Anybody have advice on starting Arduino? - Off-topic

Hey,
I'm kinda looking at the Arduino stuff lately...
I'm a little interested in it myself, but I think even more so I'm interested in it for my son. He's starting to really get interested in computer and doing more than just playing games. I think this would be a great way for him to learn not only the software end of things but also the hardware end.
I'm trying to find a good quality "starter kit" that has some basic lessons to help us get started. Because this is all new to me as well there wouldn't be much I could do to direct him, so having those lessons/sample projects would really be key.
Do a websearch will yield plenty of options, but I have no idea what's good and what's bad. Anyone have some first hand experience with this?

Check this tutorial out! http://www.ladyada.net/learn/arduino/index.html
This gets the Arduino R3 kit!
And is a complete stepwise guide!

Arduino... My 2nd year uni nightmare...
One of our profs put a videotutorial on the net for us, but it's freely available. Here: http://vimeo.com/10461008 There's also more on his blog.
Also, our coursebooks (I've uploaded them to 4shared): Arduinointeractiondesignyear2.zip

Related

Is there a ROM Kitchen for the Wizard?

I see folks posting their snazzy ROM's (awesome work, guys) and I see that in some other forums (Blue Angel most notably) there are "Rom Kitchens" posted for those devices, but I don't see anything similar for the Wizard. Clearly there are methods--the plethora of ROMS here proves that--but how would I go about starting to build my own? I've done a lot of custom installation/OS configuration stuff with Win2k/XP/2003 and countless apps (I'm a regular at www.msfn.org and have used tools like nLite and WPI extensively in my own labors for both work and pleasure) with great success, so I'm really interested in expanding my horizons to this neck of the woods as well.
I hope that someone could forgive the "n00bness" of my question here, I'd love to be more active in contributing around here, you guys are inspiring me to help, dammit!
Thanks!
Jason
If there isn't one, can someone at least please point me in the right direction? I've done what searching I can, but without really knowing the proper terminology it's difficult to find the right answers
Thanks!
Jason
Uh, is it secret or something? I'd really love to help out making some ROMS around here and tend to have plenty of time to do it while at work, is anyone willing to share the info?
Jason
look at http://buzzdev.net
shamus said:
look at http://buzzdev.net
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah but I don't think there is a ROM Kitchen out yet for the Wizard. Bepe doesn't have one to test with.
J-Man5
awesome, finally some headway .
Thanks for the pointers, I'll see what I can learn over there
Jason

noobish question re ROM's

First off...hello to all! Great site!
New with the Tilt and have been searching and reading like endless hours! I've tried searching, various sites, etc. Tons of info but most appear pretty technical (sorry..non-techie!)...and I have some probably tired nooby q's for you seasoned xda gods. I have done a few basic mods like adding the HTC home, customizer; etc. I would like to try my hand at these ROM's I keep hearing about...but hesitant in screwing my new phone up.
1) What is a decent tried and true ROM...meaning enough flashy gizmo programs, etc to keep me busy without killing my new phone. Preferbably with a version of voice command that works via my Plantronics Discovery BT earpiece.
2) Ok..don't flame me...how do I "flash" the ROM? Unless I missed something..I found like one YouTube vid of some guy demonstrating it and I still don't get it. Layman terms?
I just want to mod it one final time and that's it for me as I'm sure others here mod theirs on a daily basis as it seems.
Any help is greatly appreciated...and patience with a nooby!
Thanks.
Welcome to the board, lots of information here, enough to make your head spin.
All of the ROM cooks on here do great work, if you're looking for bells and whistles you might want to look into one with Manilla cooked into it, or just load the CAB and use it on your existing ROM.
As for help flashing a upgraded ROM.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=356895. This is where I started, read the entire thread and all of the threads it mentions.
For more info read the WIKI here:
http://wiki.xda-developers.com/index.php?pagename=HTC_Kaiser
Then you might want to check this thread out too:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=383904
Have fun with your new TILT, but remember something, ROM flashing is addicting.
UR2L8 said:
First off...hello to all! Great site!
New with the Tilt and have been searching and reading like endless hours! I've tried searching, various sites, etc. Tons of info but most appear pretty technical (sorry..non-techie!)...and I have some probably tired nooby q's for you seasoned xda gods. I have done a few basic mods like adding the HTC home, customizer; etc. I would like to try my hand at these ROM's I keep hearing about...but hesitant in screwing my new phone up.
1) What is a decent tried and true ROM...meaning enough flashy gizmo programs, etc to keep me busy without killing my new phone. Preferbably with a version of voice command that works via my Plantronics Discovery BT earpiece.
2) Ok..don't flame me...how do I "flash" the ROM? Unless I missed something..I found like one YouTube vid of some guy demonstrating it and I still don't get it. Layman terms?
I just want to mod it one final time and that's it for me as I'm sure others here mod theirs on a daily basis as it seems.
Any help is greatly appreciated...and patience with a nooby!
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To answer your Q's
1) Check around in the Kaiser ROM forums..the first couple of posts of each ROM thread typically decribes what it carries in terms of programs and other info inlcuding bug fix updates etc..plus loads of posts on user feedback on the ROM
2) If you are at the extreme end of being a non-techie then i suggest you dont play around with flashing or get a pal who is savvy to do it for you..you can read up on the subject in the wiki and then see if you are comfortable doing it on your own honestly its pretty well explained there and i dont think it can be made any simpler...
Cheers
Thanks fellas for the sound advice. I'm always willing to learn new things; but when you're less than tech savvy like myself (and I'm pretty sure there's a few like me on here!)...all this info on just this one phone alone can drive you insane! I'm not necessarialy looking for all the bells/whistles..just maybe a ROM that's more or less had it's bugs worked out. And there are just a ton of ROM's out there...most look great but I'm also thinking in the back of my mind that the more advanced ones out there might be a bit much for a 1st timer. I may need to find somebody locally to help in case I run into problems..but I'm determined to do as much as possible myself..knock on wood! Thanks for listening to my long winded posts!
stesul411 said:
Welcome to the board, lots of information here, enough to make your head spin.
All of the ROM cooks on here do great work, if you're looking for bells and whistles you might want to look into one with Manilla cooked into it, or just load the CAB and use it on your existing ROM.
Have fun with your new TILT, but remember something, ROM flashing is addicting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That was an awesome answer to a plea for help! Thank you for replying with no scolding or sarcasm! Thank you!!!

