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Re: Arduino and Python or gcc compiler?

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On 07/22/2018 11:13 AM, Erik Christiansen wrote:
> On 22.07.18 10:29, cyaiplexys wrote:
>> I think my mindset also came from my days of trying to program the WowWee
>> RoboSapien RS Media (ARM/Linux with Java). That was like a fully
>> programmable computer and robot all in one.
> 
> Then the full arduino environment will be more comfortable than raw C on
> bare iron. While I program AVRs, including the ATmega328P used on most
> arduino boards, in C and assembler, I understand that the arduino
> environment provides a high level programming interface which allows
> e.g. artists to write "sketches" to perform real-time tasks.

After watching some YouTube tutorials, I am starting to see that. The 
IDE isn't "real" C in that you're not directly compiling using gcc from 
the command line. It does everything for you behind the scenes. Not used 
to that since my old Windows days.

> There is quite a bit of peripheral hardware on an ATmega328P, from
> serial USART, through timer/counters useful for e.g. PWM motor control,
> through multi-channel 10 bit Analogue to digital converter. The chip
> datasheet is 440 pages in length, and learning to initialise and drive
> the on-chip paraphernalia is a non-trivial task. The arduino environment
> provides a library of drivers AIUI, to allow programming at the
> application level, rather than writing your own drivers¹. It won't
> necessarily give you the last microsecond of real-time performance, but
> it should be a low-pain introduction. (Must be some reason for its
> popularity, I figure.)

I got the starter kit with the Arduino UNO R3. Not knowing what that 
means yet (I need to read into that) I am assuming that ATmega328P is 
the Arduino MEGA and not the Arduino UNO R3? Or is it the CPU in all 
Arduinos? I'll have to look into that. I did find out a bit after my 
first post in this thread that Arduino isn't and ARM processor.

>> I don't mind using C, but am pretty bad at it. Maybe this is the time to
>> finally get better at it.
> 
> Learning two things at once is for self-driven stoics only, at least if
> they're both non-trivial. Beginning with a friendly development
> environment and application framework, complete with examples which
> could be downloaded and used for tutorial purposes, avoids the pain of a
> lot of stuff failing not because of coding errors, but because not yet
> grokking the 440 pages of hardware spec left one bit in that other mode
> enabling register unset, so it'll never work until you find the clue in
> the doco.
> 
> There must be an arduino ML or forum, which would be a sanity saver.
> Once master of that, then there's the AVRfreaks forum when the more
> serious C journey begins.

I'll have to look into these forums and find one to join. I find forums 
and lists, etc. to be indispensable when learning new stuff. And also 
even if I am good with using something (like I am with Debian), still 
having some community based help had been very useful.

> OK, there are one or two arduinos with ARM chips, but I don't count that
> as original arduino.

Maybe that was the source of my confusion. But I think I'm sure that the 
Elegoo Super Starter Kit's Arduino UNO R3 is *not* ARM. They say it's 
100% compatible with original Arduino so I assume it's got the same 
processor as the original.

> A raspberry Pi, running linux, would be a more familiar environment by
> the sound of it. No problem running python there, but would there be
> python I/O libraries?

That's ok. I am getting good enough in Python (and have made my own 
libraries at times) that if it's not there, I might be able to create 
one. Thing is, Raspberry Pi seems more like a computer, rather than a 
way to experiment controlling things (safely) like electronic circuits 
on breadboards for the fun of it.

> ¹ OK, drivers for e.g. 2x20 character LCDs can be found on the net, but
> where there's an arduino LCD "shield" (plug-in daughterboard), there'll
> be an arduino driver ready to use.
> 
> Erik

The kit comes with a LCD display, actually, and tutorials and examples 
on using it. That I know I'll find interesting too. Ever since I saw a 
video about LCD displays on a "The 8-bit guy" YouTube video, I been 
wanting to toy around with those things.

I am thinking this is going to be quite an interesting and fun hobby.

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Thread

Re: Arduino and Python or gcc compiler? cyaiplexys <cyaiplexys@sitesplace.net> - 2018-07-22 16:40 +0200
  Re: Arduino and Python or gcc compiler? Erik Christiansen <dvalin@internode.on.net> - 2018-07-22 17:20 +0200
    Re: Arduino and Python or gcc compiler? cyaiplexys <cyaiplexys@sitesplace.net> - 2018-07-22 17:40 +0200
      Re: Arduino and Python or gcc compiler? Joe <joe@jretrading.com> - 2018-07-22 20:30 +0200
        Re: Arduino and Python or gcc compiler? cyaiplexys <cyaiplexys@sitesplace.net> - 2018-07-22 22:50 +0200

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