r/arduino • • 10d ago

Monthly Digest Monthly digest for 2026-09

18 Upvotes

Arduino Staff Contributors

We have been working behind the scenes with Arduino Pty Ltd and are pleased to announce that some Arduino staff will be contributing to our subreddit using an "official" account.

To support this initiative, we have created a special "Arduino staff" flair - an example of which is included in this post. This is a "mod only" flair which means that it can only be assigned by the moderators of the subreddit (so no impersonators) and we have established a process to verify the reddit user ID of the prospective Arduino staff member contributors.

Sample of a post with the Arduino Staff user flair

Note 1: The flair only applies to r/Arduino at this time. If you see it anywhere else, it could be a fake.

Note 2: The staff will likely use their real name - e.g. "LeonardoFromArduino" or "FredFromArduino". Hopefully we won't have two Fred's or two Leonardo's.

We are quite excited about this as it is a way to interact directly with key Arduino figures in a more personal way.

Look out for our new "Arduino staff" flair owners and welcome them aboard if and when you spot them.

Following is a message from the Arduino team:

Hi r/Arduino, from the Arduino team. We've been reading this subreddit for a long time, chiming in here and there, and after some conversations with the mods, we've decided it'd be great to participate more directly with you.

A team of us have set up official accounts, so you'll see us around giving guidance, answering questions, sharing tips, posting product updates, and handing out well-deserved high-fives for the cool stuff you build. We're engineers and makers too, and helping this community is one of our favorite parts of the job.

If you spot us in a thread, come say hi!

Arduino Wiki and Other Resources

Don't forget to check out our wiki for up to date guides, FAQ, milestones, glossary and more.

You can find our wiki at the top of the r/Arduino posts feed and in our "tools/reference" sidebar panel. The sidebar also has a selection of links to additional useful information and tools.

Moderator's Choices

Title Author Score Comments
Self Balancing Double Pendulum u/Classic-Buddy-7404 276 12
Interesting Arduino Behavior - Variable... u/DocCarr 4 8

Top Posts

Title Author Score Comments
My Nixie inspired LCD clock u/AudienceHorror 2,043 98
I built an Arduino-controlled mechanica... u/SamuelDePamuel 1,724 47
My first project - a year later! u/OkCake4634 1,317 54
Tired of waiting for Microduck? Build y... u/BencyLiu 1,248 76
I built a small digital aquarium using ... u/CommunityFan89 1,163 38
GTA 6 hype is everywhere… so I made GTA... u/Sad_Environment_3800 1,072 54
Ants! How to prevent u/AffectionateShare446 1,060 293
I want help building this project. u/No_Alarm123 883 42
I built an Arduino-controlled robot tha... u/MegCell 713 84
My first project u/Darrt2008 655 55

