error: 'rect' was not declared in this scope
sketch_sep07a:85: error: 'port' was not declared in this scope
sketch_sep07a:103: error: invalid cast from type 'String' to type 'int'
sketch_sep07a.ino: In function 'void fetchData()':
sketch_sep07a:129: error: 'URL' was not declared in this scope
sketch_sep07a:129: error: expected `;' before 'url'
sketch_sep07a:132: error: 'URLConnection' was not declared in this scope
sketch_sep07a:132: error: expected `;' before 'conn'
sketch_sep07a:133: error: 'conn' was not declared in this scope
sketch_sep07a:138: error: 'BufferedReader' was not declared in this scope
sketch_sep07a:138: error: expected `;' before 'in'
sketch_sep07a:142: error: 'in' was not declared in this scope
sketch_sep07a:142: error: 'null' was not declared in this scope
sketch_sep07a:144: error: 'StringTokenizer' was not declared in this scope
sketch_sep07a:144: error: expected `;' before 'st'
sketch_sep07a:147: error: 'st' was not declared in this scope
sketch_sep07a:168: error: expected type-specifier before 'Exception'
sketch_sep07a:168: error: exception handling disabled, use -fexceptions to enable
sketch_sep07a:168: error: expected `)' before 'ex'
sketch_sep07a:168: error: expected `{' before 'ex'
sketch_sep07a:168: error: 'ex' was not declared in this scope
sketch_sep07a:168: error: expected `;' before ')' token

 David Deitrick  Sep 07, 2014 
Printed Page 74
Processing sketch

Since the book was published, the Arduino Leonardo has been come out. Unfortunately, for technical reasons, the Processing sketch will not work using Processing 1.5 with the Leonardo. The sketch will work under Processing 2.0 (beta) by adding these lines to the top:
import java.net.*;
import java.io.*;
import java.util.*;

 David Kuntz  Jan 30, 2013 
Other Digital Version 87
Figure 5-4

iBooks version, page 87 at my preferred font size. Figure 5-4 is incorrect. It is a duplicate of 4-6. Only way to see right way to wire that is to download a different edition.

 David Fell  Jan 08, 2013 
Printed Page 99
Examples of WHILE and Do...While statements

The second digitalWrite(13,HIGH); in the example is incorrect. It should be digitalWrite(13,LOW). As written, the code will not blink the LED.

The same error exists in the example for Do...while on the same page. The example for Break on Page 100 is correct.

 Denis Williamson  Jan 09, 2013 
Printed Page 107

The example:

Serial.print(75, BYTE);

does not work with Arduino 1.0. It needs to be done with Serial.write().

 Tami (Masaaki) Takamiya  Dec 23, 2011 
Printed Page 108
last paragraph

As shown the illustration contravenes the IEC required practices for representation of conductors on a schematic diagram and the text leaves the reader without guidance on how to represent two conductors which cross without electrical connection between them.

The first sentence of the paragraph is correct.

The second sentence reads: "When two lines are connected, the connection is represented by a big dot where the two lines # cross, as shown in the illustration on the left #"

All between # # marks should be replaced by "... meet".

Insert additional sentences:

"Where two two lines cross without an electrical connection between them they should cross at right angles without any marking or break.

Where two lines approach a third line from opposite sides and both are to make an electrical connection to the third line, the approaching lines should be offset so that they make clearly separate connections to the third line."

Replace existing single illustration by three:

1: as existing illustration but without the dot. (illustrates two lines crossing without electrical connection). Caption: "No electrical connection"

2: as existing illustration but with one of the lines shortened so that it ends in the dot. (illustrates one line electrically connected to another).
Caption: "Electrical connection"

3: as illustration 2. with second dot, spaced away from first dot on "through" line and another line running from second dot on opposite side of through line to first line. Caption: "Electrical connections shown separately".

I shall be pleased to send you hand-drawn sketches of the above if you wish.

Anonymous  Aug 06, 2012 
Mobi Page 1077

The circuit in Figure 5.4 is exactly the same as the circuit in Figure 4.6. I thought maybe the two circuits were supposed to be the same, but the code example for circuit 5.4 (ie, Example 5-1) does not fit the circuit.

 Brent Kesler  Nov 08, 2012