The maker revolution today has been enabled by three important elements:
- The open source software revolution
- The introduction of very low-cost electronics by Asian suppliers available on eBay and similar sites
- The cultural shift in the maker community to freely share their expertise on YouTube and hobbyist sites
While these enable the maker revolution, it’s the applications, the “killer apps” that drive the maker community. These are the activities that are so cool, everyone wants to get started with them.
One of the killer apps in the maker movement is the Arduino. This small board has brought the complexity of programing an embedded microcontroller down to the level at which anyone from 8 to 80 can become a master. Here are examples of three Arduinos ranging in price from $20 to $4.
I use an Arduino as my lab assistant. It is my Igor. When I want to create a specific test signal, control some other device or just play around, the first device I turn to is an Arduino. If you are a hobbyist and build anything that is dynamic whether it is electronic, mechanical, or even artistic, you’ll want to integrate an Arduino as its brain.
There are a number of tutorials on YouTube describing the virtues of the Arduino and why you need to get involved. Here are three that are pretty good and worth viewing:
The top 10 Arduino projects of all time
Maker 101 on what is the Arduino
