Attach:foo Δ

If you've never programmed before at all, there are more examples included with the IDE to show you some of the basic programming structures. Note that these examples will need to be modified a bit to work with the Esplora, however. You'll need to include the Esplora library by choosing Import Library... -> Esplora from the Tools menu, and you'll need to change the general Arduino inputs and outputs for the Esplora inputs and outputs. For more on this, see the Guide to using Esplora with the Arduino Examples

Note: If you do not see the EsploraBlink example, you may need to update the Esplora library. To do this, quit the Arduino IDE and download this .zip file. When you unzip it, you'll have a folder called Esplora. Look in your Documents folder (on OSX or Ubuntu) or My Documents folder (on Windows) for the Arduino sketches folder. It will be called "Arduino" and there should be a folder inside called "libraries". If not, create a libraries folder inside the sketches folder. Move the Esplora folder into the libraries folder. Then re-start the Arduino IDE. Now you should be able to open the EsploraBlink sketch as described above.

A few seconds after the upload finishes, you should see the yellow RGB LED on the board start to blink, changing color from red to green to blue to yellow to cyan to magenta to white. If it does, congratulations! You've gotten Esplora up and running.

Now that you've verified that the Esplora can connect to your computer and you can upload code, it's time to try a few of its functions. The Esplora has input sensors, which you get information from using read commands, and output actuators, which you control using write commands. The RGB LED and the buzzer are the two main output actuators. The joystick, linear potentiometer slider, microphone, accelerometer, temperature sensor, and pushbuttons are the input sensors. You can also add your own inputs and outputs using the TinkerKit input and output connectors.

The sketch below is similar to the EsploraBlink example, but controls the LED in a slightly different way. You can either use the Esplora.writeRGB() command, and give it red, green, and blue values like so:

Esplora.writeRGB(255, 255, 255); // sets red, green and blue all to full brightness (:sourceend:)

Or you can turn on each individual color using the Esplora.writeRed(), Esplora.writeGreen(), and Esplora.writeBlue() commands, as you see below.

Copy the code below, and paste it into the Arduino IDE. Make sure you have the right serial port and the Esplora board selected, as you did previously. Plug your board in and upload the code. Once it is uploaded, you should see the RGB LED flashing.

(:source lang=arduino tabwidth=4:)

Inputs on the Esplora give you values between 0 and 1023, except the pushbuttons, which give you 0 or 1. Outputs don't have the same range, however. The LED output ranges from 0 to 255. To get the value from the input to scale to the value for the output, you'll divide the input by 4. This new number will be the brightness level of the LED.

There are a number of example sketches in the File -> Examples -> Esplora that show you more of what you can do with your Esplora. They're divided into examples for programming Beginners or Experts. If you're just getting started in programming, or you want to see how to use one input or output at a time, start with the Beginners examples. If you're an experienced programmer, then the Advanced examples will give you some more ideas.

If you've never programmed before at all, there are some walk you through the basics of how to program an Arduino. There are also examples specific to the Esplora that demonstrate the use of the onboard peripherals. Try to open and upload them, and see how they work.

Note: If you do not see the EsploraBlink example, you may need to update the Esplora library. To do this, quit the Arduini IDE and download this .zip file. When you unzip it, you'll have a folder called Esplora. Look in your Documents folder (on OSX or Ubuntu) or My Documents folder (on Windows) for the Arduino sketches folder. It will be called "Arduino" and there should be a folder inside called "libraries". If not, create a libraries folder inside the sketches folder. Move the Esplora folder into the libraries folder. Then re-start the Arduino IDE. Now you should be able to open the EsploraBlink sketch as described above.

Open the Esplora Blink example

Open the LED Blink example sketch: File > Examples > Esplora > Beginners > EsploraBlink.

Note: If you do not see the EsploraBlink example, you may need to update the Esplora library. To do this, quit the Arduini IDE and download this .zip file. When you unzip it, you'll have a folder called Esplora. Look in your Documents folder (on OSX or Ubuntu) or My Documents folder (on Windows) for the Arduino sketches folder. It will be called "Arduino" and there should be a folder inside called "libraries". If not, create a libraries folder inside the sketches folder. Move the Esplora folder into the libraries folder. Then re-start the Arduino IDE. Now you should be able to open the EsploraBlink sketch as described above.

