CS 111 - May 2015: Resources

I've collected some of the best online resources for a variety of physical computing topics. If you find any others you like, please let me know, and I'll add them!

Arduino

The main Arduino site, in addition to the pages for downloading the software and purchasing boards, has the following two very useful sub-sites:

For a more compact quick-reference, see the cheat sheet I maintain [direct link to the PDF] — adapted from work by Gavin Smith and others.

Documentation for Parts & Kits

Every kit and component we have in the lab has documentation online. In many cases, the documentation includes full tutorials and examples of how to use the part. I've included some of the major pieces we have in lab here, but the rest are all a simple web search away.

Building Circuits in Lab

Drawing Circuits

If you want to draw circuits with the highest quality and the most control, I recommend using one of several programs that are focused on schematic capture (drawing circuit diagrams) directly. These will do handy things like maintaining wire connections between parts as you move them. A few good free options are:

Fritzing is probably the best option of these, but feel free to try out the others as well.

Additionally, you may consider using a more general drawing program, not circuit-specific. There, I strongly recommend using a vector graphics editor (such as Inkscape, which is free, open-source, cross-platform and excellent) as opposed to a raster editor (like MS Paint or Adobe Photoshop). Vector graphics will let you copy, move, and generally edit your circuit with far more flexibility than a raster graphics program can.

Electronics / Circuit Concepts

We have a few books about electricity and electrical circuits in our class library. The school library also has several more. The following sites give decent overviews of the major topics.

Using Electronics Tools

Electronic Components (Resistors, Motors, etc.)

Number Systems

Blogs, Etc.

The following are great sources for up-to-date information on what is being done across the world of physical computing, Arduino, etc. Pick at least three to follow daily (subscribe in an RSS reader like

Forums

There is a huge, widespread online community for the Arduino. These are the major forums where people congregate to discuss, ask, and answer questions about building things with the Arduino. Consider asking questions here for help with your own work!