Let's Make A Wearable: Part 1

1. Open Arduino IDE (version 1.6.4 or higher), Under File menu select Preferences.
   
   
   Figure 4: Select Preferences
   
   
2. A dialog will open. Here under Additional Boards Manager URL’s we will be adding a new URL. This list of URL is comma separated means you can add many, we need only one for Flora. Paste this URL.
   
   
   Figure 5: Additional Boards Manager URL
   
   
3. Save the preference settings.
   
   
4. Go to Tools, Board, then Boards Manager.
   
   
   Figure 6: Select Boards Manager
   
   
5. A dialog Box will open, click on the category drop down menu on the top left hand side of the window and select Contributed.
   
   
   Figure 7: Select Contributed
   
   
6. You will then be able to select and install the boards supplied by the URLs added to the preferences. Here, we have to install support for Adafruit AVR Boards, but the same way we can install other boards too. Click Install.
   
   
   Figure 8: Install the boards supplied
   
   
7. Restart Arduino IDE.
   
   
8. Now you will notice the Flora Board listed in the Tool, then Board menu.
   
   
   Figure 9: Adafruit Flora Board

Blink onboard LED

1. Connect your board by plugging the USB cable and select it in Arduino IDE.
   
   
2. Select the correct COM Port on which Flora is connected.
   
   
   Figure 10: Select the correct COM Port
   
   
3. Paste this Code.
   
   1. // Pin D7 has an LED connected on FLORA.
   2. int led = 7;
   4. // the setup routine runs once when you press reset
   5. void setup() {
   6. // initialize the digital pin as an output.
   7. pinMode(led, OUTPUT);
   8. }
   10. // the loop routine runs over and over again forever:
   11. void loop() {
   12. digitalWrite(led, HIGH); // turn the LED on (HIGH is the voltage level)
   13. delay(1000); // wait for a second
   14. digitalWrite(led, LOW); // turn the LED off by making the voltage LOW
   15. delay(1000); // wait for a second
   16. }
4. Upload and run the code by clicking the arrow like uploading button.
   
   
   Figure 11: Clicking the arrow
   
   
5. You will notice an LED blinking on Flora which is connected to D7, right after the USB port.
   
   
6. There is also a reset button on Flora, you can press it to reset the program.
   
   
7. Now take the USB cable out and connect it to the battery. The sketch will automatically run on startup and you will notice the LED blinking.

Figure 12: LED blinking on Flora which is connected to D7


Figure 13: Reset button on Flora


Figure 14: USB cable out and connect it to the battery

We have successfully set up Flora’s environment for development of our Wearables. In the next part we will see Conductive Sewing (Sewing with steel) and some more advance stuff.