With the Esplora, you can write software that takes information from the inputs and use that to control the outputs on the board, or control your computer, just like a mouse or keyboard would.

The Esplora is different from all previous Arduino boards, in that it has inputs and outputs already connected to the board. This means that you don't need to know how to connect electronic sensors or actuators to use it as a result. As a result, programming for it is a bit different than for other Arduino boards. It has its own library that makes it easier to read from the input sensors and write to the output actuators. You'll see how to use the library in this guide and in the Esplora library reference pages as well.

This guide will take you through the process of connecting the Esplora board to your computer and uploading an Arduino program, called a sketch.

You also need a proper Micro-USB cable ("A" plug to "Micro-B" plug type). Some mobile phones or portable music players use this kind of cable to transfer data to/from the PC, so you might already own one of them. This is different from a USB-Mini cable in that it's a slimmer connector. You can see the differences here (the connector you need is the one on the left in this photo.

Get the latest version of the Arduino IDE from the download page. You'll need version 1.0.3 or later of the Arduino IDE.

(:toggle question1 init=hide show='I give up, what should happen?' hide='Let me figure it out':)

Now that you've verified that the Esplora can connect to your computer and you can upload code, it's time to try a few of its functions.

The Esplora has a number of sensors right on its surface. In this example, you'll use the linear potentiometer (the slider at the bottom of the board) to change the brightness of the RGB LED.

This tutorial is for the Arduino Esplora. If you have another board, read the corresponding Getting Started guide for that board.

You should look at the Esplora library reference pages for using various sensors and actuators with the Esplora library. You can see more examples on the examples page.

The Arduino Esplora is a device that has a tiny computer called a microcontroller, and a number of inputs and outputs. For inputs, there's a joystick, four buttons, a light sensor, a slider, a microphone, a temperature sensor, and an accelerometer. For outputs there's a buzzer and a three color LED. At first glance it looks like a videogame controller.

Instructions for Mac OS X

Instructions for Windows

Instructions for Linux

Open the Blink example

Configure Arduino for Esplora

Select the right USB port

Upload the program

6 | Change the RGB LED

7 | Inputs changing outputs

5 | Programming the board

Open the Blink example

Open the LED Blink example sketch: File > Examples > 1.Basics > Blink.

Configure Arduino for Esplora

Select the right USB port

Upload the program

6 | Change the RGB LED

Now that you've verified that the Esplora can connect to your computer and you can upload code, it's time to try soem functionality that is specific to the board.

In this example, you'll get the RGB LED to blink each of its colors once, then all three at the same time. The Esplora library, included at the beginning of the sketch, has a number of methods that will simplify the code you need to use.

Copy the code below, and paste it into the Arduino IDE. Make sure you have the right serial port and the Esplora board selected, as you did previously. Plug your board in and upload the code. Once it is uploaded, you should see the lights flashing.

(:source lang=arduino tabwidth=4:) // include the Esplora library

1. include <Esplora.h>

void setup() {

  // nothing to setup 

}

void loop() {

  // write light level to the red LED
  // 0 means the LED is off, 255 is full brightness
  Esplora.writeRed(255);

  // add a delay to keep the LED lit for 
  // 1000 milliseconds (1 second)
  delay(1000);

  // turn the red LED off, and the green LED on
  Esplora.writeRed(0);
  Esplora.writeGreen(255);

  // add a delay
  delay(1000);

  // turn the green LED off, and the blue LED on
  Esplora.writeGreen(0);
  Esplora.writeBlue(255);

  // add a delay  
  delay(1000);

  // turn all the LEDs on together
  Esplora.writeRGB(255, 255, 255);

  // add a delay  
  delay(1000);

  // turn the LEDs off
  Esplora.writeRGB(0, 0, 0);

  // add a delay  
  delay(1000);

} (:sourceend:)

7 | Inputs changing outputs

The Esplora has a number of inputs right on its surface. In this example, you'll use the linear potentiometer (the slider at the bottom of the board) to change the brightness of the RGB LED.

