About this course
This is a small, friendly course made for one person: you. Each lesson teaches one new idea. We do not expect you to know anything before you start.
How to use it
- Open Lesson 1 first. Read it slowly. There is no rush.
- Each lesson is short. About 10–20 minutes.
- If a word is new, look in the green box at the bottom of the lesson, or open the Glossary.
- At the end of each lesson there is a small quiz. It is just for fun. There is no grade.
- Some lessons have a simulator (a tiny Arduino on the screen). You can try the code there before using your real kit.
What you will need
- A Mac computer.
- The SunFounder Vincent Kit for Arduino.
- The USB cable that came in the box. Newer Macs have only USB-C ports — you may need a USB-A → USB-C adapter.
- The Arduino IDE (we install it together in Lesson 2).
Three rules
Safety
Never connect the red wire (5V) directly to the black wire (GND) on the Arduino. That is called a short circuit. It can damage the board.
Care
Always unplug the USB cable before changing wires on the breadboard. Plug it back in only when you have checked your circuit.
Mindset
If something does not work, do not worry. Read the "Common mistakes" box. Most problems are tiny — one wire in the wrong hole, a missing semicolon, a backwards LED.