Throughout industry, companies have needed a way to run hardware such as motors, sensors, and pneumatic components. This can be done with a PC, but it requires a designated output card and, usually, PCs are way overpowered just to control hardware. This led to the invent of the PLC, which stands for Programmable Logic Controller. The PLC is a low powered computer that you use to control the motors and sensors, and any math that might need be used for the function of your process. They must be programmed by a PC. Once programmed, they run on their own. They are, historically, large and expensive so not really an option for prototyping. In 2005 the Arduino company decided to break that mold and make the first Arduino Micro Controller. This has all of the capabilities of industrial PLC's plus more, and for a fraction of the cost which made it a lot easier to prototype machines. The Arduino PLC comes with its own software programming environment, called Arduino IDE, or Integrated Development Environment.
Brief History
In 2005 for his Master Thesis, Hernando Barragan, along with Massimo Banzi, and Casey Reas as supervisors, created Wiring. "Wiring allows writing cross-platform software to control devices attached to a wide range of microcontroller boards to create all kinds of creative coding, interactive objects, spaces or physical experiences." (4) The Arduino company came from Wiring and was originally intended to be a prototyping aid for non engineers. It was created to be open source, which means that it is not covered under copyright or patent laws, and anyone can get the plans to make them. This allowed anyone to take the Arduino plans and tweak it to meet their needs. From this, a dozen companies have started to make Arduino Micro Controllers. Arduino itself has several different Micro-Controllers to help you pick the right one for your project. Due to its open source availability, these companies have also created a wide range of modules that can be attached to the Arduino boards and programmed with the same language. In the 12 Years its been available there has been an explosion of available components that can be used with the Arduino. The clientele has also changed. It isn't just non-engineers that use the Arduino. Artist, have taken to integrating it into their projects, and engineers have come to use it. This has created a community of experts that are sharing information and project details that allow someone with very little, if any, experience learn how to use Arduino, and bring their idea into fruition.
Capabilities of the Arduino
The basic model of Arduino is called the Arduino UNO. The main power house of the UNO is the Atmega328P. This chip does the majority of the processing and stores the code. The board has two models: the 5 Volt and 3.3 Volt. The 5 volt is the most common because you can power it using a USB port.
14 Digital I/O ports
I/O stands for Input/Output. You would use the Inputs to connect your sensor, (buttons, inductive, capacitive, optical), You would use the Output to connect your motors, LEDs, or provide power for other input devices.
PWM Digital Output
PWM stands for Pulse Width Modulation. This is a technique to either control the speed of a DC motor or the brightness of an LED. 6 of the I/O pins can be PWM Outputs
6 Analog Inputs
Analog inputs will read a certain voltage between 0 and 5v (or 0-3.3 depending on model) this allows you to take that input and potentially use it to control aspects of your Digital I/O ports
32 kb of Memory
The ATMega328P has 32 Kilobyte of storage space to store your program. .5 is used for the bootloader
16Mhz
The ATMega328P has a silicon clock that operates at a speed of 16 Megahertz
Cost
If you purchase the Arduino UNO from the Arduino company it costs US$22.00 (5), not including tax or shipping. It comes with the Arduino UNO and a USB cable for programming. If you’re willing to risk the quality of the product then you can purchase a non-Arduino brand board with the same capabilities for half that cost.
As mentioned in the Introduction the Arduino exceeds the capabilities of all industrial PLC's for the Cost. An industrial Micro Controller with the same capabilities as the Arduino can cost upwards of 10,000 dollars or more. The main difference is that and Industrial PLC will last a lot longer than the Arduino. Most of the industrial machines that would be controlled are meant to be controlled by a non-Arduino PLC, due to the long-term reliability, and robustness of the system.