Look what I made posts

Title Author Score Comments
My Nixie inspired LCD clock u/AudienceHorror 2,043 98
I built an Arduino-controlled mechanica... u/SamuelDePamuel 1,724 47
My first project - a year later! u/OkCake4634 1,317 54
I built a small digital aquarium using ... u/CommunityFan89 1,163 38
Live Cloud Globe V2 (Now with added ISS... u/okuboheavyindustries 510 10
DVD NFC Scanning Media thing i made u/JackIrishJack 490 55
Maybe someone will find my 'Cut-to-Leng... u/KubiG_Marcin 452 29
A complete work done by one person, cov... u/Alarming-Sentence-39 431 47
I recently learned how to solder and no... u/lemoncustardfish 265 9
I built a working Valorant-inspired Spi... u/Southern_Cry_8625 243 17
My first Arduino project u/One_Park8163 219 21
My First real Project! u/ruxmealux 178 11
Autonomous Party-Mode Droid with Uno u/heychaostheory 161 11
Onewheel + WS2812 + ESP8266 u/MrNiceThings 154 6
Jetpack prop for my uni project. u/CameronSquida 134 2
I used an UNO Q to Make a "Typewriter" ... u/TheSerialHobbyist 124 8
Nine units left the lab this week, on t... u/ComfortableLab1235 119 19
1000km apart -> Closer than ever u/marferibadeo 112 4
I made a D&D dice roller using ESP32 u/killl_em_alll 97 5
Digital Thermostat project u/myopinionisrubbish 82 5
Mini MMX Mission Clock u/okuboheavyindustries 79 15
UPDATE: My Nixie inspired LCD clock can... u/AudienceHorror 72 1
I made a working clock/timer with one 7... u/i_hav3_adhd 68 5
Portable mmWave Radar u/GreasyGato 66 23
Made this thingy and just turned it int... u/TranslatorDecent7046 65 6
small weather house u/Millener89 64 1
I designed a shake-to-roll electronic d... u/Ok-Event2833 64 7
sanoTTS: tiniest complete neural text-t... u/Affectionate_Hat_585 62 20
Linking a jq werks steering wheel to a ... u/EntertainmentSalt825 58 2
This is actually really fun! u/lemoncustardfish 56 4
I made open source streamdeck u/Character_Stand_2847 48 11
DIY Sim-to-Real Self-Balancing Double P... u/Classic-Buddy-7404 44 4
Arduino Morse code machine u/GrammaticalllErrors 42 3
Syntesizer u/GrammaticalllErrors 41 4
Couple project u/AnuragRobotics 39 11
I made an AI mushroom to help me journal u/Fair_Ad_27 36 4
My Air Cooler's control board decided t... u/deadDudeLivingDirty 36 2
My newest free-to-build handwired keybo... u/Joe_Scotto 26 2
behold, illumination. u/eni4c 25 2
Used an arduino sketch on my xiao samd2... u/CommunityFan89 21 6
I built a pocket note-finder for my cla... u/ButterscotchKey3909 14 1
CD77 FastLED Four Glass Jars u/chemdoc77 10 3
This invention will save Nebraska's eco... u/Striking-Long-9406 7 6
Tried out PyMCU (compiles Python to bar... u/OneDot6374 7 0
How Super Nintendo World actually works: u/throwaway10402019 7 1
Arduino Math Lab (Online Graphing Calcu... u/MythicalNinja7 4 3
Automatic door-opening system (for a gr... u/MonsterovichIsBack 3 4
I built an ESP32-C3 board that prints m... u/albanpetit 3 0
My first ever Arduino project. u/suguslnwza 3 0
I’ve been building Reznex, and I finall... u/nexo420x 2 0
A first look at my Wi-Fi-controlled ESP... u/zeller-wooo 2 0
Smart Elder Assistance System-A school ... u/Outrageous-Debate705 2 3
I created a simple Dino Game🦖 u/SailDifficult6586 2 2
I made a keyboard (kind of) u/GrammaticalllErrors 1 7
I made a crypto miner for the r3! u/Previous_Inside_8327 0 1
Pocket AI u/luminov1 0 0

Total: 56 posts

Summary of Post types:

Flair Count
Beginner's Project 20
ChatGPT 1
ESP32 3
Electronics 1
Games 3
Getting Started 18
Hardware Help 69
Libraries 1
Look what I found! 2
Look what I made! 56
Mac 1
Machine Learning 1
Mod's Choice! 2
Monthly Digest 1
Nano 3
Potentially Dangerous Project 1
Project Idea 2
Project Update! 7
School Project 5
Software Help 22
Solved! 10
Uno R4 Wifi 1
Windows 2
linux 1
no flair 144

Total: 377 posts in 2026-09


r/arduino • • Sep 04 '26

Monthly Digest Monthly digest for 2026-08

5 Upvotes

Arduino Wiki and Other Resources

Don't forget to check out our wiki for up to date guides, FAQ, milestones, glossary and more.

You can find our wiki at the top of the r/Arduino posts feed and in our "tools/reference" sidebar panel. The sidebar also has a selection of links to additional useful information and tools.

