Arduino and IoT

Arduino is the Italian company that is largely credited with popularizing the design, development, and production of microcontrollers. Microcontrollers are simply boards that include a small programmable computer chip along with hardware to manage external devices through sets of  General Purpose Input-Output (GPIO) pins. Devices can be read by these units, e.g. temperature sensors, microphones, etc. They can also control devices, e.g. LEDs, solenoids, speakers, etc.

Some of these devices can also include hardware to communicate to the outside world through WiFi and Bluetooth. This gave rise to the notion of the “Internet of Things” or “IoT”. Commercial examples of IoT devices include programmable lights, thermostats, doorbells, and such. With Arduinos however, common household items can be monitored and controlled in a customizable way with a little programming and rigging of some electronics. 

As Arduino microcontrollers gained in popularity and huge economies of scale kicked in, these boards and the electronics needed to construct a project became ridiculously cheap. A pack of three Wifi and Bluetooth equipped Arduino (clone) boards can be delivered to your door next day by Amazon for twenty bucks. And a package of five temperature and humidity sensors will set you back $15.00. Cost is not a barrier to entry for “makers”.

The skills required to build these projects are a really satisfying combination of programming, electronics, and design. Programming these babies is typically done in one of two languages. The OG method was using a modified version of C++. C++ is a lower level language and is a little more complicated to manage. In recent years however, many boards became equipped to be able to handle a slimmed down version of Python, which is a wildly popular language that is easy to learn and is extremely well supported. Understanding basic electronics is also required to put one of these together. It’s necessary to understand concepts such as voltage, current, resistance, and capacitance. Also critical is becoming familiar with standard components such as resistors, diodes, and transistors in order to hook up things like UV sensors and DC motors without blowing things up. With hands shakier than a politician’s scruples, I’m sad to admit that one skill that will probably always elude me  is becoming really good at soldering.

Please enjoy having a look at the ever-growing inventory of projects I have put together since I opened my post-retirement lab.