Introduction: Arduino on a Breadboard

About: Hi! I'm Dave, and I've lived in China for about three years now. As my username suggests, I'm from California, so naturally, I miss the sunshine, the beaches, and the crisp evening air. In my spare time, I l…
In the words of Make Magazine, the Arduino is an "immensely powerful microcontroller board that has taken the world by storm."
It offers the power of a traditional microcontroller while tremendously simplifying the programming process, making complex electronics projects easier than ever to design. Click here and here to learn more.

Several months ago, I built my own version of the legendary Arduino.

Here's what I used:

-ATMega328 microcontroller (with Arduino bootloader pre-installed)
-Silicon Labs USB-to-TTL converter
-16 Mhz crystal
-Green LED
-Jumper wires
-Solderless breadboard

To build your own Arduino, you'll need to install the Arduino software (found here) on your computer, as well as the drivers for the USB-TTL converter (found here). For more detailed instructions, please see Dale Wheat's article in Make Magazine, issue 25.

Enjoy!