I would like to share my first steps with this wonderful program, in the hope that it might help other first-time users.
To start with -- this program is for you Arduino enthusiasts, and PIC enthusiasts too, and generally for all electronics DIY folks.
This is a wonderful tool, versatile and very useful, and quite powerful too. It is even more amazing that such a tool is offered to us for free by its generous authors.
Below I will briefly describe how I am using this tool, but before that here is what I like about this program:
-- it worked "out-of-the-box" for me (I just downloaded the files and unzipped them -- that was all!);
-- as an Arduino simulator it worked very well and surpassed my expectations, so much so that it has now become my preferred Arduino simulator;
-- it is not just an Arduino simulator -- it has much more to offer (and I have not yet used all of its features).
Here is the best tip that I can offer to all those who are willing to try this excellent program:
DO NOT NEGLECT AND DO NOT DELAY CLICKING ON THE HELP BUTTON inside SimulIDE -- do this immediately after you run the simulator for the first time.
The help button is on the top toolbar in form a of a BLUE CIRCLE WITH AN EXCLAMATION MARK "(!)" IN IT.
This will take you to the authors' webpage http://simulide.blogspot.co.uk where you will find tons of help, including tutorials and videos.
Now about how I am using the simulator:
(1) I create a sketch in Arduino IDE and iron out the compilation errors there;
(2) When the sketch is ready, before uploading it to an actual Arduino board, I switch to this simulator and try the sketch here -- I see here exactly how the sketch will work on an Arduino board and I am able to execute it step-by-step (which one cannot do in Arduino IDE easily). This allows me to try many different improvements to the sketch without the need to upload it to a board;
(3) Finally, when the sketch has been tested and proven to work as expected, I can upload it to an actual Arduino board with the confidence that it will work. This saves time and makes a light work of debugging.
To do the above you need to have an Arduin IDE installed -- its compilor is used by SimulIDE. If SimulIDE cannot find your installation of Arduino IDE it will prompt you to browse to it -- this was my case: I just needed to browse to the top folder of my Arduino IDE, where "arduino_debug.exe" file resides.
For those users, who are impatient to read the tutorials and would like to try something with this simulator immediately, here are a few tips:
-- find an Arduino board in the list of the components on the left (it is in section "Micro", sub-section "Arduino"). Drag the board on to the simulator's canvas (this is the area with the rectangular grid on it). If you wish you can attach other components to the Aquino's pins by dragging them from the list on the left.
-- now notice that to the right of the simulator's canvas there is a vast grey area with a toolbar on top of it: this is the area where you can open your sketch. Click on the button "Open" above this grey area to select and open your Arduino sketch (please do not get confused -- this is the button above the grey area to the right, not the button above the simulation canvas with the rectangular grid in it). Then click on the "Compile" button and after that on the "Upload" button. This will upload your sketch to the simulated Arduino on the canvas.
-- right-click over the Arduino on the canvass and select "Open serial monitor". You can now test your sketch by executing it step-by-step.
I wrote the above brief description for people like me, who usually want first to try a program in order to see whether it works at all and without spending too much time on reading help files (with so many other programs on SourceForge which are half-baked and which might not really work this seems to me like a wise strategy to follow). After having seen that this simulator really works I would like to encourage you to read all the help and watch all the videos which are accessible from the Help button inside the simulator (this will open the authors' webpage http://simulide.blogspot.co.uk in your internet browser). -- do not neglect this: the Simulator is very powerful and you need first to study its help in order to be able to use its power (otherwise you may mistakenly think that it is limited and difficult to use -- in reality it is powerful and easy to use, but you do need to start with the basics and learn them from the tutorials and the videos, this is quick and will not take you very long before you become an expert user).
Apologies for the lengthy post, I hope that it was helpful to you if you have come across this wonderful program by chance (like I had done last weekend), and that now you will download it, try it and then start using its power (but do read the tutorials and watch the help videos too on the above-mentioned website).
Kind regards,
RF Engineer
Last edit: RF Engineer 2018-05-02
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Anonymous
-
2018-05-08
Thanks for the nice review, very useful.
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Anonymous
-
2019-05-10
Where can I get the program code manual?
