Arduino Frequently Asked Questions

General

What is an Arduino?

Glad you asked, we have a great introduction page on Arduino, click here to read it.

How can I get an Arduino board?

See the howto for options, which includes buying a board, or building your own from the files information on the hardware page.

Is Arduino open-source?

Yes. The source code for the Java environment is released under the GPL, the C/C++ microcontroller libraries under the LGPL, and the schematics and CAD files under Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike licenses.

I want to make my own Arduino boards; what should I do?

Check out the So you want to make an Arduino document for information and guidelines.

How can I run the Arduino IDE under Linux?

See instructions for Ubuntu Linux, for Debian Linux, for Gentoo Linux, for Linux, or for Linux on PPC. This this forum thread has more information. Or, you can use Arduino from the command line, and not have to install Java.

Troubleshooting

These questions have moved to the troubleshooting section of the Arduino guide.

Development

How do I burn the bootloader onto my board?

See the bootloader page for details on burning the bootloader onto an Arduino board.