Moderator's Choices

Title Author Score Comments
A little Teensy4.1 project I've been wo... u/camander321 5,118 198
I used a TWS earbud as a Bluetooth fron... u/Ishant1519 45 12
I made a library that lets you configur... u/JimHeaney 17 6
Turned my Arduino UNO Q into a dual-net... u/FriendlyMountain495 2 2

Hot Tips

Title Author Score Comments
I can't believe how well a cheap heart ... u/RoberBotz 136 17

Top Posts

Title Author Score Comments
A little Teensy4.1 project I've been wo... u/camander321 5,118 198
A robot claw to spin a globe on my desk u/OmarBuilds 4,958 191
These marbles jump from one screen to t... u/Hopeful_Ad_2797 2,153 27
My guitar-playing robot performing on a... u/MegCell 1,838 138
Why is my board smoking u/Quirky_Adeptness7105 1,718 363
I built a 3D printed, walking Arduino H... u/tennis-637 1,395 57
LCD problem fixed u/Odd-Ad-1545 714 12
Project update: My ESP32-controlled gui... u/MegCell 690 60
I built my own OBD2 Scanner u/Fleag7 662 54
Remote-controlled submarine problem u/etgetet 647 167

Look what I made posts

Title Author Score Comments
A robot claw to spin a globe on my desk u/OmarBuilds 4,958 191
These marbles jump from one screen to t... u/Hopeful_Ad_2797 2,153 27
I built a 3D printed, walking Arduino H... u/tennis-637 1,395 57
I built my own OBD2 Scanner u/Fleag7 662 54
Stepper Motor music u/spiderick69 528 39
Tilt Game u/tasty__cakes 433 23
Desktop Fingerprint Unlock u/arduinoRPi4 289 13
The Dot-Bot @ the Maker Fair 2026 in Ha... u/Oli_Vier_0x3b29 249 33
All the art I've made using an ESP32 (l... u/noname99 228 8
First Prototype of the motorised film n... u/Joaffry 188 21
I finished my robot finally :) u/Lucid_Dreamer_98 175 13
I built an Arduino machine that bribes ... u/Jaberlioz 169 9
Smart Greenhouse System Based on Espres... u/EmbarrassedOne2329 163 19
Rat nest 2 electric boogaloo u/wah12345678910 148 15
I made an automated cigarette bot u/lensally 138 15
Building a small desktop robot u/An-unknown-person3 127 21
Ultra-real simulation of an ultra-rough... u/FearlessPrice7187 125 26
We built a custom controller for our in... u/Killyose 123 6
Some of my favorite projects! u/Fer_19 100 28
Built a "Fire & Gas Dual Guard" for... u/STEM_Lab 96 11
Aircraft Navigator Built with High‑Perf... u/Alarming-Sentence-39 85 3
Goodbye ClawGuy u/Accurate-Donkey5789 82 27
Android + Arudino u/Special-Syrup-9405 77 2
Motorized Model Plane Stand u/Mingx2 76 9
Arduino Uno Q SPI LCD succeded u/_jhx 68 9
I built a pocket-sized 'headless' Game ... u/ArtificialAGE 67 6
4DOF Robotic Arm Project u/Worth_Mix4970 66 6
I build a rover for the first time usin... u/Past-Conversation755 64 9
Sony Mavica FD75 Battery Emulator u/diezel_dave 57 2
Police car-like LED lights u/AmericanTiger900327 55 9
4.3-inch Aircraft Attitude Navigation I... u/Alarming-Sentence-39 51 8
I reverse-engineered Daikin's P1/P2 pro... u/Witty_Initial4890 51 4
Hands Free Mouse for people with disabi... u/SquareR0OT 50 3
ESP32 WiFi Virtual HID u/jamecat 47 23
Entropy32 - The Universe Bifurcator u/Captain_Chapster 43 18
Diy Watch built with Arduino microcontr... u/liseslgt 35 0
I made a simple teto smart watch for fun u/Red_Z1 32 1
Mini dissolver mixer u/Olaf686 31 3
ESP32 PC Monitoring Dashboard u/StockWave9800 30 0
My Self Balancing Robot u/No_Mountain_4769 29 0
turn on printer from upstairs u/hapsize 28 14
Made my first successful Arduino projec... u/AmericanTiger900327 26 9
Built a CO₂-triggered auto-window syste... u/STEM_Lab 25 2
I made a simple program that makes a Ar... u/ipodpug 25 0
TGPad-NS — WiFi Touch Gamepad for Ninte... u/touchgadget 20 6
MicroBox now features a weather forecast u/Szym0nKu 19 0
I finally figured out how to drive the ... u/joseluismonteiro 18 1
I built a compiler that lets you write ... u/begeistert_ 12 3
I built an animatronic Den Den Mushi us... u/TrasnoStudios 11 2
Tiny backgammon u/Austin-Ryder417 11 0
I built an Arduino-style runtime for th... u/Ishant1519 10 1
Cheeky weekend project: Ambient Light D... u/hjw5774 9 3
Sweeping Radar using ESP8266 u/wamiq_ur 9 6
Build a Python Tkinter GUI Serial Commu... u/xanthium_in 8 0
Pomodoro timer with MAX7219 led display... u/NeoOdys 8 0
Shrikeclock u/OneDot6374 7 3
My first project. u/Valuable-Efficiency1 7 1
touchWASD-BT — Touch Screen WASD Blueto... u/touchgadget 6 0
Arduino Energy/Smart Meter. u/threephase03 6 2
Smart Meyou u/ReadingandLiving 6 4
P.A.R. (Pixel Art Robot) — My Robot Nee... u/shallow-neural-net 5 0
Medication reminder u/jasonwinfieldnz 4 10
GitHub - Jchountas/ESP32-web-shell: Thi... u/I_save_in_jpeg 4 0
A smart eInk Table Reservation Sign u/deleted 3 2
TGPad-XB — WiFi Touch Xbox Style Gamepad u/touchgadget 3 1
Open-Source Pixel Artnet Node now suppo... u/anonOmattie 3 0
Upgraded my DIY Pen Plotter with a 28BY... u/ikilim 3 4
I made a web editor for my Arduino proj... u/plynx_mod 3 4
Im building a Arduino Electricity Meter... u/threephase03 3 0
PCM-MCU-C Version 3.0 (SF2 support)! - ... u/Mejolov28 2 0
Ui redsign plus 2 more features u/Virtual-Diet-8777 0 2
Home made Arduino IDE u/Fair_Independence864 0 6
Built a self-hosted tool so my team cou... u/Top_Income3727 0 9
ARDUINO GSM PHONE u/luminov1 0 4
Xbox 360 controller adapter u/GurIllustrious1890 0 0
DIY Aura Light that Mogs u/ArtificialAGE 0 2
Three phase energy meter with PQ functi... u/threephase03 0 2

