Background

Project 1 will be focused on the principles of electricity, circuits, computational hardware, and their relation to wider systems and digital media. We will be conducting experiments building circuits with wires and sensors using Arduino circuit boards. Arduino is an open-source electronics platform designed for creative and educational work: a powerful tool that is also accessible to non-technical folks. The Arduino system consists of both a hardware and software component: a small circuit board, and a corresponding software application used to program the board (meaning, to write small computer programs and install them onto the board to control circuit components).

Because Arduino is an open source project, the software tool is freely available online, and the source code for this is available for anyone to download, view, and modify. The hardware, too, is freely available: “blueprints” for the circuit board are available online. But unlike with a software application, we obviously cannot simply “download” a physical circuit board, although with enough experience, time, and resources, we could download the blueprints and print one ourselves or find a factory to manufacture it. This would come with its own cost, and for us this semester it will be much more effective to simply purchase manufactured boards in kits that include all the components necessary for our work together.

Where & how to buy

The Arduino kit that I recommend is available here: Arduino Uno student kit ($76 + shipping). It should ship very quickly, and depending on which delivery option you select, should arrive in 2-10 days.

Additionally, I found Student Kits that seem identical for slightly cheaper ($59) available here for immediate shipping: from digikey.com.

Other options:

There are some other locations where you can order a kit. But be careful as these are very often not precisely the same set of components and instructions, which will likely make things very confusing for you. And as I mentioned, please speak to me if you need to and I can make sure you get what you need.

• Elegoo Uno (Arduino compatible) starter kit from amazon.com ($37 + shipping, will probably arrive quickly)
• If you wish to go looking elsewhere, feel free, but keep in mind that you should make sure whatever you get is an Arduino Uno, or compatible with that.

One nice thing about the kit from Arduino.cc is that it includes a digital multimeter. There will be some opportunities to use that this semester, but if you don’t have one, it’s OK. Other kits that you may find (including the Elegoo) may not come with multimeters, but you can purchase one independently (here’s one for $11 from amazon.com)

We will start Project 1 tutorials on Thursday, February 17. So make sure you order now – or talk to me now if you need to.