This article is a bit different from my usual column in two ways. First, it's starting with a hardware and software combo—something I've not done before. Second, the projects are linked to each other ...

In proper, high-dollar embedded development environments – and quite a few free and open source ones, as well – you get really cool features like debugging, emulation, and profiling. The Arduino IDE ...

[Udo Klein] took on the challenge of counting as fast as possible using an Arduino board. The quest involves a search for short-cuts that will let him drive a 20-bit counter as quickly as possible ...