Arduino

Arduino is an Italian company that developed open-sourced microcontroller kits for assembling devices that can sense, control and monitor. The first kits were introduced in 2005 and were so popular that production volumes of Arduino boards are believed to have exceeded 700,000. Arduino boards use specially developed open-source software that can be adapted by the user. The software is installed on the user's computer and is used to program boards to perform their required functions. Arduino microcontrollers are aimed at professionals and hobbyists who use these products to develop and test new devices. The core offering from Arduino is a range of PCB-mounted microcontrollers that are supplied with different processors, digital i/o and analogue inputs. Some units have a clock circuit and other do not; the intention being to provide a range of controllers that let developers select the functions they need for their circuits. Apart from microcontrollers, Arduino offers a range of add-on stackable boards to provide additional functions such as wireless controllers that can connect to the internet as well as other third party devices. A starter kit that comes complete with a microcontroller and an array of components provides an easy way to get started.