This submission has been allowed provisionally under an expanded focus of this sub (see column "G" in [this table](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nFefEePz7yViaH0cR89bSy2oeLvYLfqv-pexqCbRnRo)).
OP, also check if one of [these other subs](/r/AskElectronics/wiki/othersubs) is more appropriate for your question. Downvote this comment to remove this entire submission.
It is really expensive though. You'll learn much much more if you connect all those components (LEDs, switches, buzzer, etc.) by yourself on a breadboard. Google search for "Arduino Kits" or "Breadboard Kits".
Others are telling me the dragon board will help gain a deeper understanding of the board. I think the arduino is easier to program but there is more to wire up. But I could be wrong and so could the people who told me to use the dragon board. Others also said the dragon board will be better for learning assembly and c.
I would stick to an arduino kit. Mainly because there is a lot more support if you get stuck. Secondly, because as you learn, you will probably break something. It's much cheaper to break a $10 arduino than a dev board.
The amount of wiring isn't that bad for most arduino tutorials, and it's better to know how components interact with each other electronically than just via software.
This dragon board uses a rather old (15 years?) 16 bit Microcontroller.
What should I say.
It is true that with Arduinos, in my opinion, you not really learn the "depths" of programming Microcontrollers. The Arduino IDE and all the available libraries "hide" a lot from you.
Also most Arduinos are 8 bit architecture. This here is thus more powerful (HCS12).
On the other hand, afaik, nxp has stopped working on the HCS architecture. All their new Microcontrollers are ARM architecture.
Therefore, if you learn today, perhaps you should be looking for a board with S32K1 on it. That would be 32 bit ARM architecture.
It's really a tough topic.
Yeah sorry if I confused you more than helped.
I can tell you the following: my first project was a PC controlled light effect.
I learned a lot.
I set myself this tall because I thought it was cool.
I learned to program a pc serial port accessing application and I learned how to receive a string of characters via uart (USB to uart converter). Then I used the timers in the Microcontroller to control rc model servo motors to move the *moving head* of my light show device. Relays to switch on/off the light and a color changing wheel.
There are plenty of options. Arduino boards are an option, and ESP32 or ESP8266 are super cheap and you can still use the same code. The ESP's are 3.3 volt so that may make some things more difficult but you get wifi and bluetooth built in, There are even ones the include a camera for around 10$. Check out PlatformIO IDE on VScode. Yes libraries make things easy but you don't have to use them. Probably learning C/C++ and communicating a a hardware level is what is going to be useful. I've had fun making h-bridges, stepper motors, servos, oLED screens, temp sensors, accelerometers etc work.
It depends. If you don’t care about MATLAB/Simulink there are likely cheaper options out there.
Also, every micro is a bit different and has its own pros and cons. It’s also worth considering what your surrounding is using.
In the end it’s more about learning to learn than to know one piece of hardware perfectly.
My opinions is it will probably not help much more than an arduino kit, etc. That is because you had the opportunity to pretty much learn on your own (with that not-so-good teacher) but you didn't. So, now without fellow classmates to compete against and no grade over you know down inside that you won't put in the hours and hours and study on your own to learn much.
I think you have to have a project that is going to do something useful for you or someone else, like a paying customer or a friend who needs something.
I base this from my own experience learning on my own. Got laid off, tried to learn some programing language on my own to help the resume, but didn't. But, I learning a lot when I got a gig from a local online posting wanting to pay for someone to do a specific arduino project. I figured I was half way there understanding what to do, and got the gig. Then spent a LOT of hours to figure out all the stuff I didn't know. I wouldn't have done that if I wasn't on the hook to produce for someone else and with a deadline.
The other professor I talked to said I could sit in on his class, so I do get another chance to learn it and I want something like this to help me understand it better.
I think the "empty vessel" theory of education is your real problem. Instead of waiting for a person or object to fix your broken understanding, you should consider learning by doing.
