Programming course: Opinions appreciated

delaney001

Have recently started playing around with an arduino kit and really enjoy it. Have completed some online tutorials which IMO can only take you so far. I'd like to do a course which could give me the foundations of electronic programming (if thats the correct classification). I really enjoy the physical output side of things, I have no real interest in app development or website creation. I like the idea of programming something like a R.C car, cnc, 3D printer (even if those are another galaxy away in terms of ability).

I work near the link below and it would be very easy for me to do it each week. Is the content of any use to what I'm looking for, or is this a compeltely different direction?
Have tried to contact the college to get more details and see if it is suited to what I want to do, but that was a dead end. Dont want to sign up to something and then it ends up being a waste of time for both lecturer and me.

Bit of a stretch but if anyone has the time to have a quick look, I'd appreaciate any review:
http://www.wcfe.ie/jcms/wcfe-evening/51-computing/191-introduction-to-software-development-java.html

Cheers

gooch2k9

That course looks at a higher level(language wise, not skills wise) than what you seem to be looking for. In my experience Java is used more application development, which run on another device, an Android app being the first to come to mind. It may be used on hardware but I haven't seen it.

Off the top of my head Arduinos are a mix of C/C++ which are the more commonly used languages for hardware programming. So you'd need to be looking for course that deal in Assembler, C or C++. Have a look on the MOOC websites(Udemy, Udacity, edx etc.) for embedded systems courses, these often use an Arduino for practical parts.

Keplar240B

The Arduino processing language is a c++ framework or a c++ subset or basically C++
Learn the basics of C++ for arduino.

The course you linked to is Java?

The arduino website is a good place to start

https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/Foundations
https://www.arduino.cc/en/Guide/HomePage

delaney001

Thank you both very much (Gooch and Keplar) I genuinely do appreciate that you spent your own time doing something completely for my benefit.
I had been looking on the Arduino site and came across the tutorial sections. But I just thought if this course was related (which I now know it is not) it would be a good way of learning the fundamentals.
I will have a look at other online courses and see if any suit. Thanks again.