Windows Driver Installation
After initially plugging your RedBoard in, your computer will try to search for
a compatible driver. It may actually succeed! The FTDI drivers are pretty
common, so Windows Update may know a little something about them. If
the drivers do automatically install, you should see a little bubble notification
saying so:
If your computer failed to find drivers, we’ll have to install them manually.
Check out our Windows FTDI Driver install guide for driver installation
instructions.
Mac Driver Installation
If you’re lucky, the FTDI drivers should automatically install on Mac OS X;
otherwise you’ll have to manually install the drivers. Check out the Mac
FTDI Driver install guide for help installing the drivers.
In short, the process involves heading over to the FTDI driver website, and
downloading the most up-to-date VCP drivers. Then you’ll simply run the
“FTDIUSBSerialDriver_v2_2_18.dmg” file you downloaded, and follow the
installation prompts.
Linux Driver Installation
Linux is actually pretty good about automatically installing the drivers. If you
have any trouble, check out our Linux FTDI Driver install guide.
Now it’s time to breathe easy! You’ll only have to run through this driver
installation process once, the first time you connect the board to your
computer. Now it’s time to upload a sketch!
Experiment 1: Blink an LED
Introduction
LEDs are small, powerful lights that are used in many different applications.
To start off, we will work on blinking an LED, the “Hello, World!” of
microcontrollers. That’s right – it’s as simple as turning a light on and off. It
might not seem like much, but establishing this important baseline will give
you a solid foundation as we work toward more complex experiments.
Parts Needed
You will need the following parts:
•
1x
Breadboard
•
1x
SparkFun RedBoard
•
1x
LED
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