Open the Blink Code

1. In the menu bar, go to File > Examples > 01.Basics > and click Blink.
    
2. Maximize the window containing the Blink code.

STEM Connections

The Arduino software can be used to write and send different computer programs to the Arduino board to make the board perform many different tasks. The Arduino software allows programmers to create these programs from different sets of written commands known as code. The Arduino software uses its own language that is like C/C++, but there are different coding languages, just like there are different spoken languages. You just opened a program called, “Blink”, that the Arduino software will turn into machine code, which is sent and processed on the board to get the LED to blink.

At the Thinkabit Lab, we emphasize that computer programmers either write code completely from start to finish or use existing code and modify it to meet their needs.

In this activity, students will modify the existing code. We do this for 2 reasons:

• Students are typically relieved to know that they do not have to write the code from start to finish every time they want to program.
• Modifying existing code is a good way to learn how code works.

We recommend that you continue with the texting analogy:

• Ask students: “What do you do after selecting who you want to send a text to?”
• Students should respond “write the text.”
• Explain: Now that we know who we’re sending our message to, it is time to write our text message. Likewise, now that we know where our code will be sent to, we are ready to write our code. However, instead of writing the code on our own, we will use the existing code and modify it from there.

If you're using the Thinkabit Lab Notebook:
 

The LED Blink code is listed in the notebook.  We will use this page to take notes on the LED Blink code.

Blink code window didn’t pop up

1. There can be multiple Arduino windows open, just like there can be multiple windows of your internet browser open. Check through all the open Arduino windows that are open and find “blink".
2. If you still can’t find it, go through the above step again.