Adaptability
Beyond the scope of creating an affordable micro controller, the 3rd party companies have been developing additional hardware for the unit in order to improve the productivity and capability of this tiny computer. Because of the innate ability to read both analog and high speed digital signals, this micro controller is more than capable of reading a variety of different types of sensors that function on the TTL level. For example, a starter kit from the Adafruit company comes with stepper and servo motor controllers, different colored LEDs, tilt sensor, temperature sensor, MOSFETS, opto-couplers, and other components to get anyone started with this controller. The best part about this system is that these kits are designed for this type of micro controller and is as easy as plugging the sensors into the ports and getting feedback right away. Of course there is a need for proper programming in order for the Arduino to make sense of the inputs/outputs but there is already plenty to work with. The kit below is a sample of the types of sensors available for the Arduino series:
There are also a variety of sizes of Arduino boards that can fit into any application. The UNO is the board that most people start on but they have boards that are bigger, or smaller based on the needs of your desired system. The Arduino micro is as capable as the UNO but comes in a much smaller size. The Arduino Mega is roughly 3x times stronger then the UNO which allows for you to have complicated projects. Since the Arduino is an open source format there are several companies that have taken it upon themselves to make even more refined models then are pictured below to better fit projects that you might be interested in.
The Arduino is also cross platform, "The Arduino Software (IDE) runs on windows, Macintosh OSX, and LInux operating systems, Most microcontroller systems are limited to windows"(1).
Arduino Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
A software environment is where the code for your Arduino is written. Once the code is written, it can be compiled and sent to the onboard microcontroller chip. The software that comes with Arduino is very easy to use. The Arduino.cc website can be used to learn the language used in this environment. The language is closely related to C and C++ programming languages. If you can program in C, you will be able to understand Arduino very easily. The instructions for what the code does is included in the actual code when you download the software environment. "C++ is an object oriented programming (OOP) language, developed by Bjarne Stroustrup, and is an extension of C language." (3)
This is an example of the Blink program used to turn an LED on and off:
Whats in store for the Arduino
Companies are already integrating Bluetooth and other wireless technologies into the Arduino. As mobile technology becomes more advanced and more frequent, we will be seeing more and more devices that can connect to the Arduino and feed back information easier and easier
I believe that the Arduino is the future of Micro Controllers in industry, having a computer that does everything you need it to do at a reasonable price is what industry is waiting for.
Conclusion
Industry has always had a need for individualized computers that don't require constant monitory. However those controllers tend be expensive and bulky which makes it difficult to use for a prototype. The Arduino is designed to help the average Joe prototype a process for a machine and do it at a fraction the cost and space. What makes it even easier to use is that it is open source so anyone can see how they made them, and it has created a community of people who done all kinds of projects on the Arduino which is a great learning environment. The cost savings, space savings, and capabilities of the Arduino make its platform the only direction that Micro-Controllers can take.
References
1: Technical Data is off of the www.arduino.cc website, which is the Official Arduino Website
Introduction
Throughout industry, companies have needed a way to run hardware such as motors, sensors, and pneumatic components. This can be done with a PC, but it requires a designated output card and, usually, PCs are way overpowered just to control hardware. This led to the invent of the PLC, which stands for Programmable Logic Controller. The PLC is a low powered computer that you use to control the motors and sensors, and any math that might need be used for the function of your process. They must be programmed by a PC. Once programmed, they run on their own. They are, historically, large and expensive so not really an option for prototyping. In 2005 the Arduino company decided to break that mold and make the first Arduino Micro Controller. This has all of the capabilities of industrial PLC's plus more, and for a fraction of the cost which made it a lot easier to prototype machines. The Arduino PLC comes with its own software programming environment, called Arduino IDE, or Integrated Development Environment.
Brief History
In 2005 for his Master Thesis, Hernando Barragan, along with Massimo Banzi, and Casey Reas as supervisors, created Wiring. "Wiring allows writing cross-platform software to control devices attached to a wide range of microcontroller boards to create all kinds of creative coding, interactive objects, spaces or physical experiences." (4) The Arduino company came from Wiring and was originally intended to be a prototyping aid for non engineers. It was created to be open source, which means that it is not covered under copyright or patent laws, and anyone can get the plans to make them. This allowed anyone to take the Arduino plans and tweak it to meet their needs. From this, a dozen companies have started to make Arduino Micro Controllers. Arduino itself has several different Micro-Controllers to help you pick the right one for your project. Due to its open source availability, these companies have also created a wide range of modules that can be attached to the Arduino boards and programmed with the same language. In the 12 Years its been available there has been an explosion of available components that can be used with the Arduino. The clientele has also changed. It isn't just non-engineers that use the Arduino. Artist, have taken to integrating it into their projects, and engineers have come to use it. This has created a community of experts that are sharing information and project details that allow someone with very little, if any, experience learn how to use Arduino, and bring their idea into fruition.