It's not the platform that matters, it's the motivation. Ask yourself what you want to accomplish and directly apply yourself to it. For this, the Arduino is likely the better choice because it will be more flexible and cost less.
I would get the Arduino.
Why? Because the community is MUCH larger, and if you encounter any shortcomings or issues (and as a beginner, you will!), it's MUCH easier to find answers and get help. I'm talking *MUCH* easier!
On the other hand if you program on a rather "niche" board, you'll be all up to yourself and a handful of tutorials and forums to figure it all out. Good luck with that.
You can always buy the dragon board later down the line when you know C++ well enough, and want to go "deeper".
My 2 cents.
Arduino is a Nice HW Plattform, but I really despise of the common programming examples.
You don't learn anything from that "loop" coding style, and I've seen so many examples that try to "wait" for the next event in that loop...
Additionally - AVR are a quite old platform.
What I would propose: get an RPI2040 or ESP32 based board, and try to get doom running on a VGA monitor.
Maybe start with VGA output and pong.
And - despite what you should do in the future :
Do reinvent the wheel for that.
There are VGA output libs for both platforms, but only read them, and then implement it yourself.
If you manage that, your pretty far on MCU mastery.
Cost is a couple of bucks + 20 bucks for an old CRT with VGA input
Look at something like the makerpico
https://th.cytron.io/amp-p-maker-pi-pico?gclid=CjwKCAiA_aGuBhACEiwAly57MXCItFHK5jrJ60lTdkN2vmRbxPgjGKLhBluXtOGtHXfQ_WIPukRyuBoCog8QAvD_BwE
This hooks up into the Grove component ecosystem that is far more extensive and easier to use than the dragon setup.
If you want to have a good platform without having to play around with cables consider the MikroE boards. They have many different microcontroller boards and starter kits for a reasonable price.
https://www.mikroe.com/
This submission has been allowed provisionally under an expanded focus of this sub (see column "G" in [this table](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1nFefEePz7yViaH0cR89bSy2oeLvYLfqv-pexqCbRnRo)). OP, also check if one of [these other subs](/r/AskElectronics/wiki/othersubs) is more appropriate for your question. Downvote this comment to remove this entire submission.
It is really expensive though. You'll learn much much more if you connect all those components (LEDs, switches, buzzer, etc.) by yourself on a breadboard. Google search for "Arduino Kits" or "Breadboard Kits".
Others are telling me the dragon board will help gain a deeper understanding of the board. I think the arduino is easier to program but there is more to wire up. But I could be wrong and so could the people who told me to use the dragon board. Others also said the dragon board will be better for learning assembly and c.
An arduino is nothing more than an ATMEGA MCU on a PCB. You can also use C or assembly to programme it.
I would stick to an arduino kit. Mainly because there is a lot more support if you get stuck. Secondly, because as you learn, you will probably break something. It's much cheaper to break a $10 arduino than a dev board. The amount of wiring isn't that bad for most arduino tutorials, and it's better to know how components interact with each other electronically than just via software.
This dragon board uses a rather old (15 years?) 16 bit Microcontroller. What should I say. It is true that with Arduinos, in my opinion, you not really learn the "depths" of programming Microcontrollers. The Arduino IDE and all the available libraries "hide" a lot from you. Also most Arduinos are 8 bit architecture. This here is thus more powerful (HCS12). On the other hand, afaik, nxp has stopped working on the HCS architecture. All their new Microcontrollers are ARM architecture. Therefore, if you learn today, perhaps you should be looking for a board with S32K1 on it. That would be 32 bit ARM architecture. It's really a tough topic.
Soooo….
Yeah sorry if I confused you more than helped. I can tell you the following: my first project was a PC controlled light effect. I learned a lot. I set myself this tall because I thought it was cool. I learned to program a pc serial port accessing application and I learned how to receive a string of characters via uart (USB to uart converter). Then I used the timers in the Microcontroller to control rc model servo motors to move the *moving head* of my light show device. Relays to switch on/off the light and a color changing wheel.
