What is EEPROM / E2PROM ?

We do need a way to save the numbers which represents the current situation of the robot actuators somewhere(either at PC or somewhere on Arduino microcontroller, EEPROM here). This post dedicates itself to storing data on Arduino non-volatile memory and use this information for zero positioning of the moving joint. First an introduction to EEPROM from Wikipedia and later code example and links to its API's at Arduino website.

What is EEPROM ?
EEPROM (also written E²PROM and pronounced "e-e-prom," "double-e prom" or simply "e-squared") stands for Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory and is a type ofnon-volatile memory used in computers and other electronic devices to store small amounts of data that must be saved when power is removed, e.g., calibration tables or device configuration.

When larger amounts of static data are to be stored (such as in USB flash drives) a specific type of EEPROM such as flash memory is more economical than traditional EEPROM devices. EEPROMs are realized as arrays of floating-gate transistors.

EEPROM is user-modifiable read-only memory (ROM) that can be erased and reprogrammed (written to) repeatedly through the application of higher than normal electrical voltage generated externally or internally in the case of modern EEPROMs. EPROM usually must be removed from the device for erasing and programming, whereas EEPROMs can be programmed and erased in circuit. Originally, EEPROMs were limited to single byte operations which made them slower, but modern EEPROMs allow multi-byte page operations. It also has a limited life - that is, the number of times it could be reprogrammed was limited to tens or hundreds of thousands of times. That limitation has been extended to a million write operations in modern EEPROMs. In an EEPROM that is frequently reprogrammed while the computer is in use, the life of the EEPROM can be an important design consideration. It is for this reason that EEPROMs were used for configuration information, rather than random access memory.*

Practical Information about how to get things to work : 

• http://www.arduino.cc/playground/Main/InterfacingWithHardware#Storage
• http://arduino.cc/en/Reference/EEPROMWrite

Source Code : 

#include EEPROM.h

int a = 0;
int value;

void setup()
{
Serial.begin(9600);
for (int i = 0; i < 20; i++){
    Serial.println("***");
    EEPROM.write(i, i);
  }
}

void loop()
{
  value = EEPROM.read(a);

  Serial.print(a);
  Serial.print("\t");
  Serial.print(value);
  Serial.println("***");
  a++;

  if (a == 20){
    a = 0;
    Serial.println("DONE");
    delay(5000000);
  }
}

* : Source : Wikipedia