Beginning C for Arduino, Second Edition: Learn C Programming for the Arduino

A masterful presentation of the subject by a seasoned educator.

Great book. Well written and informative. Recommended.

I'm working on an Arduino project, and it turns out that I don't know C/C++ as well as I thought that I did. I got tired of wading through the responses on Stackoverflow or on the Arduino forum, and so far, this book has been really useful for describing how C works and answering general questions. I like the descriptions of how the compiler works since my text-based programming experience has been in interpreted languages like Python and Ruby. My criticisms concern the eBook. The code inserted in the text is not formatted well. There are many blank lines between the lines of code, so that the code snippet will extend over multiple pages when it should take up much less space. This affects the readability of the code and should really be fixed. Also, the index at the end of the book doesn't have links to the pages or even page numbers. This can be frustrating. The index appears to be just a list of terms, but there's no way to know where those terms are introduced in the book. For instance, I wanted to see what the author had to say about '#define' statements. There is an entry in the index but no link. If I try to search on #define, the search function ignores the '#' and I get hundreds of hits on 'define'. I'd like electronic versions of books to be useful, but I usually regret buying them. I'd probably but the physical book if I had known of these issues.

Use this in conjunction with Apress Arduino Software Internals manual. Great combo.

I'm still working through this book to brush up on my C skills so I can better use the Arduino for ham radio projects. Even though I'm only about 1/2 way through this book, I have to say it's probably the best C book I've ever read. I'm not a professional developer who can sneeze and have 1000 lines of source code come out. Instead, I've mainly used C periodically through my career for debugging software problems. I wish I'd had this book 25 years ago when I read my first K&R book and took my first C class. The C I learned early on never seemed to "stick" with me to where it was 2nd nature and I always seemed to stumble when reading through the code. This book is changing that. The reason I'm only 1/2 way through the book is I'm taking Jack's recommendation to work through it purposefully and to do all the exercises (for supplemental help, I'm also working through exercises in an Arduino starter kit course). Jack is a great instructor and things are finally starting to sink in. He has an ability to take confusing topics and make them clear. For the first time, I'm clearly understanding pointers, casting, data types, etc. Jack has the ability to explain difficult subjects of what's going on under the C hood through his clever use of analogies (like the backpack and the bucket). I'm thoroughly enjoying the book and look forward to the 2nd half. This book is great for beginners with no knowledge of C and also for those who know C but need a refresher or another look at things. Since this book is so good, I'm going to purchase any of Jack's other books I can find on ham radio and Arduino programming (I know of at least one). Great book! I can highly recommend it!

I've not programmed in C for over 35 years, so thought a refresher would be good, especially since I'll be using an Arduino board. The book delivered everything I needed to know and then some. I learned a lot about the Arduino IDE, including some "tips and tricks". The C aspect of the book is not at all like K&R, but rather very readable. Dr Purdum has obviously taught programming classes, and has incorporated humorous techniques for explaining C facts, which makes the book all the more readable. But what I *really* liked about the book was that he explained what the compiler does "behind the curtain". I need to know the mechanics so I can better understand the facts as presented. He has obviously written compilers, as he explains very understandably how the compiler handles the code, builds symbol tables, etc and how the linker pulls all the bits together. If your learning style doesn't care about that, no worries, as the explanations are not ponderous and can be glossed over. My recommendation: if you are new to C, or need a refresher and want to use the Arduino IDE, buy this book. No question!

When he's actually explaining coding, which is about 25% of the time, Mr Purdum is excellent. As someone else mentioned, I even understand pointers now. And as many have said, his skills as an educator show through. However, the re-explaining often goes too far. Add in the analogies and sometimes, a clear idea becomes muddied. In one section of the chapter on pointers, there's one paragraph to explain the concept, then three more explaining what could go wrong - but in a chummy, sorta funny way. Then a page and a half of an analogy. If he had just taken an extra paragraph on the original explanation it would have been complete, plus reinforced. Instead, a challenging concept is explained succinctly, then confused by adding in the (already mentioned) errors that can happen and then confused further by adding the analogy. No one else has mentioned that and so perhaps it's me. I like that the book isn't dry. It adds to the value and doesn't bore you. But I'd rather have double the serious discussion with a quarter of the rest. The other confusing part is explaining, then saying that the reason is coming later - then throwing in the analogies. Honestly, it's the best arduino C book by far and my comments are only about style. Get it if you want in depth instruction and explanation. Just beware of the caveats.

Well written with understandable detail, and an easy to follow style. Good job, well done.

Ein sehr schönes Buch für Leute wie mich, die das Ganze als Hobby aus Spaß an der Freud betreiben. Flott zu lesen, schöner Schreibstil, immer gut zu verstehen und mit vielen Beispielen versehen. Ein Buch, das mir schon viel Freude gemacht hat und immer noch macht. Aus meiner Sicht sehr empfehlenswert.

I have been playing about with Arduino projects for many years, yet still struggled to understand some simple concepts. My mistake was following code snippets from various websites, so I decided to dedicate some time to learn from the ground up. This book has given me a really firm understanding of basic C programing concepts and also deepened my understanding of the Arduino internals. The author has a very engaging informal style and I would definitely recommend it for new users of the Arduino - just be prepared to set aside a few weeks and slowly progress through the text and exercises - it will be worth the effort. As pointed out in the reviews, the index could be better, but aside from that this is a book I will come back to again and again. Update 2021: I'm now doing a postgraduate course in embedded systems engineering, and I am still coming back to the book to refresh on the key concepts.....an excellent resource to have.

Excelente contenido. Buena calidad del libro.

Excellent book gave me they information i needed to program my project and a few more to come.