A "Hello World" tutorial for Arduino and Android

Question

A few days ago, Arduino just released a "start pack" for Android developers: http://arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardADK

The Arduino ADK is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega2560 (datasheet). It has a USB host interface to connect with Android based phones, based on the MAX3421e

I have been searching again and again for tutorials or something in order to begin Arduino programming, and I am looking for very good tutorials, maybe some kind of "hello light" that would make a light blink on the card with a button on my Android device.

Have you got some links, fan blogs, other information about that topic?

I, of course, know the Arduino website and Android developer documentation, but they are quite over-complicated...

Launcher

Answer 1

You are asking a two part question: (1) How do I program Arduino? (2) How do I use the Android ADK to do stuff with Arduino.

For part one you're going to need to get hardware since the Arduino site is pretty straightforward about how to get started.

Arduino Tutorial

For part two you're going to have to have a ADK compatible Android device which as of July 2011 is either a Nexus One, Nexus S, or Motorola Xoom.

If you have one of these devices, you'll need an Arduino which can run the ADK (see your question). And of course the best documentation is still

ADK Documentation

Just realize that you'll be writing two programs, one that runs on the Arduino in C/C++, the other on Android in Java.

Update:

Since you were asking for blogs or how-tos, MAKE does have some tutorial which may be what you are looking for at Makezine.

Killarney

That's exactly the 2 links I was describing with this sentence: "I of course know the Arduino website and Android developer documentation, but they are quite over-complicated..." – Launcher

And you think they are 'over-complicated', even the Arduino Tutorial? – Killarney

I'm also afraid that what is available out on the internet is limited since the ADK is relatively new which is the reason I pointed back at the Android documentation. – Killarney

Answer 2

To write programs for the arduino, you can use simple C language commands in a development environment that is deliberately simplified. To write programs for your Android phone, you must really learn Java and learn how to use a sophisticated development environment like Eclipse. These are two very different programming skill levels.

Marvin

Answer 3

You have an arduino and you have an android. You need to make them communicate. I would make 2 experiment projects. One project would have communication from the arduino to the android. The other android to the arduino. Once you have established some sort of communication technique, you can mod it how ever you want to reach the desired.

Mopboard