Total: 77 posts

Summary of Post types:

Flair Count
ATtiny85 4
Automated-Gardening 2
Beginner's Project 22
ChatGPT 2
ESP32 2
Electronics 1
Games 2
Getting Started 17
Hardware Help 90
Hot Tip! 1
Libraries 4
Look what I found! 3
Look what I made! 77
Mod's Choice! 4
Monthly Digest 1
Project Idea 7
Project Update! 7
School Project 2
Software Help 25
Solved! 4
Uno Q 1
linux 2
no flair 149

Total: 429 posts in 2026-08


r/arduino • • 9h ago

Getting Started I was searching for some gadgets and fount this arduino from quite a long time , has this gone bad? If yes what's the issue and is it fixable, i don't have much knowledge sorry

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105 Upvotes

r/arduino • • 3h ago

Got the Arduino UNO Carrier Board

Post image
27 Upvotes

Got the Arduino UNO Breakout Carrier for my UNO Q. Anyone else got it? How do you program the MPU pins? https://docs.arduino.cc/resources/datasheets/ASX00085-datasheet.pdf


r/arduino • • 11h ago

All I needed was an enclosure for my ESP32 project. Somehow that turned into an open source app

Post image
88 Upvotes

This started with a pretty simple project: a sensor station with an ESP32, a display and GX12 connectors for the sensors. The electronics part was fun. The enclosure part was not. I really didn't feel like spending my evenings in CAD.

So I just asked Claude to make it. And honestly, it worked better than I expected. It wrote the enclosure as CadQuery code with cutouts for the display and the connectors.

