Reddit reviews Programming Arduino: Getting Started With Sketches

• Fire TV Stick, which is a lower-cost alternative to the awesome Fire TV. (think Apple TV, but actually good)
  
  
• Raspberry Pi which is a tiny fully-functional/fully-featured ARM computer.
  
  
• Arduino, which is an easy-to-use electronics prototyping platform, great if you're interested in learning how to make your own electronics and whatnot. (you might also want this, this, this, this, and this. Should be less than $40 altogether, though you could also probably find like a starter kit that comes with an arduino, book, and components.)
  
  
• Huion drawing tablet, great for if you want to do digital art. I haven't used this model specifically, but I do have the (bigger/more expensive) Huion 610 Pro, which I love.
  
  
• Amazon Prime student was like $40 IIRC, not sure if that has changed though.

I thought Programming Arduino Getting Started with Sketches by Simon Monk was very good. It starts from the very basics of what a micro controller is and the concepts of how it works. Then steps you through the example sketches in the Arduino IDE explaining how and why they work. It's written in a way that's very easy to understand even for the absolute beginner.

Once you've gone through those you'll have a good understanding of what is and isn't possible and how to make your own projects around it. After that Google.

Here's my advice, as a recent grad who was first exposed to arduino in school two years ago.

Get a starter kit that has a nice amount of sensors, jumpers, resistors. Nothing worse than seeing a project online and realizing you'd have to make a trip to radio shack just for some 30 cent resistor.

Amazon - $125

Sparkfun - $60

Jameco - $99

These are all a little pricey, but if you have a decent amount of confidence that you'll stick with things, I think this is a good way to get started. You could get one of the cheaper starter kits, but pushing a button to light an LED is only impressive for like a second. After that you're going to want to start moving and sensing things and it's nice to already have that at your fingertips.

Word of advice on tutorials. If you're anything like me, the internet can be your best friend and worst enemy. There are so many tutorials for stuff like arduino with varying levels of quality. It can be super distracting to look through a long tutorial and then see 100 other things you might want to do. At this point, that's bad because you're just chasing after a cool project, not actually learning. I'd encourage you to commit to buying a book, plugging away through every single tutorial in it, and then looking online. You'll start to see quicker which projects you actually want to dive into when you know a bit more about the process.

That first kit from Amazon comes with a book that I'm sure is great. Here's the one we went through at school: Programming Arduino - $12

That said, I'd very strongly encourage you to do it. Save up some money, get one of those kits, and start learning! It's incredible rewarding, and after even a few months you'll have projects lying around that will impress pretty much anyone who doesn't know what arduino is. I really wish I had started at your age. Good luck!

I was pretty happy with "Programming Arduino - Getting Started With Sketchs" by Simon Monk. It provide a good overview of C and the various steps needed to get to working code. I've already a lot of coding experience by knew nothing about Arduino when I started so it brought me up to speed quickly but I think it would useful for beginners, as well.

It's available on Amazon for sub-$9: -> and he has a site which has a fair amount of errata, etc.: ->

Nothing special, but I got my very first Arduino (uno)!

Also pictured:

• breadboard
  
  
• RGB LED Strip
  
  
• Motion sensor
  
  
• photoresistor
  
  
• wire
  
  
• battery and snap
  
  
• USB cord.
  
  Not pictured: Programming Arduino. Im really excited to get started on my first electronics projects!

Check out Simon Monk's book: Programming Arduino, Getting Started with Sketches . I found it a great starter book, and was easy to understand and follow.

As for your keyboard interface.. it sounds like you will need the serial monitor running and waiting for a key-press. Arduino: SerialAvailable

Hope that gets you moving in the right direction! GL!

I'm an older gentleman too and I just found this book, http://www.amazon.com/Programming-Arduino-Getting-Started-Sketches/dp/0071784225/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412535749&sr=8-1&keywords=Programming+arduino. So far it's been very helpful answering questions about code that the "getting started with arduino" book didn't cover. I would recommend it for sure.

And heck! If you don't have an Arduino just yet, you can try one out virtually first! I like 123D Circuits by AutoDesk; however, there are many other simulators with Arduinos built in. Google them! :-)

Like it but don't like the $$$? You can make your own! There are many tutorials online for making a bare bones Arduino with cheap* electronics components.

I really like @schorhr book suggestions. To add on, the following books are great for Arduino beginners: Programming Arduino: Getting Started with Sketches & Make: Getting Started with Arduino. Also, great tutorials can be found here: tronixstuff Arduino Tutorials & Ladyada's Arduino Tutorials.

Good luck!

Make use of that intelligence and get her an arduino uno.

She'll be able to make anything from simple robots to a light up dress that changes colors. A simple guide to get started will help as well. Guide.

I'd suggest an arduino uno to start out I don't know what the kits include but I'd suggest against them. You'll do better ordering your parts for projects separately so you only buy what you need. I'd suggest starting with an led cube it's easy to solder and there are code sequences already written for patterns. You'll need a soldering iron. I'd suggest this book also.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0071784225/ref=pd_aw_sims_5?pi=SL500_SY115&simLd=1