Capabilities of the Arduino
The basic model of Arduino is called the Arduino UNO. The main power house of the UNO is the Atmega328P. This chip does the majority of the processing and stores the code. The board has two models: the 5 Volt and 3.3 Volt. The 5 volt is the most common because you can power it using a USB port.
Cost
If you purchase the Arduino UNO from the Arduino company it costs US$22.00 (5), not including tax or shipping. It comes with the Arduino UNO and a USB cable for programming. If you’re willing to risk the quality of the product then you can purchase a non-Arduino brand board with the same capabilities for half that cost.
As mentioned in the Introduction the Arduino exceeds the capabilities of all industrial PLC's for the Cost. An industrial Micro Controller with the same capabilities as the Arduino can cost upwards of 10,000 dollars or more. The main difference is that and Industrial PLC will last a lot longer than the Arduino. Most of the industrial machines that would be controlled are meant to be controlled by a non-Arduino PLC, due to the long-term reliability, and robustness of the system.
Adaptability
Beyond the scope of creating an affordable micro controller, the 3rd party companies have been developing additional hardware for the unit in order to improve the productivity and capability of this tiny computer. Because of the innate ability to read both analog and high speed digital signals, this micro controller is more than capable of reading a variety of different types of sensors that function on the TTL level. For example, a starter kit from the Adafruit company comes with stepper and servo motor controllers, different colored LEDs, tilt sensor, temperature sensor, MOSFETS, opto-couplers, and other components to get anyone started with this controller. The best part about this system is that these kits are designed for this type of micro controller and is as easy as plugging the sensors into the ports and getting feedback right away. Of course there is a need for proper programming in order for the Arduino to make sense of the inputs/outputs but there is already plenty to work with. The kit below is a sample of the types of sensors available for the Arduino series:
There are also a variety of sizes of Arduino boards that can fit into any application. The UNO is the board that most people start on but they have boards that are bigger, or smaller based on the needs of your desired system. The Arduino micro is as capable as the UNO but comes in a much smaller size. The Arduino Mega is roughly 3x times stronger then the UNO which allows for you to have complicated projects. Since the Arduino is an open source format there are several companies that have taken it upon themselves to make even more refined models then are pictured below to better fit projects that you might be interested in.
The Arduino is also cross platform, "The Arduino Software (IDE) runs on windows, Macintosh OSX, and LInux operating systems, Most microcontroller systems are limited to windows"(1).
Arduino Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
A software environment is where the code for your Arduino is written. Once the code is written, it can be compiled and sent to the onboard microcontroller chip. The software that comes with Arduino is very easy to use. The Arduino.cc website can be used to learn the language used in this environment. The language is closely related to C and C++ programming languages. If you can program in C, you will be able to understand Arduino very easily. The instructions for what the code does is included in the actual code when you download the software environment. "C++ is an object oriented programming (OOP) language, developed by Bjarne Stroustrup, and is an extension of C language." (3)
This is an example of the Blink program used to turn an LED on and off:
Whats in store for the Arduino
Companies are already integrating Bluetooth and other wireless technologies into the Arduino. As mobile technology becomes more advanced and more frequent, we will be seeing more and more devices that can connect to the Arduino and feed back information easier and easier
I believe that the Arduino is the future of Micro Controllers in industry, having a computer that does everything you need it to do at a reasonable price is what industry is waiting for.
Conclusion
Industry has always had a need for individualized computers that don't require constant monitory. However those controllers tend be expensive and bulky which makes it difficult to use for a prototype. The Arduino is designed to help the average Joe prototype a process for a machine and do it at a fraction the cost and space. What makes it even easier to use is that it is open source so anyone can see how they made them, and it has created a community of people who done all kinds of projects on the Arduino which is a great learning environment. The cost savings, space savings, and capabilities of the Arduino make its platform the only direction that Micro-Controllers can take.
References
1: Technical Data is off of the www.arduino.cc website, which is the Official Arduino Website
2: Other basic information is taken form the Wikipedia page about Arduino.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arduino
3: https://www.techopedia.com/definition/26184/c-programming-language
4: http://wiring.org.co/
5: https://store.arduino.cc/usa/arduino-uno-rev3