Practical AVR Microcontrollers

11/19/2012 · No Responses

If you’ve heard of Arduino or even used it in your own projects, you probably know that the AVR microcontroller is the brain of the Arduino. In Practical AVR Microcontrollers, you’ll learn how to use the AVR microcontroller to make your own nifty projects and gadgets.

You’ll start off with the basics in part one: setting up your development environment and learning how the “naked” AVR differs from the Arduino. Then you’ll gain experience by building a few simple gizmos and learning how everything can be interconnected.

In part two, we really get into the goodies: projects! Each project will show you exactly what software and hardware you need, and will provide enough detail that you can adapt it to your own needs and parts availability. Some of the projects you’ll make:

An illuminated secret panel
A hallway lighting system with a waterfall effect
A crazy lightshow
Visual effects gizmos like a Moire wheel and shadow puppets

In addition, you’ll design and implement some home automation projects, including working with wired and wireless setups. Along the way, you’ll design a useable home automation protocol and look at a variety of hardware setups.

Whether you’re new to electronics, or you just want to see what you can do with an AVR outside of an Arduino, Practical AVR Microcontrollers is the book for you.

What you’ll learn

How programming the AVR is different from programming an Arduino
How to use the Arduino IDE to program the AVR, and when to use AVR Studio
How to network your AVR devices and use them in home automation
How to add intelligence to your AVR devices
How to make games with AVR

Who this book is for
Beginning electronics enthusiasts as well as Arduino fans who want to go beyond the Arduino with the AVR microcontroller.

Table of Contents
Part I: The Basics
Chapter 1. A Brief History of Microcontrollers
Chapter 2. Building our AVR Test Bed
Chapter 3. Arduino and the Naked AVR
Chapter 4. Moving On!
Chapter 5. Smarten Up!
Chapter 6. Conversing Digitally

Part II: The Projects
Chapter 7. Introduction to the projects section
Chapter 8. Good Evening, Mr. Bond! Your Secret Panel
Chapter 9. Here Kitty, Kitty: Rainbow Beams to Drive Your Pets Crazy
Chapter 10. WordDune: How Much Do You Really See?
Chapter 11. A Waterfall of Lights: The Passageway Lighting System
Chapter 12. Moving to Mesmerize: Small Projects with Nifty Effects
Chapter 13. Home Automation: Small Projects using CAN Bus Controller Area Networks

Appendix A. Common Components
Appendix B. Digital Electronics Basics
Appendix C. Breadboards
Appendix D. Serial Communications Basics