Smaller C

Chapter 12. Next Next Steps

First off, congratulations for making it this far! We have toured a pretty impressive breadth of the C programming language and the Arduino microcontroller ecosystem. Remember that first “Hello, World” program or that first blinking LED? You know a lot more about both worlds now, and I hope you’re eager to continue expanding your skills.

In this final chapter, we’ll look at one last project that connects your Arduino skills to the Internet of Things. The world of IoT is growing daily and will provide plenty of opportunities to try out new things, but we’ll also cover a few other topics you might look into next.

Intermediate and Advanced Topics

There are so many paths you can take from here. The array of sensors and displays available these days is truly astonishing. Go exploring! You’ll find your own inspirations and projects to tackle, which will lead to more exploring and more inspiration. My most enjoyable adventures have come from specific project ideas. I wanted an animated LED hourglass for part of a Halloween costume, so I found a capable, wearable microcontroller and some dense LED strips.¹ I had such fun with the LEDs on that project that I decided to create some weatherproof lighting for my backyard. With WiFi available to makers like us on small budgets, I could even let guests pick the colors and other effects. The success of the WiFi feature in turn propelled me to create a miniature weather station to feed my inner meteorologist.

The ...