The annoying part was everything around it. I had no simple way to look at the model, so every time I wanted a change I took a screenshot, scribbled on it, pasted it back into the chat, and waited for the next version. Over and over.

At some point I thought: this has real potential, but it has to be easier. So I started building a small viewer for myself. That small viewer turned into SOMA.

How it works now: you run your AI agent (Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI etc.) in the built-in terminal, it writes the model, and the app shows it in 3D right away. If something's off, you click on the part, measure it, or scribble directly on the 3D view and send that to the agent. No more screenshot ping-pong. You can also load an existing 3D model as reference, for example of your board, and let the agent build the enclosure around it. When it looks right, export as STL and print.

It got way bigger than planned along the way. There are now sliders for dimensions, overhang checks, version history and even FEM. As a stress test I designed a complete CNC mill with it, 118 parts.

It's free and open source (GPL), with builds for Windows, Mac and Linux. I've only really tested on Windows so far, so if you try it on Mac or Linux, let me know if it even starts.

GitHub: https://github.com/Kai-Jungsthoefel/SOMA

btw: my first opensource project :)

I hope this helps someone, that hates cad as much as i do.


r/arduino • • 2h ago

Hardware Help Is this TFT display broken?

Post image
3 Upvotes

I've tested this with an esp32, no touch wired. This is the link of the screen.https://amzn.eu/d/0eC8Pxu6

I'm using an esp32. Already tried rewiring


r/arduino • • 34m ago

ESP32 + Dual motor/servo driver ideas

• Upvotes

Has anyone come up with a nice compact ESP32 Bluetooth controller with two motor/servo channels. I’m looking for something like the Romeo Mini ESP32-C3 Robot Control Board
but I don’t like the price of that solution.

So, I’m looking for similar ideas but I’m guessing I will end up knocking something up on strip-board using transistors or some driver chip. I’m not sure how much space I have at the moment, I really should have measured it up before hand.

It’s for a BT controlled car, I picked up one of those cheap CMJ RC cars from a charity shop but it has no controller. I know I can buy one for like £5-10 but whats the fun in that. It also has the wheel alignment knob missing so I have to fix that too. I will be using my iphone to control it unless I can find a cheap original replacement controller for it(but there’s no fun in that either).


r/arduino • • 14h ago

Machine Learning Built a brand new gesture-controlled robotic hand from scratch—this time with 6 servos for full hand articulation .

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24 Upvotes

Hey everyone! Previously, I built a 5-servo robotic hand controlled via computer vision. Instead of modifying the old setup, I decided to build a completely new robotic hand from the ground up.

This new version steps up to 6 servo motors to get much more complete, fluid hand movement.

How it works:

  • Real-time Tracking: Using Python, OpenCV, and MediaPipe on the laptop to track hand landmarks live.
  • The Hardware: Wired up 6 servos acting as tendons to control the fingers and the extra axis of movement.
  • The Test: Putting the new frame and wiring through its paces to check gesture mirroring and response time.

Still working on refining the code and handling power distribution for all 6 motors. Would love to hear your thoughts or any tips you have for multi-servo setups!


r/arduino • • 21h ago

Look what I made! fun project i did

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77 Upvotes

I jst got my arduino package today and i started playing with it, i really liked it and this was one of the things i did


r/arduino • • 10h ago

Look what I made! arduino arm using foam sheets and sg90s :3

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10 Upvotes

made an arduino arm(4 DOF) using sg90s and controlling with a joystick


r/arduino • • 3h ago

ESP32 Controlling an 8 Neopixel strip via dabble BT GamePad

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2 Upvotes

I wanted to try out BT comms on an ESP32 board and at long last I have it working to shift an active LED left and right on the strip using the Dabble app(gamepad) running on my iPhone.


r/arduino • • 17h ago

Look what I made! Warhammer 40K Ork Pump Jack - Arduino Based

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24 Upvotes

Hey Folks, I don't share every post here but this month's video shows off some hardcore Arduino stuff that I thought may be valued here.

Thanks for everything this sub has taught me!
<salutes>


r/arduino • • 1d ago

Nano Just got my 2 nanos!