Up and Rising Dev?!

I am sort of new to the android os and have kind of taught myself through use of this website how to manipulate the os to help benefit its use. thanks to all of the great dev's that have spent there lesiure time doing what they love. I was just wondering if anyone of those great dev's would take the time to maybe help me out with this development stuff. i kind of wanna learn how to write even just a small free app that i could put on the market to maybe help someone else out. i would need to have a dev who is basically looking for an apprentice, someone like myself who is ( in short a guy with no life ) someone who loves the computer and loves his android phone. i suppose there may be a dev out there that is looking to help someone else out that wants to do what they do, so i will hit all the sites that i have been for the last couple months, wiki, androidspin, xda, google...etc for any info i can read about development and the android os. thanks in advance dev's hopefully someday i will be "cooking roms" for the community to use!

Android Development

I'm posting this in the Development section because that is what I am trying to learn about. Please move me if I am mis-posting this.
I'm greatly interested in the the Roms people are making and everything that is being done on these forums. If someone wanted to start to learn about these things, developing and such, where should they start? Do I need to learn Java? Are there certain books I should be reading?
I can flash my phone like its my day job now, and I haven't come across any major problems I couldn't solve by reading, but I have no idea where to start to be able to develop things myself. If any developers here could maybe throw out a few tips on how to get started, what someone should focus on learning, etc., it would be greatly appreciated! I have plenty of time and a great desire to learn so I'm not intimidated by having to do the work, I just have to have some things to focus on. Thank you in advance for any help/advice you can give me!
I always wanted to know how make roms also I was looking around the internet but couldn't find anything that will describe it step by step word for word.
Maccie
It will be a huge writeup.But im sure someone will do it. I am still learning myself. There are some good topics around but different from what we have now
topshelf95 said:
I'm posting this in the Development section because that is what I am trying to learn about. Please move me if I am mis-posting this.
I'm greatly interested in the the Roms people are making and everything that is being done on these forums. If someone wanted to start to learn about these things, developing and such, where should they start? Do I need to learn Java? Are there certain books I should be reading?
I can flash my phone like its my day job now, and I haven't come across any major problems I couldn't solve by reading, but I have no idea where to start to be able to develop things myself. If any developers here could maybe throw out a few tips on how to get started, what someone should focus on learning, etc., it would be greatly appreciated! I have plenty of time and a great desire to learn so I'm not intimidated by having to do the work, I just have to have some things to focus on. Thank you in advance for any help/advice you can give me!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are a number of aspects to android development you have to learn to know how to build a full ROM from scratch. C is of course required for kernel building, and apps are built from java in the dalvik-vm, but can be built against sun java.
of course, to get started, you would need the android sdk available here: http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
then there's the cloning of the android git:
http://android.git.kernel.org/
and, specifically for the captivate, there's the captivate source code:
http://opensource.samsung.com/
then there's pulling off the vendor proprietary libs from your phone (which is a ***** and I believe you can grab them from wes's github, though I can't speak for their accuracy) here:
http://github.com/wesgarner/proprietary_vendor_samsung
building the entire android OS from source is a challenge, especially compensating for some changes Samsung has introduced. this is what a real ROM is. now if you're talking about "ROM"s like Cognition and Shep's and even Eugene's Hybrid/Frankin-Twiz... they aren't comparable. Not to belittle any of their efforts, but this is simple "drag and drop" from stuff built by Samsung. While they're very useful tools, there is little actual development going on in them. There are improvements and tweaks, for sure... but it isn't a *true* ROM. All these releases by DesignGears, Eugene, and Shep are good and effective, but it'd be a shame if they weren't because they are just files thrown together from Samsung's already compiled ROM(s). Even the AOSP Beta 3 (which I have a qualm with the name, because it isn't actually AOSP, it's files pulled from an already built AOSP tossed onto Samsung's ROM again) is just modifying binaries (decompile, edit, recompile).
for those, it's as simple as extracting the zip, replacing the files you want, and rezip it. modifying the update-script inside meta-inf if there's something you want to add.
Awesome post Kaik, thanks, I was wondering some of those too.
Thx that explained a bunch
Maccie
Thank you for taking the time to post that Kaik! It's nice to have a place to start! Anyone else have any tips or things they think might be good to check out?
last, but certainly not least and I can't believe I forgot this, is Unhelpful's toolchain to compile against:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=761923
he did a lot of testing with various combinations, and this was the best he found to reduce wakeup lag and other issues
