It can talk with the AI model Chat gpt oss 20b (via openrouter)

The eyes mechanism is 1 object, you dont have to attach multiple pieces or even add metal or strings.

Full project build tutorial on Hackster here. Github code here.

The idea behind this project was to use my PyPortal to make an ambient, eye-catching desktop ornament that showcases astronomical images. Its something that can sit on my desk and be fun to glance at throughout the day.

By scrolling across these large images at a slow pace, its gives a sense of how much of the cosmos these images are capturing. It can take days to scroll across a single image.

There is a preprocessing Python script which runs on the user's computer to download one of five mosaics, and parse them into a long strip that can be scrolled across. This formatted image strip is stored on an SD card and slotted into the PyPortal.

The PyPortal runs an Arduino script, which reads the image contents and scrolls it across the screen. Memory limitations are wokred around by reading only the new image columns entering frame, and scrolling is kept smooth by using the display's hardware scrolling feature.

Touch controls allow the user to set the brightness, and change the scroll speed.

I’ve been learning Arduino through tutorials and small projects with my starter kit, so I understand the basics of coding and the Arduino IDE. I also have a little experience with other programming languages, like Python, but I’m still a beginner overall.

Now that I’m trying to build projects with different sensors, displays, and other components, I’m struggling to learn the specific syntax, libraries, and code needed to get them working individually and together.
I’m a visual learner, so I learn best from tutorials where someone walks through the code and explains the concepts behind it. However, it’s hard to find tutorials for the specific components I want to use, and I struggle to get much out of documentation alone.

I’ve tried using AI like ChatGPT and Claude, but I often end up with code examples without really understanding how to write the code myself.

I’m looking for resources or learning methods that actually teach me how to program components, rather than just giving me working code. How do you guys learn to use new components, understand their libraries, and eventually write your own code without relying on tutorials for every project? I’d especially appreciate advice from people who started as beginners and learned through hands-on projects.

I would like uninterrupted power. I was looking at this at Adafruit.com

USB Battery Pack for Raspberry Pi - 10000mAh - 2 x 5V outputs : Adafruit Industries, Unique & fun DIY electronics and kits

The charging circuit will draw 1A from a 5V supply (plug a microUSB connector into the pack and then to a computer or wall adapter). You can charge and power something at the same time but the output switches to the USB input when charging so the output voltage may fluctuate. Its not good as a 'UPS' power supply for an embedded linux board, although microcontrollers like Arduino may not care about the voltage drop as much. Also, there's ~80% efficiency loss on both ends so if you charge it at 1A and draw 1A at the same time, the battery pack will eventually go empty. However, if you're powering something thats 500mA or less, you can keep it topped up no problem. Also, when you start and stop charging the pack, it will flicker the output, this can cause a 'power sensitive' device like the Pi or an iPhone to reset on the power supply.

A battery pack is intended to be a charging device so I can understand that output can fluctuate. Fluctuation does no harm when used as a charger. Adafruit seems to say twice in that paragraph that it is not uninterrupted. "Arduino may not care" but if I'm dreaming, I can hope for something truly uninterrupted.

What do you use for uninterrupted power? I do not want something that gives me uninterrupted 120 VAC output. I just want DC uninterrupted. The Adafruit battery pack has 10,000 mAh. Something in that capacity ballpark I suspect is a reasonable thing for me to be seeking.

Context ... I want to run an Adafruit Feather 32u4 with a Micro USB port.

I have an old LG CRT TV i want to create a custom remote for, simply to turn the TV on/off and switch to AV using a single button.

I purchased a ESP32C3-DEV board, with some cheap IR Modules wired up like this:

ESP32 (GPIO 7) -> IR TRANSMITTER (DAT)

ESP32 (5V) -> IR TRANSMITTER (VCC)

ESP32 (GND) -> IR TRANSMITTER (GND)

In combination with this sketch:

#include <IRremote.hpp>

const int IR_SEND_PIN = 8;

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);
  IrSender.begin(IR_SEND_PIN);

  Serial.println("LG TV IR test starting...");
  delay(2000);

  // LG power toggle
  Serial.println("Sending LG power command...");
  IrSender.sendLG(0x04, 0x08, 0);

  delay(2000);

  // LG TV/AV input selection
  Serial.println("Sending LG TV/AV command...");
  IrSender.sendLG(0x04, 0x0B, 0);

  Serial.println("Test complete.");
}

void loop() {
}

Which didnt work.

