But what makes this project unique is that the custom GUI that controls the Arduino was written in the language that everyone loves to hate, Visual Basic.

This Arduino BASIC interpreter will make a really fun one-day project if you’ve already got the parts on hand. [Usmar A. Padow] put together an Arduino Uno, SD card, four line character LCD, … ...

Click Sketch > Verify / Compile to make sure the code is properly in there. Save the file and then attach the Arduino to your computer with the USB cable. Click File > Upload.

Of course, knowing the basics of Arduino is only half the battle; if you want to get to the fun stuff you'll have to learn how to code it as well.