I’ve just received my first Arduino Duemilanove and it works like a charm. But I’m a beginner and it’s been a VERY long time since I have worked on a project like this and so I have several very simple questions:
The Arduino has 16 digital pins (2x8) and 12 (2x6) analog/power pins. What connector can be used to plug into these pins? I tried AWG 24 solid copper telephone wire and this works, but it’s loose and I would prefer something better. What’s the standard connector called, and does Sparkfun sell it?
There are three mounting holes in the Arduino board, each of which is about 1/8 inch in diameter. What’s the best way to attach the Arduino board to a container? Nylon screws ? Metal screws with nylon washers (I tried this but the washers that I bought were too thick ) Metal screws alone (but what about the danger of shorting out the board)? There is very little clearance between the holes and adjacent board components.
What’s the best container or box to put the Arduino Duemilanove in, hopefully with a hole for the USB port? I”m hoping Sparkfun sells a box designed for the Arduino. Is there one somewhere?
Related to the above, how much heat does an Arduino generate? Can the Ardiuno be put in a closed container/box, or does the container need ventilation holes?
The Arduino has 16 digital pins (2x8) and 12 (2x6) analog/power pins. What connector can be used to plug into these pins? I tried AWG 24 solid copper telephone wire and this works, but it’s loose and I would prefer something better. What’s the standard connector called, and does Sparkfun sell it?
The connectors are 0.10" headers, and are commonly available from many suppliers, including Sparkfun, as part number [[PRT-00116](http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=116).
For direct wiring, you may find that the slightly larger 22-gauge wire works a bit better, or get some male headers, snip off single pins, and connect them to the ends of your connecting wires for a good, secure, pluggable connection.
One thing to bear in mind is that on an Arduino board, one set of headers does not conform to a standard 0.10" spacing between the sets. I have heard that this is supposedly due to an error early in the development cycle, which became a standard, and now any shields that plug into the board have to meet this “non-standard standard”. This isn’t a problem if you’re using a prototyping shield or generating your own board from software, but if you’re hoping to make a plug-in board from any sort of standard perfboard or anything with standard 0.10" spaced holes, you’ll have to get creative with your connectors in order to account for the half-hole spacing. It’s a pain to deal with if you just want to experiment rather than using pre-fab boards, but apparently more of a pain to fix it and all of the shields already in production that use the oddball spacing.](http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=116)