I then used a IR receiver to capture the power signal of my sony sound systems remote, to try emulate something i know works:

#include <IRremote.hpp>


const uint8_t IR_SEND_PIN = 7;
unsigned long lastSend = 0;


void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);
  IrSender.begin(IR_SEND_PIN);
  delay(1000);
  Serial.println("Sony IR test started");
}


void loop() {
  if (lastSend == 0 || millis() - lastSend >= 5000) {
    lastSend = millis();


    Serial.println("Sending Sony command: Address 0x30, Command 0x15");
    IrSender.sendSony(0x30, 0x15, 2);
  }
}

But that didnt work either.

I have tested the IR LED in my camera to see if i can see any active signal, but cant see anything!
Compared to my Sony remote which is very visible.

I am now seeking help as i am unsure if i have wired something wrong, a component may be broken or there is something in the sketch i am missing.
Any direction would be appreciated

When you have an idea for solving some problem or doing recreational stuff with the board, how do you go about planning for it?

I'm making a RGB LED that can be controlled with a button interface and a potentiometer. Practically useless, but I wanted to make something with my knowledge of 1/3 of Paul mcWhorter's new arduino series and I'm having fun manifesting thought into reality. My issue is that I went in headbutting it with minimal thought or planning for the project, I know what components I needed and I had thought of a rough idea of how it supposed be.

Hey! I've posted to this sub a few times now regarding some beginner projects I've made, but this is my first time asking for help! I've just finished making a pomoduro timer on my UNO R3 Devboard, but I want to move this to an actual perfboard project. I plan to move it to a NANO (I've got an atmega328p nano at hand). I also have perfboard but I bought the wrong size (too small but I plan on soldering the NANO's headers to two sections of this perfboard to solve this. I'm just looking for suggestions on ways to implement this project onto perfboard.

My main questions are:

Can I just copy my breadboard layout onto the perfboard?

I know they don't link so how could I power each component?

Adding onto above, how do I make a ground rail?

I've seen sources online saying I can solder multiple holes together to make a rail, but some say to also use solid core wire between each of these to link them, will just solder do?

Thanks in advance, and happy monday!

Hey everyone! 👋

A while back, I was working with the super cheap OV7670 camera module for a project. If you've ever used one, you know the frame rates and video quality over basic web streaming can be pretty rough. But while playing around with it, I realized something: the camera module has a manual twist-to-focus lens. 💡

That lightbulb moment turned into my latest build: A complete, standalone DIY Digital Microscope built specifically to help identify micro-SMD component markings and handle tight soldering work!

📷 The Setup & Hardware:

• Camera: OV7670 Camera Module (with manual focus turned all the way down for micro-magnification).
• Display: 2.8" ILI9341 SPI TFT Display (I originally tried my favorite ST7789 display, but it was just too small for comfortable work).
• Lighting: Built-in dual LEDs with adjustable variable brightness right on the frame to illuminate the board without glare.
• Body & Stand: Custom 3D printed body/stand designed in CAD and printed on my trusty original Ender 3.
• Modularity: Unsoldered the long camera header pins and swapped in short flexible wiring. Created custom header jacks so the dev board and display can be easily unplugged/swapped.

⚙️ Why Direct Display Stream vs. Web Stream?

My main goal was an all-in-one, instant-on device. I didn't want to mess around with holding up a smartphone camera, using flash, opening up browser windows, or dealing with network lag. Turning it on streams directly to the ILI9341 screen with virtually zero latency, making tiny SMD soldering much easier.

🎥 Video Build & STL Files:

I recorded a full breakdown of how I built it, the wiring setup, and how well it inspects tiny chip markings.

▶️ Watch the project build video here: https://youtu.be/6OR62TEUn4M

3D Files : https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/gadget/diy-digital-microscope-w-ep32s3-ili9341

I'd love to hear your thoughts or feedback! What tweaks would you add to a build like this? Let me know in the comments! 👇

My daughter (14) made an automatic Panipuri filler, what do you think?

