Getting Started with the Arduino Gemma
This is a retired product.
Like the LilyPad Arduino boards, the Arduino Gemma is designed to be sewn into clothing and other fabric with conductive thread. The Arduino Gemma can be powered either from the USB connection or a 3.7V Li-Ion battery. The board runs at 3.3V; applying more voltage (e.g. 5V) to its pins may damage it.
The Arduino Gemma is programmed using the Arduino Software (IDE), our Integrated Development Environment common to all our boards and running both online and offline. For more information on how to get started with the Arduino Software visit the Getting Started page.
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Use your Arduino Gemma on the Arduino Web IDE
All Arduino and Genuino boards, including this one, work out-of-the-box on the Arduino Web Editor, no need to install anything.
The Arduino Web Editor is hosted online, therefore it will always be up-to-date with the latest features and support for all boards. Follow this simple guide to start coding on the browser and upload your sketches onto your board.
Use your Arduino Gemma on the Arduino Desktop IDE
If you want to program your Arduino Gemma while offline you need to install the Arduino Desktop IDE.
Open your first sketch
Open the LED blink example sketch: File > Examples >01.Basics > Blink.
Select your board type
Select Arduino Gemma from Tools > Board
Upload the program
Select Arduino Gemma from Tools > Programmer. Plug in the Gemma, make sure you see the red LED lit. Press the reset button on the Gemma - verify you see the red LED pulse. This means it is ready to receive data. Click on File > Upload Using Programmer above within 10 seconds. When the upload is finished, the built-in LED will flash every other second.
Learn more on the Desktop IDE
See this tutorial for a generic guide on the Arduino IDE with a few more infos on the Preferences, the Board Manager, and the Library Manager.
Tutorials
Now that you have set up and programmed your Arduino Gemma board, you may find inspiration in our Project Hub tutorial platform.
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Like the LilyPad Arduino boards, the Arduino Gemma is designed to be sewn into clothing and other fabric with conductive thread. The Arduino Gemma can be powered either from the USB connection or a 3.7V Li-Ion battery. The board runs at 3.3V; applying more voltage (e.g. 5V) to its pins may damage it.
Arduino Gemma uses only a single microcontroller (the Atmel ATtiny85) to run your sketches, but it cannot communicate over USB with the computer. This means that you only need a USB cable to program the Arduino Gemma, but you cannot use the Serial Monitor. This is the reason why you don't have to select a Serial port from the Serial port menu.
Serial Debug with Arduino Gemma
The Arduino Gemma doesn't allow you to use the serial monitor on the Arduino IDE, but Software Serial can be used. To see the serial output on a serial monitor you can use the Arduino USB2Serial
Additional Resources
- Arduino Gemma product page: details about the board's hardware and software
The text of the Arduino getting started guide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License. Code samples in the guide are released into the public domain.