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273 Upvotes

r/arduino • • 4h ago

Look what I made! I created a website to calibrate magnetometer sensor ,

Thumbnail darkwizzl.github.io
2 Upvotes

I have created a website for hard-iron and soft-iron calibration . All you need to do is collect the raw values from the magnetometer and save it to a csv file , upload to the site. It will process and give the code to fix the errors and give proper values


r/arduino • • 2h ago

Edge Control, Thoughts?

2 Upvotes

Is anyone using these in the wild? I’d love to hear thoughts, I’m looking at potentially adding one to see how it works on my farm. Luckily I’m small, so I can add the WiFi card and be good. Looking for any real world scenarios where these would work.


r/arduino • • 1d ago

Look what I made! I built a hand exoskeleton on a Teensy 4.1: 12 magnetic encoders, 2 IMUs, a Dynamixel bus, no PC

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143 Upvotes

12 AS5600 encoders sit behind two TCA9548A I²C muxes, and two BNO085 IMUs track the hand and forearm. The Dynamixel bus is half-duplex through a 74HC241, so the Teensy talks to the servos itself, with no U2D2 and no PC in the loop. On the bench the servo loop runs at about 1 kHz, and everything logs at 100 Hz to the SD card.

Firmware, wiring diagram and both KiCad boards are open: github.com/molanocortes/takto-one. The Dynamixel driver has its own repo: github.com/molanocortes/dynamixel-on-device

I built it alone for my master’s thesis, so if it’s useful, a star helps other people find it.


r/arduino • • 11h ago

Getting Started C# integration

5 Upvotes

Hello I just bought a starter Arduino kit and was wondering if I am able to control it using c# since I'm currently studying c# at school just started the basics would I be able to code on the elegoo mega with c# since I dont want to learn another language while I'm already struggling with one thanks


r/arduino • • 7h ago

Look what I made! Two ESP32 Muse gadgets, zero idea what job to give them

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2 Upvotes

I’ve ended up with two ESP32 Muse gadget prototypes: a little one that fits in my hand, and a bigger one that looks very pleased with itself.

The bigger one blinks, has a few animated poses, and gets happy when I tap the screen. Getting a happy reaction out of it is apparently enough to distract me from building anything useful 😂

So now I have the character animation working, a touchscreen, and a fairly blank plan for what comes next.

I’ve thought about a focus buddy or something that reacts to room sensors. But I’m curious about ideas that actually benefit from being a physical object you can touch and leave somewhere.

What would you build around this? A small, slightly weird project involving a sensor, a button, or something on your desk would be especially welcome.

I’d like to pick one useful job for it and try building that next.


r/arduino • • 8h ago

🔥 FIREGUARD MINI – I Built a Compact Smart Fire Detection and Suppression System Using Arduino

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2 Upvotes

r/arduino • • 6h ago

Beginner Help

1 Upvotes

(Solved)

I know this is going to be a dumb fix, but for the life of me I cannot figure out why the LED is not coming on. I tried the LED both ways but still nothing. (220ohm resistor used)

const int slidepin = 2;

const int ledpin = 9;

int swstate = 0;

void setup()

{

pinMode(slidepin, INPUT);

pinMode(ledpin, OUTPUT);

Serial.begin(9600);

}

void loop(){

swstate = digitalRead(slidepin);

if(swstate == 0){

digitalWrite(ledpin, HIGH);

Serial.println("HIGH");

}

else{

digitalWrite(ledpin, LOW);

Serial.println("LOW");

}

delay(100);

}

Toggle switch HIGH

r/arduino • • 1d ago

Nano Nano 33 IoT board, generously sent by the Arduino UX Research Team for participating in their User Experience Community Survey.