It uses

1. An arduino nano board. It was a simple read the sensor and switch the relay project. It uses an IR distance sensor to read if a panipuri is placed below it, a 5 volt relay module, a submersible pump and a power supply. If a panipuri is placed below the sensor, nano turns the relay on which makes the submersible pump push water to fill the panipuri.
2. This project is a simple code which reads sensor value using gpio pin and writes gpio to switch the relay.
3. I had tough time calibrating the IR sensor to detect the right distance. It kept behaving unpredictably initially. after a lot of trial and error, it worked and we were able to use the machine for like 3 hours in the stall my daughter put up

Here is the detailed video explaining working, hardware and software etc

https://youtu.be/47xYUN5-_l4

This is embarrassing, but I've been building and coding Arduino apps for a long time. But I put everything (methods, I mean) all in the .ino file. I'd like to learn how to build separate .cpp and .h files for different functions, i.e., wifi and MQTT setups.

So if I create a separate mqtt_setup.cpp, do I put its library dependencies (#include's) in that file or in the .ino? And what goes into the .ino to reference the methods in the MQTT file? I imagine there'll be a Matt_setup.h file included as well? Do I declare the forward references (proper term?) to methods within the mqtt_setup.cpp in there?

Sorry if this is basic C/C++ stuff, but I haven't done it this way, ever.

Backstory: I used LCD Wizard to design the UI for a revamped dashboard app. All the associated .cpp files are separate along with their respective header files. I want to keep this arrangement for user-defined .cpp's that I develop. I don't want to bloat the .ino.

Am I making any sense?

Built this for Halloween: a talking witch hands out candy, one piece at a time, down a pipe in her sleeve.

Hardware:

• Arduino Uno R3, powered over USB from a laptop indoors
• NEMA 23 stepper (23HS5628, 2.8 A) + TB6600 driver (400 pulses/rev), 24 V supply
• IR break-beam pair across the candy chute
• HC-SR04 ultrasonic sensor on the witch to see visitors walk up
• The Uno sits indoors in a printed case; the bucket is outside. They're linked by an Ethernet cable through RJ45 screw-terminal adapters (step/dir/enable, beam and sonar on the pairs).

How dispensing works:

The laptop sends a single 'd' over serial. The Uno steps the turntable until a candy breaks the IR beam, then stops and reverses for 1 s so the next candy doesn't wedge in the hole.

The talking part runs on the laptop in Python: speech-to-text, an LLM playing the witch, and text-to-speech. When a kid says "trick or treat" it asks for candy, and plain code (not the AI) enforces one candy per kid, three per group and a 15 s cooldown, then sends the d.

• Build guide and code: https://github.com/religa/halloween-candy-dispenser
• Full build video walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9rjkIQ5XzI

One thing I'd like ideas on: jam detection is just a timeout right now. Has anyone done something smarter with a stepper, like stall detection?

It took me about an hour to finnish (the hand is to show how it spins)

I’m in a confusing spot and would like honest takes from people who’ve been through it.

Arduino got me into electronics. Breadboard, sensors, blink-to-servo pipeline — it worked. The tutorials made sense. For a while I felt like I was learning real skills.

Lately I’m less sure. I open more “serious” maker / embedded threads and keep seeing ESP32 (and other boards) everywhere. Part of me wonders: am I stuck on a beginner track? If I keep building only on Arduino, am I practicing habits that won’t carry into projects people actually ship? Another part of me thinks I’m overthinking it — that Arduino is still a valid way to learn fundamentals, and jumping chips too early just means more debugging and less building.

I’m not trying to dunk on Arduino. It’s what got me here. I’m just unsure what “continue” should look like for someone who isn’t a full-time firmware engineer but also doesn’t want to stay forever in tutorial-land.

If you’ve felt this fog:

1. Did you stay on Arduino longer on purpose — and what made that the right call?
2. Or what was the small signal that told you it was time to try ESP32 (or something else)?

