Computer Setup
Last updated
Last updated
Go to http://arduino.cc/en/Main/Software to download the installation file according to your operating system.
For Windows users, please follow the instructions below. For Mac and Linux users, you can directly use the Arduino sketch by simply clicking on the file.
Installing drivers for the Arduino Plug in your board and wait for Windows to begin its driver installation process. After a few moments, despite its best efforts, the process will fail, but do not panic! Click on the Start Menu, and open up the Control Panel.
Find Unknown Device and then right click and select Update Driver Software.
Choose browse my computer for driver software to search for drivers manually
Click Browse and find the directory location of the Arduino IDE where the installation files are located. Inside this directory will be another directory named Drivers. Select it and click Next .
This dialog indicates successful installation. Hopefully this is what you will see! If not double check the steps and try again.
If you go back to your device manager, the Arduino device should now be recognised by your computer.
Go to “Device Manager” >“Ports (COM & LPT)”. You should see “Arduino no (COM#)”. This is the COM port that your computer uses to transfer data to your Arduino. In our example the computer communicates with the Arduino on COM36
Remember your COM number as you will need it later.
Open Arduino IDE and take a moment to move your mouse along each icon to get to know their functions. Here we will use a very basic sample code, Blink to go through the whole process and test whether the controller is working.
Open the LED blink example sketch. You will find it under File > Examples > 01.Basics > Blink.
Click “Verify” to compile the code. The IDE changes the code from text into instructions that the computer can understand. This process is called compiling.
Verifying....
Finished!
The code we are using should not have errors since it is an example code. If a code does have errors in it it will fail to verify.
Time to download the code to your Arduino! Select your micro-controller by selecting “Board > Arduino Uno”
Then select your COM port by selecting “Serial Port” and selecting the COM port number you saw earlier. In our example COM36 is in use.
Click Upload to send the code via the USB to you Arduino Board
After it is finished, the Arduino will run the code automatically and the onboard LED will start to blink, just as programmed!