Inputs on the Esplora give you values between 0 and 1023. The LED output ranges from 0 to 255. To get the value from the input to scale to the value for the output, you'll divide the input by 4. This new number will be the brightness level of the LED.

Copy the code below, and upload it as you did the previous examples. Once uploaded, move the slider back and forth. You should see the Red LED change its brightness.

(:source lang=arduino tabwidth=4:) // include the Esplora library

1. include <Esplora.h>

void setup() { // nothing to setup }

void loop() {

  // read the sensor into a variable
  int slider = Esplora.readSlider()/4;

  // convert the sensor readings to light levels
  byte bright  = slider/4;

  // write the light levels to the Red LED
  Esplora.writeRed(bright);

  // add a small delay to keep the LED from flickering:
  delay(10);

} (:sourceend:)

8 | Next steps

There are a number of example sketches in the File -> Examples that walk you through the basics of how to program an Arduino. There are also examples specific to the Esplora that demonstrate the use of the onboard peripherals. Try to open and upload them, and see how they work.

You should look at the Esplora reference pages for using various sensors and actuators with the Esplora library. You can see more examples on the examples page.

If you have problems, please see the troubleshooting suggestions.

The Arduino Esplora board, is a board that has a micrcontroller ( a tiny computer) and a number of inputs and outputs. At first glance you'll notice that it looks like a console gamepad. For inputs, there's a joystick, four buttons, a light sensor, a slider, a microphone, a temperature sensor, and an accelerometer. For outputs there's a buzzer and a three color LED.

With the Esplora, you can write software that takes information from the inputs and use that to control the outputs on the board, or control your computer, just like a mouse or keyboard would.

This will take you through the process of connecting the Esplora board to your computer and uploading an Arduino program, called a sketch.

The Arduino Esplora board, is a board that has a micrcontroller ( a tiny computer) and a number of inputs and outputs. At first glance you'll notice that it looks like a console gamepad. For inputs, there's a joystick, four buttons, a light sensor, a slider, a microphone, a temperature sensor, and an accelerometer. For outputs there's a buzzer and a three color LED. You can write software that takes information from the inputs and use that to control the outputs on the board, or control your computer.

This document explains how to connect your Esplora board to your computer and upload your first program, called a sketch.

Get the latest version of the Arduino IDE from the download page.

When the download finishes, unzip the downloaded file in any directory. Make sure to preserve the folder structure. Double-click the folder to open it. There should be a few files and sub-folders inside. If you're on a Mac, the zip folder contains just the application.

Connect the Arduino board to your computer using the USB cable. The green power LED (labelled ON) should go on, and the yellow LED marked "L" should start glowing. After about 8 seconds, the yellow LED should start blinking on and off.

The following instructions are for Windows 7. They are valid also for Windows XP, with small differences in the dialog windows.

• Plug in your board and wait for Windows to begin its driver installation process. If the installer does not launch automatically, navigate to the Windows Device Manager (Start>Control Panel>Hardware) and find the Arduino Esplora listing. Right click and choose Update driver.
  

• At the next screen, choose "Browse my computer for driver software", and click Next.

• Click the Browse... button. Another dialog appears: navigate to the folder with the Arduino software that you just downloaded. Select the drivers folder an click OK, then click Next.

• You will receive a notification that the board has not passed Windows Logo testing. Click on the button Continue Anyway.

• After a few moments, a window will tell you the wizard has finished installing software for Arduino Esplora. Press the Close button.

Double-click the Arduino application. (Note: if the Arduino software loads in the wrong language, you can change it in the preferences dialog. See the environment page for details.)

Since the Arduino IDE is used for many different Arduino boards, you need to tell it that you're working with the Esplora. Open the Tools > Board menu and choose Arduino Esplora.

Now, simply click the "Upload" button in the environment. Wait a few seconds - you should see the RX and TX leds on the board flashing. If the upload is successful, the message "Done uploading." will appear in the status bar of the software.

