Complete noob, where do I start?

[reid88]

I've just come across a cool Arduino starter kit on Amazon. Is it a good place to start? do I need to have some code basics mastered already? should I learn C or C++ or in general, should I learn coding first and then start with electronics or it happens simultaneously? sorry if the questions sound dumb. Thanks in advance.

[dastels]

There are no dumb questions (unless maybe you keep asking the same one).

I advise learning it all together. Learning some hardware (aka physical computing) is a good way to learn to program as it really gives you something concrete on which to focus. An Arduino (usually UNO) starter kit is a good approach.

Simon Monk's book on programming for the Arduino UNO is a good way to learn:
https://www.amazon.com/Programming-Ardu ... 1259641635
https://www.amazon.com/Programming-Ardu ... 1260143244

He has also written a series of guides. The first on (which has links to the rest in the series) is at: https://learn.adafruit.com/lesson-0-getting-started.

Adafruit has a starter/experiment/learning kit as well: https://www.adafruit.com/product/3588.

Have fun! And come back here with any questions.

Dave

[ADAFroots]

I've just come across a cool Arduino starter kit on Amazon. Is it a good place to start? do I need to have some code basics mastered already? should I learn C or C++ or in general, should I learn coding first and then start with electronics or it happens simultaneously? sorry if the questions sound dumb. Thanks in advance.

A good starter kit should come with tutorials/instructions for all of the components and parts included with the kit. It should introduce you to basic coding with the free Arduino IDE software, starting out simple and then moving onto more advanced things as you move through the kit. You shouldn't need any previous experience with coding.

There's a wealth of knowledge to be found on YouTube as well. Chances are, you can probably watch someone doing a review on the starter kit you've seen on Amazon, or the starter kit provided by Adafruit, so you can see what you're buying before you buy it.

Starter kits have lots of things in them, but depending on what your goal is, you might not need everything in the kit. Some of the stuff you learn might not apply to what you're intending to do in the long run. For example, if all you want to do is turn an led on and off, there's a ton of stuff in the kit that you won't need. But, if you want to work through everything and tick all the boxes to broaden your knowledge of how coding works and how different components work to give you a better idea of the things you can achieve, starter kits can be a good thing!

You always have forums like this if you get stuck along the way, good luck!