Arduino boards with USB as the primary interface allow for easy computer programming and control. They are cheap, fast, and require little power. While limited to physical connection, wireless options exist.
An Arduino® universal serial bus (USB) is any Arduino® board that uses a USB as its primary interface. Arduino® is an open source microcontroller and electronics platform. Virtually every desktop and laptop computer has USB ports, which means that USB devices can interface with almost any computer. There are several varieties of these boards in production.
The purpose of the Arduino® USB interface is to allow the computer to reprogram or provide instructions to the device. For example, a controller using a card equipped with a short-range radio could connect wirelessly to a system that controls the lights in their home. Once connected, the programmer could tell the program to change lighting modes and set all lights to appropriate levels for a dinner party if the program includes a dinner mode. If the program doesn’t include a dinner mode, he or she could use the same interface to load a modified version of the program onto the device.
Most Arduino® devices do not use separate computer interfaces for input and programming. If a computer interfaces with an invention via a USB connection, it is unlikely to have any other mechanism for doing so. These devices can accept input from other sources, such as sensors and switches. A device used to control lighting might also accept instructions from a dial on the wall or from a light or motion sensor. Sensors and switches, while technically interfaces, are much more limited than a USB or other computer interface and cannot be used to reprogram a device.
There are several advantages to using an Arduino® USB over other microcontroller interfaces. In addition to being common, the USB interface is also cheap and fast. It requires very little power to operate and the USB connection can be used to charge the device while connected. USB cables are also much easier to wire up and repair than wireless data transmission methods or older serial cables.
The main limitation of the Arduino® USB is that it must be physically connected to the computer to interface with it, so to eliminate this limitation, several wireless computer interfaces have been created for the platform. Wifi® cards can easily interface with computers as long as a wireless router is present. Xbee® cards operate more independently and over longer distances. Bluetooth® cards still have limited range, but have the added benefit of being able to interface with smartphones. Despite some limitations, Arduino® USB boards are cheaper and more energy efficient than wireless alternatives.
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