There are a number of example sketches in the File -> Examples that walk you through the basics of how to program an Arduino. Among the examples there is a section specific to the Esplora, that demonstrates the use of the onboard peripherals. Try to open and upload them, and see how they work.

attach:EsploraWindowsDrivers0.png

Getting started with Arduino Esplora

The first time you see The Arduino Esplora board, you can notice that it looks like a console gamepad. There are a joystick, four buttons, a color LED, a light sensor, a buzzer, a slider, a microphone, a temperature sensor and an accelerometer.

This document explains how to connect your Esplora board and upload your first sketch.

1 | Get an Arduino Esplora and USB cable

This tutorial is for the Arduino Esplora. If you have another board, read the corresponding Getting Started guide.

You also need a proper Micro-USB cable ("A" plug to "Micro-B" plug type). Some mobile phones or portable music players use this kind of cable to transfer data to/from the PC, so you might already own one of them.

2 | Download the Arduino environment

Get the latest version from the download page. When the download finishes, unzip the downloaded file in any directory. Make sure to preserve the folder structure. Double-click the folder to open it. There should be a few files and sub-folders inside.

3 | Connect the board

Connect the Arduino board to your computer using the USB cable. The green power LED (labelled ON) should go on, and the yellow LED marked "L" should start glowing. After about 8 seconds, the LED should start blinking on and off.

4 | Install the drivers

Instructions for Mac OS X

Instructions for Windows

The following instructions are relative to Windows 7. They are valid also for Windows XP, with only little differences in the dialog windows.

• Plug in your board and wait for Windows to begin its driver installation process. If the installer does not launch automatically, navigate to the Windows Device Manager (Start>Control Panel>Hardware) and find the Arduino Esplora listing. Right click and choose Update driver.
  

• In the next screen, click the Browse... button. Another dialog appears: navigate to your Arduino 1.5.0 (or later) installation. Select the drivers folder an click OK, then click Next.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8488/8208366897_381592a294_o.png

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8061/8208367049_bc3dd6d907_o.png

Instructions for Linux

5 | Launch the Arduino application

Double-click the Arduino application. (Note: if the Arduino software loads in the wrong language, you can change it in the preferences dialog. See the environment page for details.)

6 | Open the blink example

Open the LED blink example sketch: File > Examples > 1.Basics > Blink.

7 | Configure Arduino for Esplora

Since the Arduino IDE is used for many different Arduino boards, you need to tell it that you're working the Esplora. So, in the Arduino IDE, open the Tools > Board menu and choose the Arduino Esplora item.

8 | Select the right USB port

The Arduino IDE needs to know which of your USB ports the Esplora is connected to. The Tools > Serial menu lists the available ports:

• if only one item is shown, click on that one;
• if two or more are shown, you can disconnect the Esplora and re-open the menu; the entry that disappears should be the Esplora board. Reconnect the board and select that serial port.

9 | Upload the program

Now, simply click the "Upload" button in the environment. Wait a few seconds - you should see the RX and TX leds on the board flashing. If the upload is successful, the message "Done uploading." will appear in the status bar.

A few seconds after the upload finishes, you should see the yellow LED "L" on the board start to blink. If it does, congratulations! You've gotten Esplora up-and-running.

10 | Going further

There are a number of example sketches in the File -> Examples to let you understand how to program an Arduino sketch. Among the examples there is a section specific for Esplora, that demonstrate the usage of the onboard peripherals. Try to open and upload them, and see how they work.

If you have problems, please see the troubleshooting suggestions.

You might also want to look at the Esplora reference for using various sensors and actuators with the Esplora library. You can see more examples in the examples page.

The text of the Arduino getting started guide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License. Code samples in the guide are released into the public domain.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8350/8208366985_baee134431_o.png

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8488/8208366897_381592a294_o.png

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8483/8208367107_85b054a89b_o.png

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8061/8208367049_bc3dd6d907_o.png

Windows (tested on Windows 7)

The process for Windows XP and Windows 7 is similar. These screenshots are from a Windows 7 installation.

• Plug in your board and wait for Windows to begin its driver installation process. If the installer does not launch automatically, navigate to the Windows Device Manager (Start>Control Panel>Hardware) and find the Arduino Esplora listing. Right click and choose Update driver.

• In the next screen, choose "Browse my computer for driver software", and click Next.

