Need opinion: Arduino necessary?

[RishabhG]

Need opinion: Is learning Arduino necessary?

I have been learning about the PIC microcontroller for some time now. I have interfaced LEDs,switches, on chip ADC etc.

What I actually want to ask is that is developing the end product in less time more important than knowing the product in detail?
I am asking this because a lot of projects are there based on Arduino while building those same projects using PIC or any other Microcontroller for that matter, requires more time and effort. Anybody can learn to use Arduino. It has a lot of predefined functions which greatly reduces the coding work. But the thing when we use the function for say ADC or serial communication in Arduino we don't actually get to know what is happening on the inside of the chip whereas while programming the PIC we have to know about each and everything about that module.

In embedded projects, is this appreciated ? Is learning Arduino really necessary?

 

[FoxyRick]

I'm not a professional, but I see little point of just learning a system like the Arduino, even as a hobbyist. It is too limiting. Fine for beginners to get the basic idea, OK for simple hobbyist-level projects, or even simple real-world projects I suppose. Eventually though you will need something more.

The professionals that I know write there own code, their own libraries, in C and assembler, and have intimate knowledge of the MCU's they work on including all errata sheets etc. That way, they know that what they produce will work as expected. These things are not all that complicated and are well within the capabilities of a dedicated engineer.

Why limit oneself, risk potentially buggy library code and be at the mercy of unkown hardware issues? It's not professional and will likely lead to severe embarrassment (and loss of reputation) down the line.

There are places that value getting a product out quickly, over it being of high quality. Some such places like to sell kits to electronics enthusiasts. These places and their products are quickly shown up for what they are; not very good!

Just my thoughts.

 

[Shantanu.ade]

All the point raised here are perfectly fine and accepted. But what if suddenly you need Ethernet to be interfaced(for eg) and don't have a luxury of a week to understand it and then implement. In professional life we encounter situations like this many times. At that time we should have something under our belt to get job done. After this we are free to understand those things in detail and implement them in efficient and required manner.
Also there are many technologies and practices in Emb Sys and its not possible to learn them all. But what if we have something that empowers us to use them all !

This is when community boards come into picture providing with lot of support(tutorials, Wikis, forums, etc)

You can also take these revolutions in positive way, since they are enabling even non-professionals to do their project and get introduced to electronics.
Further you can see how they have developed their libraries, inbuilt functions etc and compare them with your own design. This will indirectly help you to review your work, ask on forums about the differences and learn more and more !

 

[RishabhG]

So you mean to say that even a professional under some conditions has to use the Arduino. Alright, so what would be your advice should I learn adruino or not? I mean I am almost about to complete learning the basics of PIC16F micros.

Honestly speaking I was thinking that the Arduino is for artists and hobbyists alone!

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I would really appreciate more opinions.

EDABoard people come on, please more replies

 

[Shantanu.ade]

Learning arduino is very smooth and don't require much efforts. And you will come to know about its potential when you start working on its.
So what I want to say is that, you never regret learning Arduino.......... just give it one try... and u'll definitely enjoy it !

 

[Chipmunk]

Learning arduino is very smooth and don't require much efforts. And you will come to know about its potential when you start working on its.
So what I want to say is that, you never regret learning Arduino.......... just give it one try... and u'll definitely enjoy it !

I agree that the Arduino is great fun, I would recommend it to every hobbyist without hesitation. However, I guess the vast majority of professionals view the Arduino simply as a "toy". Whether this is justified or not is another question, but if you want to learn about microcontrollers because you want a job, this is a severe disadvantage. People will not be very impressed if you mention the Arduino during a job interview.

 

[Shantanu.ade]

:lol: I was knowing it's like a 'debate topic' and people will have their different opinions on it. And all the opinions are valid in certain scenarios.
It's finally upto you ! What u'll do with it..... If you think you'll become lazy to study h/w and design s/w on ur own, after learning Arduino, then don't touch it.
But if you think
1. of doing reverse engineering on Arduino sample codes, various shields etc
2. of designing your own custom libraries, support for new peripherals
3. knowing some complex issues like RAM management, IAP etc and how they are are addressed in sample codes
4. to be sure to manipulate vast spectrum of sensors, protocols, interfaces etc for time being and think u'll further dig into it. (this removes fear of new tech n enables to follow reverse engg opt)
5. contributing to community work and learning many things from forums

Then definitely go for it ! As I said....... you will never regret ! ;-)

One more thing, when open s/w movement jst started, ppl was thinking it as some sort of craziness, then eventually they came to know that even 'toys' can do wonders !This enforced many big players to change their strategy and adopt new changes !
Open h/w moment is now catching gr8 momentum, and I am seeing many start-up companies going by this way(literally with complete Arduino based platforms). It's not long when even big players will adhere to it. (recently Broadcom released all its VideoCore driver codes to support Raspbrerry Pi community)
So, the point is, u'll never know what's going to happen, and how the industry will react by seeing 'Arduino' in your resume !