Introduction to Arduino: Getting Connected and Blinking LEDs

Microcontrollers are the brains of the electronic world, but in order to play with one, you must first get it connected! For this maker challenge, students work through the engineering design process, as they learn how to connect their Arduino microcontroller circuit boards to computers. First, students are walked through the connection process, helped to troubleshoot common pitfalls, and write their first Arduino programs (setup and loop functions, semicolons, camel case, pin 13 LED). Then they are given the open-ended challenge to create their own blinking LED code—such as writing Morse code messages and mimicking the rhythm of a heartbeat. This practice helps students become comfortable with the fundamental commands before progressing to more difficult programs.