I'm using an old Arduino Uno R3, uploading the example sketch bareminimum

If anyone can help it would be very appreciated, thank you

Here's the sketch (blank):

void setup() {
  // put your setup code here, to run once:


}


void loop() {
  // put your main code here, to run repeatedly:


}

Here's the full error im getting while uploading:

avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding
avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 1 of 10: not in sync: resp=0xdd
avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding
avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 2 of 10: not in sync: resp=0xdd
avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding
avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 3 of 10: not in sync: resp=0xdd
avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding
avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 4 of 10: not in sync: resp=0xdd
avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding
avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 5 of 10: not in sync: resp=0xdd
avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding
avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 6 of 10: not in sync: resp=0xdd
avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding
avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 7 of 10: not in sync: resp=0xdd
avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding
avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 8 of 10: not in sync: resp=0xdd
avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding
avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 9 of 10: not in sync: resp=0xdd
avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding
avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 10 of 10: not in sync: resp=0xdd

avrdude done.  Thank you.

Failed uploading: uploading error: exit status 1

Hello I’m working on my first personal project using the esp32-S3 and the HLK - LD 2450 radar sensor and I was hoping to get some feedback/help on my first ever board I made. Basically the radar will be connected on the male pins in the center specifically the 17-18 pins on the esp and the two side pins are the GND and 5V pins I will also have an LCD screen connected to the 3v3 and 9,10,11,12,14 pins on the esp by soldering each pin to the female plugs and using male-female jumper wires to connect the LCD pins. my biggest issue is figuring out how to connect everything to ground and power. Everything will be run off a battery pack so the idea is to have one row be a 5v row to connect each component’s power pin to and a GND row to connect those. My idea is to have the lowest row be the GND row and the second lowest to be the 5v row to supply power and to just thread the needle with solder bridges for each pin and the LCD’s 5v and GND pins would be connect to the brigs from the female plugs with male-female wires. So I wanted to get some thoughts on this before actually doing it to see if I’m missing anything or if there is a better way. I know I could use a bigger board but I’m trying to keep it as compact as I can but it’s still an option.

Thank you in advance for your help

This is functionally a sequencer, but a dysfunctional midi controller as of now. There is still a lot of room for improvement, and will definitely not be my last rendition.

I used an Arduino R3 Uno, 4 buttons, and joystick, the Arduino IDE program, and ton of github resources.

click here if you want to hear what it sounds like!

Processing img bxty7lwf0rxh1...

How does everyone just know how to use the library's and commands and stuff? Like i understand the concept of library's and includeing stuff and everything like that but like with the servo you do the servo.h and then how am I supposed to know the commands and what order to put them in and why and how? Same thing for wifi and everything else it feels like these things are locked behind bad and drawn out tutorials that have alot of bloat. And theres the examples tab which is great in alot/most ways but still have a bit of bloat or ambiguity.

The closest thing I can think of which is very very close is the arduino docs reference page. Its great its just that the most confusing parts I have are the library's for the different stuff and how to work with them. Using servos seems important, how to use stepper motors, using lcd screens, using wifi and/or Bluetooth for esp32.

Also on a similar note stuff like the references sheet but for electronic components. I mentioned before the servos and stepper motors but stuff like tilt ball switches and both types of buzzers i just think that having resources like that would really help.

I am making a horror sans mask and I need to use programmable leds, I don’t know what I’m doing. I am using the nano r4 as the controller and the SEZO WS2812B ECO LED Strip Light 3.3FT/1M 60LEDs/m Individually Addressable
Programmable 5050SMD RGB LED Alloy Wires Flexible Dream Color IP30 Non-Waterproof PCB Black DC5V for DIY Lighting for the programmable lights what should how would I make it so the lights are a steady red that blinks randomly between yellow and blue

Ever since COVID I’ve been making Arduino based displays for home but also just combined Trunk or Treat with the same display. I just park the vehicle at the end of the driveway on Halloween.

I am getting this error, and i don't understand what to do

I am using an Arduino UNO board which was working fine untill a few days ago then I changed a code and this message popped up and then whatever I try it ain't working

Hey so ive programmed with arduino on more than one baord before for fully autonomous robots but ive never programmed for a controller-based teleop/driver controlled robot. is there a library that is compatible with the named controllers?