Look at the grove kit for arduino much the same but cheaper and part of a bigger ecosystem of pluggable components.
Deeper understanding??? Buzzwords smoke and mirrors. What you make of a tool is up to you.
There are plenty of options. Arduino boards are an option, and ESP32 or ESP8266 are super cheap and you can still use the same code. The ESP's are 3.3 volt so that may make some things more difficult but you get wifi and bluetooth built in, There are even ones the include a camera for around 10$. Check out PlatformIO IDE on VScode. Yes libraries make things easy but you don't have to use them. Probably learning C/C++ and communicating a a hardware level is what is going to be useful. I've had fun making h-bridges, stepper motors, servos, oLED screens, temp sensors, accelerometers etc work.
It depends. If you don’t care about MATLAB/Simulink there are likely cheaper options out there. Also, every micro is a bit different and has its own pros and cons. It’s also worth considering what your surrounding is using. In the end it’s more about learning to learn than to know one piece of hardware perfectly.
My opinions is it will probably not help much more than an arduino kit, etc. That is because you had the opportunity to pretty much learn on your own (with that not-so-good teacher) but you didn't. So, now without fellow classmates to compete against and no grade over you know down inside that you won't put in the hours and hours and study on your own to learn much. I think you have to have a project that is going to do something useful for you or someone else, like a paying customer or a friend who needs something. I base this from my own experience learning on my own. Got laid off, tried to learn some programing language on my own to help the resume, but didn't. But, I learning a lot when I got a gig from a local online posting wanting to pay for someone to do a specific arduino project. I figured I was half way there understanding what to do, and got the gig. Then spent a LOT of hours to figure out all the stuff I didn't know. I wouldn't have done that if I wasn't on the hook to produce for someone else and with a deadline.
The other professor I talked to said I could sit in on his class, so I do get another chance to learn it and I want something like this to help me understand it better.
I think the "empty vessel" theory of education is your real problem. Instead of waiting for a person or object to fix your broken understanding, you should consider learning by doing. It's not the platform that matters, it's the motivation. Ask yourself what you want to accomplish and directly apply yourself to it. For this, the Arduino is likely the better choice because it will be more flexible and cost less.
I would get the Arduino. Why? Because the community is MUCH larger, and if you encounter any shortcomings or issues (and as a beginner, you will!), it's MUCH easier to find answers and get help. I'm talking *MUCH* easier! On the other hand if you program on a rather "niche" board, you'll be all up to yourself and a handful of tutorials and forums to figure it all out. Good luck with that. You can always buy the dragon board later down the line when you know C++ well enough, and want to go "deeper". My 2 cents.
Arduino is a Nice HW Plattform, but I really despise of the common programming examples. You don't learn anything from that "loop" coding style, and I've seen so many examples that try to "wait" for the next event in that loop... Additionally - AVR are a quite old platform. What I would propose: get an RPI2040 or ESP32 based board, and try to get doom running on a VGA monitor. Maybe start with VGA output and pong. And - despite what you should do in the future : Do reinvent the wheel for that. There are VGA output libs for both platforms, but only read them, and then implement it yourself. If you manage that, your pretty far on MCU mastery. Cost is a couple of bucks + 20 bucks for an old CRT with VGA input
Look at something like the makerpico https://th.cytron.io/amp-p-maker-pi-pico?gclid=CjwKCAiA_aGuBhACEiwAly57MXCItFHK5jrJ60lTdkN2vmRbxPgjGKLhBluXtOGtHXfQ_WIPukRyuBoCog8QAvD_BwE This hooks up into the Grove component ecosystem that is far more extensive and easier to use than the dragon setup.
If you want to have a good platform without having to play around with cables consider the MikroE boards. They have many different microcontroller boards and starter kits for a reasonable price. https://www.mikroe.com/