The last chapter of Getting Started with Arduino is about troubleshooting. In its honor, I have posted a picture of the first known computer "bug" above. (Or, at least, the first literal computer bug. See the photo source here and a Wired commentary here.) The chapter is very short and starts by suggestions the following principles:
- Understanding. That is, it is very helpful if you understand how all the parts in your project function and how they contribute to the intended final product.
- Simplification and segmentation. Break the project down into smaller pieces and try to check/fix each part separately.
- Exclusion and certainty. Test each part separately and be certain that it works.
The chapter then recommends starting by looking at the Arduino board, then the breadboard, then the Arduino IDE. Also, there are some useful resources available at the Arduino website, but good old Google works well, too.
And, by the way, was able to use essentially all of the principles in trying to sort out several problems with the sketch that I did for chapter 6, so I'm glad for the advice.
Completed:
- Getting Started with Arduino, 2e, Ch. 7: Troubleshooting (0 exercises)
- Sketches (i.e., code) can be downloaded from http://db.tt/f6x9Q4NA
Related articles
- The Art of Troubleshooting (gearslutz.com)