RedBoard Plus Hookup Guide
Contributors:
bboyho, santaimpersonator
bboyho, santaimpersonator 
Installing the Arduino IDE
Download/Install Arduino
You can download the Arduino IDE from their website. They have installation instructions, but we will also go over the installation process as well. Make sure you download the version that matches your operating system.
The installation procedure is fairly straightforward, but it does vary by OS. Here are some tips to help you along. We've also written a separate Installing Arduino tutorial in case you get stuck.
Troubleshooting Tips:
- We recommend using a computer with a full desktop operating system like Windows 7/10 (avoid Windows 8 if you can), Mac OSX, and certain flavors Linux (check the Arduino FAQ page for compatibility).
- If you are not a technical or computer savy individual and you have your choice of computers, I highly recommend using a Windows 7 or 10 computer. You will usually run into the the least issues, if any, with these operating systems.
- We do NOT recommend using a Chromebook, Netbook, tablet, phone, or the Arduino Web IDE in general. You will be responsible for troubleshooting any driver or Arduino Web IDE issues.
- As of writing this tutorial (12-14-2018), the most recent and stable release of the Arduino IDE is version 1.8.5. We recommend using that version of the Arduino IDE; you can download the previous releases here.
- On Windows 10, we do NOT recommend installing the Arduino IDE from the app store. You may run into issues because the OS will automatically update to the most recent release of the Arduino IDE, which may have unknown bugs (like the compiler errors in versions 1.8.6 and 1.8.7).
- Raspberry Pi users with Raspbian installed should use the Linux ARM download. We do not recommend using the command line installation. It will install the oldest release of Arduino, which is useless when it comes to installing new boards definitions or libraries.
- For additional troubleshooting tips, here is a troubleshooting guide from Arduino.
Windows Install Tips
The Windows version of Arduino is offered in two options: an installer or a zip file. The installer is the easier of the two options, just download that, and run the executable file to begin the installation.
Windows install steps. Click the image to get a bigger view.
When you're prompted to install a driver during installation, select "Install". This will install drivers for Arduino specific boards (like the Uno, Nano, etc.) that you may use in the future.
- If you choose to download the zip file version of Arduino, you'll need to extract the files yourself. Don't forget which folder you extract the files into! You will need to run the executable Arduino file in the folder to start the Arduino IDE.
- On Windows 10, there is an option to install Arduino through their app store. we do not recommend installing the Arduino IDE from the app store. You may run into issues because the OS will automatically update to the most recent release of the Arduino IDE, which may have unknown bugs.
Mac Install Tips
The Mac download of Arduino is only offered in a zip file version. After the download is finished, simply double-click the .zip file to unzip it.
Mac OSX Arduino.app
Following that, you'll need to copy the Arduino application into your applications folder to complete the installation.
Linux Install Tips
As Linux users are no doubt aware, there are many flavors of Linux out there, each with unique installation routines. Check out the FAQ section of the Arduino webpage for more details. Otherwise, you can also use the Linux section of our Installing Arduino tutorial for some helpful links for an assortment of Linux distributions.Raspbian Stretch
Raspberry Pi users with Raspbian installed should use the Linux ARM download. Do not use the command line installation process. For more information, please refer to this blog post from Arduino.Ubuntu and Debian
For Ubuntu and Debian users, installing Arduino should only need a simple "apt-get" command like:sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install arduino arduino-core
Other Distributions
Other Linux distros aren't too dissimilar from the Ubuntu and Debian instructions.
With Arduino downloaded and installed, the next step is to plug the board in and test it out! Pretty soon you'll be blinking LEDs, reading buttons, and doing some physical computing!