Arduino For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Chapter 4

Tools of the Trade

IN THIS CHAPTER

Introducing the breadboard, a blank canvas for circuits

Assembling a tool kit

Becoming an electronics super sleuth, with a multimeter

In Chapter 3, I cover one of the most basic Arduino applications: blinking an LED. This application requires only an Arduino and a few lines of code. Although blinking an LED is fun, you can use an Arduino for an almost unlimited number of other things — making interactive installations, controlling your home appliances, and talking with the Internet, to name a few.

In this chapter, you branch out by gaining an understanding of prototyping and how to use some basic prototyping tools to do more with your Arduino. Prototyping tools allow you to make temporary circuits to try new components, test circuits, and build simple prototypes. In this chapter, you find out about all the equipment and techniques you need to build your own circuits and prototype your ideas.

Finding the Right Tools for the Job

Prototyping is all about exploring ideas, which also happens to be the core of what Arduino is all about. Although theory is important, you often learn better and faster from doing an experiment.

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