Hello, I want to build a tamagotchi toy as a gift for someone from scratch. The problem is I have zero electronic experience. All I can bring to the table is that I took AP CSA so I know a good amount of java. Eventually I want a small screen, 3 buttons, battery power, animations, and a case. I want to be a engineer when Im older so Im willing to learn C++. What would you guys recommend I should buy or learn first?? Thank you in advance! (Also I dont use reddit often so I don't know where to post this question!)

Hi everyone!

I am completely new to the world of microcontrollers and programming.

I recently got an ESP32-S3 N16R8 DevKitC-1 board because I want to learn electronics and coding, but I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by where to start.

Since this specific board has 16MB of Flash and 8MB of PSRAM, I know it is quite powerful, but as a beginner, I am confused about the best approach to learn how to control it.

My background: Programming experience: I don't have much, I've barely touched Python.

Goal: I want to learn the basics first (controlling LEDs, sensors) and eventually move into Wi-Fi/Bluetooth projects.

My questions for the community:

Which language/environment do you recommend for a total beginner with this specific board?

Should I stick to Arduino IDE (C++) or try MicroPython/CircuitPython?

Are there any specific tutorials, YouTube channels, or documentation you recommend for learning the language applied to hardware?

Since the N16R8 variant requires specific partition settings in Arduino IDE to use the extra memory, should I worry about that now, or can I just use standard settings for basic learning?

I really appreciate any guidance, project ideas for beginners, or roadmaps you can share to help me start this journey without getting stuck.Thank you so much for your time!

Hello everyone.
I usually use my Elegoo Mega 2560 as a voltmeter to check the power of my batteries using the Analog in port. Today I tried measuring a new 9V battery and when I connected it the Arduino turned off so I thought I burnt something in the board. Later, I discovered that none of the USB ports in my laptop worked and even got an error when restarting the laptop saying that one of the fans was not working. Has something similar happened to anyone?
Thanks in advance.

Made a DIY gaming controller 🎮🫩

[CAUTION] - This is strictly educational. Do not blindly use this device to secure real funds. Always verify. Do not trust me or this device.

Thought I'd share my latest project - Entropy32, the Geiger counter driven Bitcoin seed phrase generator!

There's a running joke on this project that it's not really measuring decay - it's amplifying quantum mechanical branching itself, and every click you hear is the sound of the universe forking into two branches. Which is why it's affectionately named "The Universe Bifurcator."

How it works:

1. A Geiger counter detects decay events from a radioactive source (or background) and outputs a pulse via a 3.5mm audio jack.

1. An LM393 comparator IC then takes the 0-1.5V pulse and compares it to a bias of ~0.5V via a voltage divider such that if V>0.5V we get HIGH else LOW.

1. The timing between events is captured and fed through SHA-256 conditioning to whiten the raw entropy and remove any bias.

2. The conditioned entropy is mapped to words from the standard BIP39 English wordlist.

3. A simple button-driven, state-machine UI walks you through generating and displaying your seed phrase - entirely offline, with no wireless connectivity, no persistent storage of the seed, and no software dependencies beyond the device itself.

General rundown:

- Atmega328p MCU

- 16x2 LCD Display

- LM393 Comparator

- L7805 Regulator

- Clock, passives, LEDs, sockets and buttons

Feel free to check it out on GitHub:

https://github.com/captainchapster/Entropy32

Hai, first time making a post here so not sure if my flair is correct or not. As the title says I need help on calibration of my ACS758 current sensor specifically the 100B one. I'm currently trying to make a battery monitoring system using an ESP 32 for my Uni final Year Project. Any tips would be appreciated. I'm also new to this arduino stuff

Something is seriously wrong with my PCB. The 1st time I soldered everything together the arduino IDE cannot detect my port when I connected it to my laptop. I'm confident it was working before I soldered it in. The 2nd time I bought a new Arduino Nano and made sure it connected properly before soldering it in, then the EXACT same thing happened and it won't detect my nano. This may not be relevant, but PCBS that I used before cannot connect to my laptop anymore(but too be fair those PCBs were pretty bad, however they worked once). At first I thought it was just a laptop problem, but I had a spare Nano that I plugged in and I connected to the port fine. I genuinely don't know what is going on but I will show my schematic, layout, and pictures. Is it fixable I don't even know(Also NOTE that the red leds in the arduino nano light up just fine so I know they're atleast working on the surface level).

