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In the past, I've had some projects that I'd like to have tried, if I knew what I was doing with circuitry. I have a feeling an Arduino (or Netduino) would hav

In the past, I've had some projects that I'd like to have tried, if I knew what I was doing with circuitry. I have a feeling an Arduino (or Netduino) would have taken a lot of the pain out of it. But eventually, I'd probably want to make a version that didn't start with a $35 part, possibly to sell or let others make. Is there a pretty clear path from starting with a 'duino and moving to custom set of components (assuming we're not talking about anything crazy complex like making a smartphone lol) or would it be essentially re-learning everything from scratch? For example, the other day I wanted to plug a GC controller into a USB port. I'm pretty sure I could wire it up to a programmable chip and make that happen. I'm also pretty sure an 'duino would be easier. But would making one version make it easier to make the other?

evan_ 15y ago
You can pop the ATMega chip off of the development board and use it in place of the complete arduino. ATMega chips are pretty cheap (edit- I said $1 before but that may have been optimistic). If you just want to plug a Gamecube controller into your computer this is probably a better option: http://goo.gl/Y0nP9 http://goo.gl/Y0nP9
- wccrawford 15y ago
  Actually, I've read bad things about that particular adapter, but I did have an alternative in mind. But thanks! I didn't fully understand the ATMega bit, but I'm assuming it means I can even use the same C++ program and not have to rewrite it for a new chip? That would be an amazing way to go, if so. I had assumed I'd at least have to recompile for a different chip. Edit: Looks like http://www.arduino.cc/playground/Learning/AtmegaStandalone http://www.arduino.cc/playground/Learning/AtmegaStandalone explains it for me. Thanks for the tip! That's exactly what I needed to push me further.
  - marssaxman 15y ago
    Building your own Arduino clone is pretty straightforward - it's half a dozen components, under ten bucks. Once you get the hang of it you can prototype your design using an actual Arduino board, then simply integrate the components into your actual project and continue using the same firmware. I've done this many times.
    - evilduck 15y ago
      The only gotcha with this is that you'll need a way to put the Arduino bootloader on new AVR chips, or pay a small premium to buy them preloaded with Arduino firmware.
- wccrawford 15y ago
  I just need to correct myself. That adapter is the one I had picked out. It was the OTHER adapters that I read problems about. :)
brk 15y ago
It all depends. Systems like this are (IMO) great for doing proof-of-concept projects and development things where you are concentrating on other factors. Ex: if I enable my TV remote to operate my garage door, what should I use the Mute button for... With these platforms (Arduino, BASIC stamp, etc.) you create a lot of "glue" between different devices and protocols, including getting samples from sensors, and so on without a lot of effort. The down-side, as you note, is that for many many reasons they are unsuitable to build any kind of semi-commerical product around. Going from Arduino prototype to real product is too vague of a question though. If your needs are simple, you might be able to use a handful of discrete components and 74xx series logic chips, or you might need to add in a PIC, or an Atmega chip, or whatever. But in almost every case you can put together a purpose built piece of hardware once you have your basic requirements fleshed out that is cheaper and easier to produce than a product built on top of the Arduino.
HeyLaughingBoy 15y ago
Most of the "pain" with starting from scratch goes away with just about any board-level product. I like the Teensy because it's cheap ($19 to start) and has an onboard bootloader so it programs (and is powered!) directly from USB with no other hardware needed. You can get helloworld.c running in less than an evening. If at your entry point you're already thinking of a commercial or hobbyist product, it's probably better to skip the Arduino and either go straight to the chip (maybe get an Atmel Dragon development kit) or buy a cheaper board that has a bootloader and sample code. At some point you're going to have to get comfortable with hardware, so Arduino won't buy you anything.
- evilduck 15y ago
  If you want to retain Arduino sketch compatibility for one reason or another (many identical builds but not at commercial scale? Who am I to question?) you can build Arduino clones from components and perfboard for under $10. Edit: Nix that, just buy the Ardweeny: http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MKSB012 http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MKSB...

evan_ 15y ago

You can pop the ATMega chip off of the development board and use it in place of the complete arduino. ATMega chips are pretty cheap (edit- I said $1 before but that may have been optimistic). If you just want to plug a Gamecube controller into your computer this is probably a better option: http://goo.gl/Y0nP9 http://goo.gl/Y0nP9

wccrawford 15y ago
Actually, I've read bad things about that particular adapter, but I did have an alternative in mind. But thanks! I didn't fully understand the ATMega bit, but I'm assuming it means I can even use the same C++ program and not have to rewrite it for a new chip? That would be an amazing way to go, if so. I had assumed I'd at least have to recompile for a different chip. Edit: Looks like http://www.arduino.cc/playground/Learning/AtmegaStandalone http://www.arduino.cc/playground/Learning/AtmegaStandalone explains it for me. Thanks for the tip! That's exactly what I needed to push me further.
- marssaxman 15y ago
  Building your own Arduino clone is pretty straightforward - it's half a dozen components, under ten bucks. Once you get the hang of it you can prototype your design using an actual Arduino board, then simply integrate the components into your actual project and continue using the same firmware. I've done this many times.
  - evilduck 15y ago
    The only gotcha with this is that you'll need a way to put the Arduino bootloader on new AVR chips, or pay a small premium to buy them preloaded with Arduino firmware.
wccrawford 15y ago
I just need to correct myself. That adapter is the one I had picked out. It was the OTHER adapters that I read problems about. :)

brk 15y ago

It all depends. Systems like this are (IMO) great for doing proof-of-concept projects and development things where you are concentrating on other factors. Ex: if I enable my TV remote to operate my garage door, what should I use the Mute button for... With these platforms (Arduino, BASIC stamp, etc.) you create a lot of "glue" between different devices and protocols, including getting samples from sensors, and so on without a lot of effort. The down-side, as you note, is that for many many reasons they are unsuitable to build any kind of semi-commerical product around. Going from Arduino prototype to real product is too vague of a question though. If your needs are simple, you might be able to use a handful of discrete components and 74xx series logic chips, or you might need to add in a PIC, or an Atmega chip, or whatever. But in almost every case you can put together a purpose built piece of hardware once you have your basic requirements fleshed out that is cheaper and easier to produce than a product built on top of the Arduino.

HeyLaughingBoy 15y ago

Most of the "pain" with starting from scratch goes away with just about any board-level product. I like the Teensy because it's cheap ($19 to start) and has an onboard bootloader so it programs (and is powered!) directly from USB with no other hardware needed. You can get helloworld.c running in less than an evening. If at your entry point you're already thinking of a commercial or hobbyist product, it's probably better to skip the Arduino and either go straight to the chip (maybe get an Atmel Dragon development kit) or buy a cheaper board that has a bootloader and sample code. At some point you're going to have to get comfortable with hardware, so Arduino won't buy you anything.

evilduck 15y ago
If you want to retain Arduino sketch compatibility for one reason or another (many identical builds but not at commercial scale? Who am I to question?) you can build Arduino clones from components and perfboard for under $10. Edit: Nix that, just buy the Ardweeny: http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MKSB012 http://www.makershed.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=MKSB...