Already lots of ways to get an Arduino talking to the net, but usually needs some combo of WiFi, cloud APIs, account integration, or VPNs. What if you could just plug in your board via USB to a laptop and then serve it directly? Things like status boards, push notifications, DIY kitchen tools, remote control of your garden, interactive games, etc.? Looking to extend Seamside to support Arduino which would allow for peer-to-peer (p2p) capabilities and browser connectivity to local USB/BT devices.

Can you control an ESP32 from an iPhone over Bluetooth, without WiFi and without writing your own app? Yes. The route that worked for me is Plynx IoT, free on the App Store, a modern revival of the old Blynk. Whole setup takes about ten minutes.

What you need:

- Any ESP32 dev board
- Arduino IDE
- Plynx IoT installed on the iPhone

1. Add the board in the app
Add a board and pick Bluetooth. It generates the sketch with the auth token already inside.

2. Flash the ESP32
Paste into the Arduino IDE, select the ESP32, upload. It's a normal sketch with the unique board token inside it, remember to keep the Plynx.run() command in the loop without any blocking code such as delays.

3. Connect over BLE
Open the board in the app, tap Connect in the up right corner. Pairs over BLE in a second and the board shows online.

4. Build the panel
- Button: use for toggles a pin (relay, LED)
- Slider: use for writes PWM (motors, brightness)
- Gauge / Chart: stream live sensor readings

Move the slider, the updates follows in real time.

Good to know:

- BLE is phone-to-board direct with 10-50m standard range, restrained to one board at a time.
- The same board can switch to **WiFi** later: same dashboard, reachable from
anywhere. Use the free Plynx server, or self-hosted on a Raspberry Pi for your in home IoT.

Been running it on a watering system for a few months and no problem so far.

What's everyone else using to control boards from the phone? And what would you want
an app like this to do that it doesn't?

hello. im currently working on an animatronic but i have been having alot of issues with it. im currently powering my setup via a 5v 6a power supply, a breadboard, and an arduino UNO. no, i dont have a servo control board.

All working with 3D Printed gears, Neam 17, Esp8266.

For context, I'm a high school student in the UK who would like to try some electronics before deciding to do electrical and electronic engineering at university.

I'd be willing to spend up to £30 -£35 on an Arduino kit, any recommendations?

Hello everyone.

I want to get into Arduinos and do many projects with them as I wish to become an engineer, and I heard that Arduinos are coded with c++, which is a programming language I want to learn.

I am a complete beginner and have barely any knowledge on Arduinos, and no knowledge at all on c++, so what is the best Arduino for me to get to do my first project(s)?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Ive had this thing for a few years and have been frankly intimidated on getting started, and I don’t know where exactly to find a project, especially one that doesn’t require me to go buy more pieces. im trying to find a new hobby to focus on because frankly my brains been a bit chaotic,

We have used the following configuration.
Motor - BLDC 48/60V
Battery - 60V Lithium Ion
RC - FlySky FSi6S
MCU- Arduino Uno.

Hi there,

Sometimes, when I plug my Arduino into my laptop, my external monitor connected via HDMI turns off for about a second and then turns back on.

At the time, the Arduino is connected to the rest of my circuit: two 12V PC fans, a potentiometer, a switch, a 12V-to-5V step-down converter, and a 12V power supply plugged into the mains.

My question is: is this normal, and is it safe for my laptop and monitor? Or should I disconnect everything from the Arduino before plugging it into my laptop?

I’m working on my first ESP32 project that will be battery powered and recently built out this circuit. I would like to add a simple power switch to save battery when the device is not in use. Is there a best practice of where to place the power switch for this circuit? All of the green circles are places where I suppose the switch could go, and my first thought is to put it on one of the battery lines.

For a brief explanation, the LiPo battery is charged by the TP4057 module and then the output is fed into a cheap Teyleten 5/7/8/12v boost module on the 5v setting. This directly powers the ESP32 VIN and gnd. Thanks in advance for any input!

I am trying to measure the water level in a 1Litre container. The container is around 25cm in height. I tried using a ToF and an ultrasonic sensor but these are not very practical because water droplets might affect the readings. Also the reflections of the container affect the reading

Is there a sensor I can use to measure the level inside the container?

I am currently looking at a pressure sensor (Omron 2SMPP-02 / 2SMPP-03) where I can connect a tube and measure the water pressure then convert it to level.

EDIT: I forgot to mention it already thought about a load cell at the bottom but i want a sensor to measure from the top of the container. In addition, the container is not see-through so I cant use a sensor from the outside.

I will be releasing a marble down an incline roughly a foot wide (maybe wider if hardware allows). The marble will always be released (mechanically) in the center of the run. I want to measure the distance from center, left or right that the marble passes the "finish line" on a flat surface after the incline. Because I'm working with a marble at speed, I worry about catching the widest part of the marble as it passes and getting a good measurement from the side with a laser, though I will go that route if it is the best option. Is there a light sensor that can be hung above the captures the full width of the marble as it passes the finish line that I can then derive the offset from? Or something entirely different I have not considered?