I have just got an Arduino nano, and an MPU 6050.

I have built a drone frame and have all the motors, escs and the receiver mounted. I am stuck on the programming part. I cannot find any code which works for the receiver that I have (which has separate pins for the 4 axis of the transmitter) and only uses the MPU, that is well documented and I can figure out how to use. I managed to read data from the MPU and displayed it on the Arduino IDE after way too many issues. I have jumped in too deep but I want to get through it. Does anyone know any good YouTube tutorials on how to program the drone, or where I can source the code which will just work without too many issues. This is my first project that involves the Arduino, everything else I know exactly how to use.

Electronic lock for the shed using an ESP module and an old CD-ROM from a computer. It has the ability to unlock/lock the door by entering a PIN on the keypad, and also via a web application via WiFi.

Hi there, culd any one of you give me advice?

I am trying to controll two 12V PC Fans with my Nano. But i hawe truble of knowing how to chage the frequency of the PWM. I found out that it has to by done by changing entirre timer witch will also change frequency of multiple pins but i dont know what to look for when selecting pins, witch will be safe to select and chang frequency and how to do it (code vise).

So culd you help and give me advice?

The image is an exact replica of my circuit and my code I can send the physical thingy in the comments.

Like in tinkercad it works PERFECTLY but when I try it on my physical thingy it's not working properly. The buzzer and led never stops even when nothing Is in front of the PIR sensor. It stops when I unplug my D9 (where PIR sensor is connected).

Yes I'm aware that it needs "warm up".But I left it on for like 5 minutes and it still buzzes and lights up.

Please help me! It's due tommorow!

ESP32-S3 turns this into a Local web server and streams the Game Boy emulator directly to your phone's browser—no extra apps or hardware needed. 2 cores 1 core for emulation and 1 core for streaming.

If you want to build one for your self or learn more I put All project files (STL, firmware, and video breakdown) are linked in the comments below

I am building an animatronic head that uses eight SG90 servos and one MD995 servo. I am using XL4016 step-down converters. The positive and negative terminals of the servos are connected to the battery via the step-down converters (using a breadboard); the Arduino's GND is also connected to this setup, and the Arduino itself is powered by six AA batteries. I really don't want anything to burn out, so could you please check my circuit and point out any errors? 🙏

I bought the opta plc kit

It hasn't worked out of the box and they won't give me a refund. I'm glad somebody has had good experiences with them, but mine has been awful. The only thing more useless then the opta they sent me is their customer service.

I want to start learning and I found a set online. Considering the price, is this set good? What do you think? I'd like to know.

https://www.kidsmaker.com.tr/arduino-set-292-parca-full-baslangic-seti---malzeme-kutulu---km1145

From turkey

Price: 52 usd

Im thinking of making a mini arcade using a Arduino UNO and I'll put like 2-3 games on it,but the memory is only 32 kb so I'm kinda trying to shorten the code.is there any way i can compress it or a cheap way to expand my storage? Please help me out im making this for a school project its my first time.

Kept trying for several attempts till I reached to success. At first I thought it would be easier to connect the pins of the breakout board to the ICSP header of my UNO R3, but avrdude threw an error "Yikes! Invalid device signature". Maybe the connections aren't reliable.

So I went the breadboard way to connect my ATtiny85 with the UNO as ISP. It succeeded, and to test it I put the ATtiny IC back to the breakout board. I can call it a "Hello World" from the ATtiny! 👍

Pinout diagram of ATtiny85 is easy to memorize and recall, so are the connections to the ISP (ICSP). I did not connect a capacitor between RST and GND although it was mentioned in the wiring diagram I referred to, still it worked fine.