Wow. Kaik. That was the most awesome response to that question I have ever seen. Most people just point to developer.android.com and say go learn to program and come back in 5 years.
Thank you for this very useful information. Your the man now dog.
johnyhoffman said:
Most people just point to developer.android.com and say go learn to program and come back in 5 years.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Devs are not being mean or pissy, they are being honest and realistic. If development was just "point and click" XDA would not even be here. Give the devs/veterans a break and take it upon yourself to learn the basics and do some searches, if you are that interested.
I would love to just start making my own Android OS just the way I like too but to do that will require much more reading and learning, trying and failing.
You will probably not find "the answer" you are looking for but if you search, read and most importantly, respect the time, energy and anguish people have put into this site you will find the means to get where you want.
Otherwise you can expect... "Let me just glance and peek to see how to do this. Damn what the hell does that mean? Oh well here is a modded ROM. I'll try that. Jeez, that sucks. How do I make my own? Let me just glance and peek to see how to do this. Damn what the hell does that mean? Oh well ..." It is an endless cycle.
I'm not saying this to belittle anyone. Most have been there, including myself. I say this as a vote of confidence to all.
Hang in there, do the work, break some phones, read some books. Really! You have to!
koe1974 said:
Devs are not being mean or pissy, they are being honest and realistic. If development was just "point and click" XDA would not even be here. Give the devs/veterans a break and take it upon yourself to learn the basics and do some searches, if you are that interested.
I would love to just start making my own Android OS just the way I like too but to do that will require much more reading and learning, trying and failing.
You will probably not find "the answer" you are looking for but if you search, read and most importantly, respect the time, energy and anguish people have put into this site you will find the means to get where you want.
Otherwise you can expect... "Let me just glance and peek to see how to do this. Damn what the hell does that mean? Oh well here is a modded ROM. I'll try that. Jeez, that sucks. How do I make my own? Let me just glance and peek to see how to do this. Damn what the hell does that mean? Oh well ..." It is an endless cycle.
I'm not saying this to belittle anyone. Most have been there, including myself. I say this as a vote of confidence to all.
Hang in there, do the work, break some phones, read some books. Really! You have to!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this times one thousand. I linked you guys to some very useful sites when it comes to actually putting android together... but understanding how it all works, actually getting a successful build, fixing bugs, etc... I can't even begin to pretend to be able to help with that. if you have little to no experience in C and Java, these things will basically be useless to you. dev's aren't being mean when they brush you off like that, but usually if you can't figure out how to google what to do with the code, they don't have high hopes for what you'll be able to do with it once you find the code.
the idea isn't to be like "f*** off" when they say that, it's more of a "we'll help you when you learn, but you're the one who needs to take the first steps and you need to take the responsibility of learning on yourself."
I was actually referring to the fact that someone like me, a hobbyist programmer for about 10 years now, can make sense of his reply and use it to go forth and actually do something. Most of the guides you find on here that are supposedly pointed at noobs, do not layout things as easily as his post did.
Wasn't criticizing anyone, but I have seen less patience nowadays for any posts such as these.
Was just saying it was a gem of a post for me personally. Maybe it doesn't help the ultra noobs and the more experienced people see it as useless, but for someone with little time right now, it was a perfect post for me.

[Q] Tech support community???

Hey guys.
I just started a tech support job at a major domain hosting company. I was wondering if anyone knew of an online community/forum for the tech support industry. I can't seem to come across one . This is my first job in this industry and want/need all of the resources I can get to be a well knowledgeable professional who can do nothing but grow. Any and all help would be much appreciated.
Thanks !
agginayr said:
Hey guys.
I just started a tech support job at a major domain hosting company. I was wondering if anyone knew of an online community/forum for the tech support industry. I can't seem to come across one . This is my first job in this industry and want/need all of the resources I can get to be a well knowledgeable professional who can do nothing but grow. Any and all help would be much appreciated.
Thanks !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd highly recommend looking for a site that's part of Stack Exchange. I often use Stack Overflow and it's pretty much invaluable to me as a software developer. I tend to answer more than ask, but it's still nice to know there are people around that know more than me and can help out, especially when it's a new area that I'm working in.
http://stackexchange.com/
Have a root around and see what sites they have available. I don't know exactly what area you're looking for, but a 30 second browse found me this...
http://serverfault.com/
It's a network server forum, so not specific to your needs, but there would certainly be some overlap.
Have a root through. I'm sure you'll find some good sites on there

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