After my previous foray into Arduino and XBee, I was hoping to be able to use Node.js as the “on-the-metal” OS of sorts for running the Atmel microcontroller. Unfortunately, Node.js (in it’s default configuration) is too big to run in the memory and program storage constraints of the Arduino uController. Not wanting to write my control applications in Arduino Sketch or C, I decided to switch over to using NetDuino as the central controller hub of my real world control project. This is the story of getting started down that path.

I already have a copy of Visual Studio 2010 Professional, which is more than enough to start writing NetDuino projects, but I did need to get the latest version of the .NET Micro Framework. As of this writing, that is version 4.2 RTM, available here on Microsoft’s CodePlex site.

I didn’t realize it, but I would need an SDK for the Netduino Plus itself – found that on the Netduino website here. They suggest installing the .NET Micro Framework 4.1, but I had already installed 4.2 so I decided to throw caution to the wind and try it anyway.

• Project->New->Micro Framework->Netduino Plus – give it some name that you will inevitably regret later
• Open program.cs, add some code like:

while(true)
{

}

Ok, I did a whole bunch of stuff that I will document later, but I have a Netduino acting as central controller and an Arduino acting as a remote controller attached to some irrigation valves. I have a web server running on the Netduino and a simple web interface for turning my irrigation valves on and off. That’s my big accomplishment for the day.