Blinking LED. The reader explores how provide, from the μC device, a digital pin interface with the outside world. Through the simplest example of a blinking LED, the reader realizes the rapid instruction execution by the μC’s processor, as well as the need to slowdown particular processes, through delay() routines, so as to support the user interface.

Blinking LED. The reader explores further how to generate an easily upgradable code with the use of global variables.

Blinking LED. The reader explores further how to generate an easily upgradable code with the use of object-like macros as well as the space in memory reserved by macros compared to the global variables.

Blinking LED. The reader explores further how to generate a more readable code with the use of functions.

Blinking LED. The reader explores further how to generate a more readable code with the use of function-like macros.

Digital PORT interface. The reader explores how the digital IO pins of Arduino Uno are grouped together and how to concurrently access all pins of a PORT without using Arduino-specific functions.

Digital PORT interface. The reader explores further how to concurrently access some, but not all pins of a PORT without using the Arduino-specific functions. To this end, the reader exploits bitwise operators along with the proper bitmasks.

Digital PORT interface. The reader explores further the direct manipulation of a PORT via bitwise operators and bitmasks, which are now incorporated within custom function-like macros. The reader explores the delay generated by the coding differences in the examples Ex3_2, Ex3_2b, Ex3_2c, when removing the long delay of 1s.

Digital PORT interface. The reader explores further the latency generated when controlling two digital pins of the same PORT sequentially, compared to the instant response of the pins when they are controlled concurrently, via the PORT registers.

Digital data input to the μC with a push-button. The reader explores the data input process from a digital pin, using a common push-button as input unit. The connection of the push-button to one of the μC pins via a pull-up resistor, is also analyzed. (Data output using a LED is also carried out.)

Debounce delay. The reader explores the switch-bounce phenomenon and how it can affect the regular functionality of a system, and address a debounce delay to resolve that issue.

Digital data input via direct port manipulation. The reader explores the data input process from a digital pin, via direct manipulation of the PORT’s registers using proper bitwise operations & bitmasks.

Analog data input. The reader explores how to read analog data from the μC when the latter encompasses an ADC.

Analog data output via PWM. The reader explores how to indirectly generate an analog signal, via the mean value occurred by a pulse width modulation.

Interrupt. The reader explores how to enable external interrupt to a special-function digital pin and how the processor invokes an interrupt service routine (ISR), as well as resumes the control flow after servicing the ISR.

Built-in UART Serial Interface. The reader explores, in detail, the functionality of the UART interface through a simple example which repeatedly transmits the ASCII character ‘A’ to the host PC. An analysis of the quite known 8N1 type of communication, through the observation of the serial data acquired by an oscillator, is performed.

External UART module. The reader explores how to implement an UART serial interface using an external module. (That particular task is useful when incorporating a μC of no buil-in UART.)

Built-in SPI Serial Interface (Read). The reader is introduced, (through a simplified example) to the operating principles of the SPI serial interface. The example performs an SPI read to the chip id of BME280 environmental sensor and sends data to the host PC.

Built-in SPI Serial Interface (Write). The reader explores further the SPI operating principles, by applying an SPI write to one of the registers of BME280 sensor, used for the configuration of the device.

Built-in SPI Serial Interface (Multiple-byte Read). The reader explores further how to speed-up the SPI reading transaction, through the possibility of applying multiple-byte read to the adjacent registers of an SPI peripheral device.

Built-in SPI (Environmental Measurements). The reader explores the first real-world project which obtains environmental measurements from BME280 sensor. Through this particular example, the reader explores how to build an SPI driver for the sensor device as well as perform advanced arithmetic and bitwise operation, which are needed to obtained the compensated Temperature, Pressure, and Humidity values. (The requisite operations are described, in detail, in the BME280 datasheet.)

Software-implemented / custom-designed SPI. As before, the reader (through a simplified example) performs an SPI read to the chip id of BME280 environmental sensor. However, this time we address a custom-defined (i.e., software-implemented) SPI library. The reader explores how to build custom-designed Arduino (i.e., C++) libraries. This library is quite useful for μCs of no built-in SPI, as well for the case where pins other than the dedicated SPI pins are required (for a particular reason) to drive the SPI module.

Software-implemented / custom-designed SPI. As before, the reader obtains environmental measurements from BME280 sensor, but using the custom-designed SPI library of the previous example.

Built-in I2C Serial Interface (Read). The reader is introduced, (through a simplified example) to the operating principles of the I2C serial interface. The example performs an I2C read to the chip id of BME280 environmental sensor and sends data to the host PC.

Built-in I2C Serial Interface (Write). The reader explores further the I2C operating principles, by applying an I2C write to one of the registers of BME280 sensor, used for the configuration of the device.

Built-in I2C Serial Interface (Multiple-byte Read). The reader explores further how to speed-up the I2C reading transaction, through the possibility of applying multiple-byte read to the adjacent registers of an I2C peripheral device.

Built-in I2C (Environmental Measurements). As in the SPI example, the reader explores how to build an I2C driver for the acquisition of environmental measurements by BME280 sensor.

Software-implemented / custom-designed I2C. As in the SPI example, the reader (through a simplified example) performs an I2C read to the chip id of BME280 environmental sensor. However, this time we address a custom-defined (i.e., software-implemented) I2C library. The reader explores how to build the custom-designed Arduino (i.e., C++) library for the I2C control of a peripheral module. This library is quite useful for μCs of no built-in I2C, as well for the case where pins other than the dedicated I2c pins are required (for a particular reason) to drive the I2C module.

Software-implemented / custom-designed I2C. As before, the reader obtains environmental measurements from BME280 sensor, but using the custom-designed I2C library of the previous example.