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Arduino IDE

I can write I hate the Arduino IDE. There is no visible difference between the actual version and what I used in 2012. More than this, I am sure the awful IDE is producing low quality code because the lack of functions. Struggling with the IDE, I decided to search a plugin for Visual Studio Code and... It is here! So I invite you to use Visual Studio Code and the Arduino Plugin instead of Arduino IDE.

Well, I wasted my time with other projects on these following points...

Arduino IDE Version

Depending on the version, Arduino IDE is more or less restrictive. It means what was working two years ago is no more working. You can either re-code or use an old version. If you are a beginner, it is a pure nightmare, and when your objective is education, you really miss the point

USB Cable

A lot of cables are just "power" cable. It means you will never be able to push your code in the Arduino with this kind of cable, because only 2 on 4 pins are connected. To test if your cable is able to transmit data, test it with your smartphone: if the smartphone is recognized by your computer, it means the cable is Ok.

Old bootloader

The micro-controller on the Arduino is from Atmel company. This piece of hardware is prepared to be used as an Arduino with injection of a small part of code. The version of this code as changed. If you have an old version in your Arduino, and you do not select "old bootloader" with the IDE, you will never be able to inject your own code in the Arduino.

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Powering the Arduino: 5V is not all!

I started to use the wall plug and immediately seen a lot of "activity" on the LCD: it was "noise" from the power unit. When plugged to a standard computer 5V USB connector, the LCD was dead flat. Lesson is: "Use a free noise power", if not, you will see more "noise" than music on your LCD. In other termes: Power quality matters