Serial output

This is the default for debugging and communication in the Arduino world. Whenever we want to determine what is happening in Arduino, how a sensor is performing or just general code debugging, we can use the serial output functions to write a message to the computer.

Here, we will explore the basics followed by a few tips and tricks on how to write different types of data. An important thing about serial communication on Arduino is that it can only be done between two devices. It is not possible to have three or more devices on the same serial connection.

Getting ready

Just one ingredient is needed for this recipe—an Arduino board connected to a computer via USB.

How to do it…

We just need to connect the Arduino to the computer and begin programming.

The following code will print half a Christmas tree in the serial monitor and then the values of two analog ports, providing the most common types of serial output encountered on Arduino:

void setup(){
  // Initialize the Serial communication...