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118 Upvotes

Started to explore how it can be utilized in one of my projects. 👍🏻


r/arduino • • 11h ago

I am total newbie but i need some advice on a project

2 Upvotes

I want to create a sort of timed locked safe using arduino/rasberry , python , and a led matrix to create a way to restrict access to hardware (PC/phone) until a specific time. I only know a bit of python but here's what i theorycrafted:

Step 1 : The user blindy scrambles a 4-digit mechanical padlock

Steo 2: A webcam scans the lock and take screenshots

Step 3: a python script use an ai api or an ocr app to recognize the code

Step 4: code text is sent through an usb cable an arduino chip and it is stored with a built in code that makes the code visible once a timer is finished

Step 5: The user puts their hardware inside the safe and locks it with the padlock, then scramble it again

Step 6: the code is revealed through the led matrix and the user can unlock the safe

So what i'm asking is, what kind of hardware should i use for this project?

I heard about Arduino Nano V3 CH340 presoldered or raspberry Pi Pico H

And for the matrix i heard about LED MAX7219 8x32

But i know nothing about hardware and im scared that my project is harder than in thought so that’s why i'm making this post, to know if it is doable, and if yes where to document myself and what to do

Thanks for reading !!


r/arduino • • 20h ago

Hardware Help how do you order parts without it turning into 5 different orders?

9 Upvotes

planning my first real project, esp32 + small screen + a couple servos, and the parts list is done but ordering it is way more annoying than i thought

aliexpress is cheap but 2-3 weeks and apparently some sensors are fakes, amazon is like 3x the price, and the case needs to be printed somewhere bc i dont have a printer. so right now its looking like 3 or 4 separate orders with separate shipping for one small project which feels dumb

how do you guys do it? one shop and live with it, split it up, or just buy kits? im in europe btw, shipping is sometimes more than the actual parts

and what do beginners always forget to order. pretty sure im gonna end up without screws or with the wrong connectors


r/arduino • • 19h ago

Hardware Help arduino uno board not working

6 Upvotes

i just got this board and it came with an arduino starter kit, i plugged it in but its not even detected by windows, no chimes, no device change in device manager and it doesnt show up on arduino ide. the lights do work tho as the green ON light is on and another orange L light is blinking (tht preloaded pin 13 led blinking thing ig). i do think that this is a clone board but it doesnt have tht ch340 where u want to get the drivers first, this have the ATmega 16u2 so drivers should be there with the stock ide but i did try getting them manually and it didnt help. the usb B cable is working cuz i checked it by plugging it into my keyboard and tht detected and even played sound (both ends of the usb is pluged completely in with the click sound) i really hope tht i can fix it easily, plz help


r/arduino • • 22h ago

Title: TIP120 vs. MOSFETs for switching electromagnets with an Arduino Uno + a question about current draw

7 Upvotes

Hey guys!

I'm building a reaction game where you have to catch falling sticks using electromagnets controlled by an Arduino Uno. I've done some basic research on transistors, but I still have a few questions.

  • When should I use a TIP120 transistor versus a MOSFET? What's the actual difference, and why do so many people recommend MOSFETs?
  • How would I need to change my current wiring to use MOSFETs instead?
  • Is there a better solution for switching the electromagnets in general?

I also ran into another issue: If I remove the LEDs from my circuit, Tinkercad warns me that the current drawn from the Arduino pins is too high, even when I significantly increase the resistor values. Why is that? I thought LEDs essentially behaved like resistors, but apparently, that's not quite right..

Tinkercad link: https://www.tinkercad.com/things/9h8pbskkHt8-reacgame-v7?sharecode=mYeKz8fwfGdTTMQ_6mFZ0mBpfoyh3fpuB1tDFTfQg54

How the game works:

The vibration motors in the simulation are placeholders for the electromagnets. They're all switched on initially. When you press the button next to the white status LED, a sound indicator starts, and the Arduino randomly switches off one electromagnet at a time until they're all off. Once the sequence is complete, all electromagnets turn back on, and you can restart the game. The other button lets you select the difficulty level.

I have some basic knowledge of electrical engineering, but I'm primarily a mechanical engineering student looking to learn more about electronics. I'd appreciate any advice or explanations!

TL;DR: I'm building an Arduino-based reaction game with six electromagnets. Should I use TIP120s or MOSFETs, and how would I wire them? Also, why does Tinkercad report excessive current draw from the Arduino pins when I remove the LEDs, even with large resistors?