How to install Arduino IDE on the latest Ubuntu versions

Arduino IDE splash screen

The Arduino project is a Free Hardware project that seeks to bring electronic boards closer to the end user for a small price and with the possibility of being able to be replicated and modified without having to pay a license or copyright. Also, like Free Software, Arduino Project designs can be compatible with any type of Free Software and Hardware.

The designs of the different models of boards are found on the official website of the project as well as the possibility of being able to buy the boards for those who do not want to make one, but we will not only need the board for our project to work or for Arduino to make sense, We will also need software, software that we can create with our Ubuntu. This software cannot be created with a simple code editor but we will need to have a program called Arduino IDE.

What is Arduino IDE?

Arduino IDE is a programming suite that those responsible for the Arduino Project have created to introduce the software to Arduino boards. Arduino IDE is not only a code editor but it has a debugger and compiler that allows us to create the final program and also send it to the memory of the Arduino board..

The latter may be the most interesting or important part of the Arduino IDE since there are many free IDE's in Ubuntu, but none of them offer connection to the official Arduino board models.

The latest versions of the Arduino IDE have not only made this program more compatible with the new models of the Project, but have also improved the IDE functions, allowing even to have a cloud interface that allows us to create a program for Arduino anywhere in the world (at least where there is an internet connection). And not only is the Arduino IDE free in the geographical space, but it is also free within the computing space since the Arduino IDE supports connection with all kinds of programs, including code editors that will facilitate the work with the Arduino hardware. However, Arduino IDE is also Free Software.

How to install Arduino IDE on my Ubuntu?

Arduino IDE is not in the official Ubuntu repositories, at least the latest version, so we have to use the official website of the Project to get this IDE. There are currently two versions of Arduino IDE, a version that corresponds to the 1.8.x branch and another branch that corresponds to the 1.0.x version. The difference between both versions lies in the plate models they support. Personally I think the best option is to download the 1.8.x branch of the Arduino IDE. This is because we can change the board at any time and this version will support it, but if we choose a version from the other branch, we have to change the program if we change to a modern board, since the 1.0.6 branch does not support boards more modern Arduino.

Screenshot of the Arduino IDE web

Once we have downloaded the Arduino IDE package from here, we unzip the compressed file in any folder of our home (better to do it in the Home and not in Downloads to avoid problems when we clean in the future).

In the package that we have unzipped, several files and even two executables will appear, one of them called Arduino-Builder, but these executable files will not be necessary to install the Arduino IDE on our Ubuntu. If we need to open a terminal in the folder where all these files are. Once we have this, in the terminal we write the following:

sudo chmod +x install.sh

This command will make the installation file run without having to be root. Now we execute the following in the terminal:

./install.sh

This will start the Arduino IDE installation on our Ubuntu. After obeying the assistant's orders and waiting several seconds (or minutes, depending on the computer). And that's it, we'll have the Arduino IDE installed on our Ubuntu and a nice shortcut on our desktop. In this case It does not matter which version of Ubuntu we have because it works with the last 10 Ubuntu versions that have been released (LTS versions included).

Arduino IDE installation

What do I need to work with the Arduino IDE?

All of the above will help us to install the Arduino IDE in Ubuntu but it is true that it will not be enough for our Arduino board to work correctly or as we would like it to. Now, the Arduino IDE program is still a simple code editor like Gedit can be. But it can be fixed. For it we will need a printer usb cable, a 5V power cable and a development board.

Developing a program with the Arduino IDE and the Arduino UNO board

We connect everything and now from Arduino IDE we are going to Tools and in Plate we select the model that we are going to use, we select the port through which we will communicate with the panel and then we choose the option "Get information from the board" to verify that we are communicating correctly with the device.
Screenshot of Arduino IDE

Now we write the program and when we finish, we go to the Program menu. In it we must first Check / compile and if it does not issue any problem then we can use the Upload option.
Screenshot of Arduino IDE

And if I don't have my computer, how can I use the Arduino IDE without my Ubuntu?

In case we do not have our Ubuntu at hand or we simply want to create a program for a board but we do not want to repeat all of the above, then we have to go to this website which offers us a version of Arduino IDE totally in the Cloud. This tool is called Arduino Create.

This version allows us to do everything the same as the last version of Arduino IDE but the programs and codes that we have created can be stored in a web space that we have assigned as well as being able to download them to apply them to any project that we create in the Arduino IDE.

Can I skip all these steps?

In order to work properly the Arduino board, the truth is that we cannot skip any of the previous steps, but not because Arduino IDE works like Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat but because of the simple fact that there is no alternative as good. In essence, to run our own software or program on our boards, first we need an IDE to create the program. For this it would be enough with Netbeans, but we need the option of being able to send it to the plate. For this we would not only need Netbeans but also the file manager. But, for this we would need that Ubuntu had all the drivers for the Arduino board that we will use.

All this takes up space and time that many developers are not willing to spend, hence the importance of using the Arduino IDE and not other options that either do not have the drivers, or are not IDE or do not allow the delivery of software. to the plate. The good thing about the Arduino Project, as with Ubuntu is that anyone can create programs, solutions or tools compatible with Ubuntu and Arduino, without having to pay anything for it.


3 comments, leave yours

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  1.   Cesar Barrionuevo said

    Once again, thank you very much!! Good explanation and everything works wonders.

  2.   leonidas83glx said

    I just installed it on my Lubuntu 18.04 and it works great, I still have to buy the motherboard. I am starting to walk in this world of the Arduino because the educational programs of secondary education in Argentina are asking me, I am a technical education teacher.

  3.   gabriel said

    sorry but to install it from the console at the end I had to enter the folder and run the command sudo apt install arduino-builder
    I don't know why, but when I executed the command you indicated it would tell me.

    chmod: 'install.sh' cannot be accessed: File or directory does not exist

    I'm new to the free software area, I guess I made a mistake, but at least I was able to install it from the console by fixing myself.
    If you could comment on what my mistake was or why this legend comes out, I would like to know. thank you very much in advance and hold on to the free software !!!