• In the next screen, click the Browse... button. Another dialog appears: navigate to your Arduino 1.0.1 or later installation. Select the drivers folder an click OK, then click Next.

• You will receive a notification that the board has not passed Windows Logo testing. Click on the button Continue Anyway.
• After a few moments, a window will tell you the wizard has finished installing software for Arduino Esplora. Press the Close button.

There is no need to install drivers for Ubuntu 12.04.

Guide to the Arduino Esplora

Getting started with the Arduino Esplora

To connect the Arduino Esplora to your computer, you'll need a Micro-B USB cable. This USB cable provides power and data to the board. When programming the Esplora, you must choose Arduino Esplora from the Tools > Board menu in the Arduino IDE.

(:*toc:)

Differences from the Arduino Leonardo

In general, you program and use the Esplora as you would the Leonardo board. There are, however, a few important differences.

Onboard devices vs. pin availability

The Esplora board differs from other Arduino boards in that it provides a complete set of already-available devices, but this comes with an expense: there are only two digital input/output pins and two analog inputs available for free use. These pins are detailed on the hardware page.

Single USB power supply

Differently than most Arduino boards, the Esplora can be powered only from the USB connector.

Installing Drivers for the Esplora

OSX

• The first time you plug an Esplora into a Mac, the "Keyboard Setup Assistant" will launch. There's nothing to configure with the Esplora, so you can close this dialogue by clicking the red button in the top left of the window.

Windows (tested on XP and 7)

The process for Windows XP and Windows 7 is similar. These screenshots are from an XP installation.

• Plug in your board and wait for Windows to begin its driver installation process. If the installer does not launch automatically, Navigate to the Windows Device Manager (Start>Control Panel>Hardware) and find the Arduino Esplora listing. Right click and choose Update driver.
• If prompted to search for drivers online, choose "No, not this time". And click Next

• When asked to install automatically or from a specific location, select "Install from a list or specific location" and press Next

• Choose "Search for the best driver in these locations", and check the box "incude this location in the search". Click the Browse button and navigate to your Arduino 1.0.1 or later installation. Select the drivers folder an click OK

• Click Next
• You will receive a notification that the board has not passed Windows Logo testing. Click on the button Continue Anyway

Attach:EsploraWindowsDrivers5.png Δ

• After a few moments, a window will tell you the wizard has finished installing software for Arduino Esplora. Press the Finish button

Linux

There is no need to install drivers for Ubuntu 10.0.4

Uploading Code to the Esplora

The process of uploading code is the same as Leonardo one. See the corresponding getting started page.

Good Coding Practice With the Esplora

A word of caution on using the USB Mouse and Keyboard Libraries: if the Mouse or Keyboard library is constantly running, it will be difficult to program your board. Functions such as Mouse.move() and Keyboard.print() will move your cursor or send keystrokes to a connected computer and should only be called when you are ready to handle them. It is recommended to use a control system to turn this functionality on, like using one of the switches or only responding to specific input you can control. When using the Mouse or Keyboard library, it may be best to test your output first using Serial.print(). This way, you can be sure you know what values are being reported. Refer to the Mouse and Keyboard examples for some ways to handle this.

Using the serial monitor effectively: Since serial is going through only one processor, the board is capable of filling your computer's serial buffer faster than the Uno or earlier boards. You may notice that if you send serial continually, for example like this:

(:source lang=arduino :) void loop() { int sensorReading = Esplora.channel(CH_MIC); Serial.println(sensorReading); } (:sourceend:)

the Serial Monitor in the IDE slows down considerably as it tries to keep up. If you encounter this, add a short delay to your loop so that the computer's serial buffer is not filled as fast. Even a millisecond delay will help:

(:source lang=arduino :) void loop() { int sensorReading = Esplora.channel(CH_MIC); Serial.println(sensorReading); delay(1); } (:sourceend:)

Serial applications using native libraries other than RXTX library read the serial buffer faster, so you may not encounter this error much outside of the Serial Monitor, Processing, or other RXTX-based serial applications

For more details on the Arduino Esplora, see the Esplora hardware page. For additional information on the USB capabilities, see the Mouse and Keyboard reference pages.
\\