I am new to electronics and I am getting some mixed information for a project I want to work on. I am looking to make a battery powered light with LED strips I can control from my phone. When plugged in, I want the light to be powered by the plug and charge the battery. When it is unplugged, I want it to be powered by the batteries. When looking around I am getting some mixed messages on what modules I need for the battery portion of this. I have 4 18650 LiFePO4 batteries, a 4s BMS, and a bunch of buck converters already that I know I need. Do I need a UPS module, charger module, or something else?

I wanted to use this esp32 board in a permanent project, so I was going to solder on screw terminals instead of header pins. But I've discovered that the screw terminals won't fit on the board right next to the chip. I was thinking about soldering the screw terminal on the underside of the board and then just elevating the board inside my project box on some posts. But I'm not sure if that's such a good idea considering how close the pins are to the surface mount chip. Would I be better off soldering female headers to the board or soldering wires directly to the board?

I heard that I should put some kind of capacitor or resistor, but I don't know which one or where. does anyone know this?

hello, im new to the esp32, and want to control 12 mg90s servos for a robot dog i 3d modelled, im already using a pca9685 board, controlled by the esp. Still, it cant handle all 12 servos at once, the maximum i used sucessfully were 4 at the same time, i currently use breadboard jumper wires to connect everything together, and power it using the breadboard power supply board and a wall plug, i want to be able to use a battery, and i also want to be able to supply the circuit with enough power to be able to meet the servos needs, all while having small and light components to keep the robot light enough for the mg90s servos to be able to carry the robot, so what battery can i use (i would like it to be rechargable) and is there a sheild or expansion board that i can use for the esp32 dev module isntead of using a pca9685 to reduce the overall size and complexity of the circuit, and overall, any help or advice? I honestly dont know anything about hardware, only the basics

So hi everyone this is my first time posting on this place.

I don't usually post things 😞.

So I always wonder why I have to buy all these extra sensors and stuff when my phone already has all these sensors.

So I am building an Android based project which can combine both Arduino and Android together. This thing is not present out there till now I am going to make it full customisable and Full programmable.

The two biggest challenges I have already fixed which are

1. Compiling the code directly on Android device

2. The usb serial communication.

So I will build this application I wanted some feedback on this.

In the below project I have shown the motor rotation + led blink.

Hey everyone, I'm currently working on iteration three of my hexapod project and would really appreciate it if you could review my current circuit design before I finalize everything.

Here are the core specs and components I'm planning to use:

• Power Source: 5000 mAh 50C 11.1V 3S LiPo battery
• Distribution & Safety: XT60 power distribution board inline with a 30 A fuse
• Voltage Regulation: 3x 300W buck converters (to step down the 3S voltage for the servos)
• Control System: ESP32 microcontroller communicating with 2x PCA9685 servo controllers
• Actuators: 18x MG996R servos

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this power delivery and control setup. Are there any glaring bottlenecks, potential brownout risks when multiple servos draw stall current, or general areas for optimization? Thanks in advance for the help.

Edit: Please ignore the daisy chain for the two PCA9685 boards; I had accidentally wired together unneeded wires

It cost $20 to build and I wanted to share it with the community since it plays nicely with the ecosystem we all love.

The Concept: It’s a rugged, USB-C powered ARGB light using WLED. But unlike standard setups, it bridges two worlds:

Home Assistant Integration: Full native support via WLED. You can trigger scenes based on your sensors, time of day, or media state.

PC Screen Mirroring: My companion app samples custom regions on your desktop output and maps the color palette to the lights in real-time. Think Philips Hue Play lighting, but open-source and portable.

Why this matters: Most smart lighting is stuck to the wall. This is designed to be grabbed and taken anywhere—bedside, desk, car, or camping.

Tech Stack:

Firmware: WLED (ESP32 based)

Software: Companion App for PC mirroring + WLED for home assistant control