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Hello All,
I would like to share my first steps with this wonderful program, in the hope that it might help other first-time users.
To start with -- this program is for you Arduino enthusiasts, and PIC enthusiasts too, and generally for all electronics DIY folks.
This is a wonderful tool, versatile and very useful, and quite powerful too. It is even more amazing that such a tool is offered to us for free by its generous authors.
Below I will briefly describe how I am using this tool, but before that here is what I like about this program:
-- it worked "out-of-the-box" for me (I just downloaded the files and unzipped them -- that was all!);
-- as an Arduino simulator it worked very well and surpassed my expectations, so much so that it has now become my preferred Arduino simulator;
-- it is not just an Arduino simulator -- it has much more to offer (and I have not yet used all of its features).
Here is the best tip that I can offer to all those who are willing to try this excellent program:
DO NOT NEGLECT AND DO NOT DELAY CLICKING ON THE HELP BUTTON inside SimulIDE -- do this immediately after you run the simulator for the first time.
The help button is on the top toolbar in form a of a BLUE CIRCLE WITH AN EXCLAMATION MARK "(!)" IN IT.
This will take you to the authors' webpage http://simulide.blogspot.co.uk where you will find tons of help, including tutorials and videos.
Now about how I am using the simulator:
(1) I create a sketch in Arduino IDE and iron out the compilation errors there;
(2) When the sketch is ready, before uploading it to an actual Arduino board, I switch to this simulator and try the sketch here -- I see here exactly how the sketch will work on an Arduino board and I am able to execute it step-by-step (which one cannot do in Arduino IDE easily). This allows me to try many different improvements to the sketch without the need to upload it to a board;
(3) Finally, when the sketch has been tested and proven to work as expected, I can upload it to an actual Arduino board with the confidence that it will work. This saves time and makes a light work of debugging.
To do the above you need to have an Arduin IDE installed -- its compilor is used by SimulIDE. If SimulIDE cannot find your installation of Arduino IDE it will prompt you to browse to it -- this was my case: I just needed to browse to the top folder of my Arduino IDE, where "arduino_debug.exe" file resides.
For those users, who are impatient to read the tutorials and would like to try something with this simulator immediately, here are a few tips:
-- find an Arduino board in the list of the components on the left (it is in section "Micro", sub-section "Arduino"). Drag the board on to the simulator's canvas (this is the area with the rectangular grid on it). If you wish you can attach other components to the Aquino's pins by dragging them from the list on the left.
-- now notice that to the right of the simulator's canvas there is a vast grey area with a toolbar on top of it: this is the area where you can open your sketch. Click on the button "Open" above this grey area to select and open your Arduino sketch (please do not get confused -- this is the button above the grey area to the right, not the button above the simulation canvas with the rectangular grid in it). Then click on the "Compile" button and after that on the "Upload" button. This will upload your sketch to the simulated Arduino on the canvas.
-- right-click over the Arduino on the canvass and select "Open serial monitor". You can now test your sketch by executing it step-by-step.
I wrote the above brief description for people like me, who usually want first to try a program in order to see whether it works at all and without spending too much time on reading help files (with so many other programs on SourceForge which are half-baked and which might not really work this seems to me like a wise strategy to follow). After having seen that this simulator really works I would like to encourage you to read all the help and watch all the videos which are accessible from the Help button inside the simulator (this will open the authors' webpage http://simulide.blogspot.co.uk in your internet browser). -- do not neglect this: the Simulator is very powerful and you need first to study its help in order to be able to use its power (otherwise you may mistakenly think that it is limited and difficult to use -- in reality it is powerful and easy to use, but you do need to start with the basics and learn them from the tutorials and the videos, this is quick and will not take you very long before you become an expert user).
Apologies for the lengthy post, I hope that it was helpful to you if you have come across this wonderful program by chance (like I had done last weekend), and that now you will download it, try it and then start using its power (but do read the tutorials and watch the help videos too on the above-mentioned website).
Kind regards,
RF Engineer
Last edit: RF Engineer 2018-05-02
Thanks for the nice review, very useful.
Where can I get the program code manual?
Have a look here: http://simulide.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html