I've been following along with lessons for the Arduino, both the online videos and the printed versions, and the chap who does the videos on YouTube, Paul McWhorter, encourages his students to experiment, and to do homework. In the progress of each video, he will deliberately make mistakes, knowing that his followers will shout at the screen to correct the obvious syntax errors, a very effective way of teaching.
I've lit single LEDs, multiple LEDs, sequenced them, coupled the little buggers with switches, made active buzzers squawk, passive buzzers hum a tune, and generally been having a blast with this interesting little hobby. The last few excursions into code have been to adjust a little servo motor backwards and forwards, investigate a tilt switch, play about with a potentiometer and my face must be showing more signs of geekiness as the days pass.
Today, a little combo, use a potentiometer, analog read that input, adjust the input to suit the range of the servo motor and then move the servo into position, based on the rotary knob position. When all of that was done, I had a little shiver down the spine as the little plan had come together, that the code is not as intimidating any longer, that I have created some little bit of programming that could be useful.
To others, it may seem rudimentary, and if I stick at this hobby, in future years I will probably smile at these baby steps, little building blocks towards something.
Time will tell.
