In this section, you will be setting up your computer so that you can communicate with the ESP32 and complete the activities.

To be able to interact with and program your arm, you will need a program called an IDE. IDE stands for integrated development environment and is a software application that provides tools for software development, including a code editor, compiler, and debugger, all in one place. It helps programmers write, test, and debug their code more efficiently.

You will be using the Arduino IDE to communicate with your ESP32 to make sure it has the correct code and to monitor it as well.

Installing on Windows

To install the IDE on Windows follow the steps below:

1. Navigate to https://www.arduino.cc/en/software.
2. You are most likely using Windows 10 or newer so click on the text that says "Windows Win 10 and newer, 64 bits".
3. It may ask you to donate or sign up for a newsletter but you can click "Just Download" to begin the download.
4. This will start the download process and depending on what browser you are using you might see a notification in the top right of the window.
5. When the download completes, you can double-click it to start the installation process.
6. It will ask you to agree to the License Agreement so review it and then select "I Agree".
7. Next, it will ask to review installation settings. For most users, the default is fine and you can continue from here by clicking "Install."
8. Once the installation is complete, you can select "Run Arduino IDE" and click "Finish."

Installing on MacOS

To install the IDE on MacOS follow the steps below:

1. Navigate to https://www.arduino.cc/en/software.
2. If you are using an older Mac, released before 2020, you are probably using a Mac with an Intel chip so you will need to click on the text that says "MacOS Intel, 10.15: "Catalina" or newer, 64 bits." If you are using a newer Mac, released after 2020, you are probably using a Mac with an Apple Silicon Chip so you will need to click on the text that says "MacOS Apple Silicon, 11: "Big Sur" or newer, 64 bits."
3. It may ask you to donate or sign up for a newsletter but you can click "Just Download" to begin the download.
4. This will start the download process and depending on what browser you are using you might see a notification in the top right of the window.
5. When the download completes, you can double-click it to start the installation process.
6. Your Mac will prompt you to drag the Arduino IDE icon into the Applications folder so do that now.
7. You can now go to the Applications folder and double-click Arduino IDE to start it.
8. If you are prompted to install Rosetta, go ahead and click to do that.
9. If you are prompted to install the xcrun utility, go ahead and do that as well.

Now you will need to update the board manager list to make sure that your computer can recognize the board we are using. The instructions below should work for either a Windows or MacOS device.

1. Open Arduino IDE if it is not already opened.
2. On a Windows device, click File in the top left and then Preferences. On a MacOS device, click Arduino IDE in the top left and then Settings.
3. This will open your Preferences menu where we will need to add some text to make sure our IDE knows where to look.
4. You will need to copy and paste the following text where it says "Additional board manager URLs" 
   
   https://raw.githubusercontent.com/espressif/arduino-esp32/gh-pages/package_esp32_index.json,
   https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ricardoquesada/esp32-arduino-lib-builder/master/bluepad32_files/package_esp32_bluepad32_index.json
   
   
5. Once completed you can click "Okay" and you may notice some text pop up at the bottom right of your window.

Now that the IDE knows where to look for the boards, you can add them to your IDE using the steps below:

1. On the left side of the Arduino window, click on the Board Manager icon.
2. Once it opens, you will need to search "esp32" and install both "esp32 by Espressif Systems" and "esp32_bluepad32 by Ricardo Quesada."
3. You should see some text pop up in the bottom right telling you the installation is starting.
4. This process can take some time so wait patiently for the installation to complete.

Now you will need to install the libraries needed to make the robot arm work. Libraries are completed collections of code written by another person that helps a user fast-track development. You can install these libraries by following the steps below:

1. On the left side of the Arduino window below the Board Manager, click on the Library Manager icon.
2. Once it opens, you will need to search "esp32servo" and install the library "esp32servo by Kevin Harrington, John K. Bennett."
3. Once that installs, search "bluepad32" and install the library "Bluepad32 for NINA-W10 Boards by Ricardo Quesada."
4. Once the installations are completed, you are ready to move on.