Understand
Explain electronics, Arduino hardware, C++ structures, sensors, buses and actuator drivers.
Arduino Uno and ESP32 - Self-study - College practical preparation
Learn Arduino by understanding, building and testing
A complete 50-lesson path from safe first Uno circuits through integrated projects, then ESP32 Wi-Fi, NeoPixel, BLE and power topics.
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What you will be able to do
Build safely
Plan power, wire breadboards, protect outputs and verify circuits before energising.
Code independently
Read inputs, make decisions, schedule tasks, organise functions and diagnose faults.
Prove competence
Complete projects, measurements, code explanations, practical evidence and mock assessments.
Starter kit and safety
Core equipment
Uno, USB data cable, breadboard, jumpers, multimeter, LEDs/resistors, buttons, potentiometer and buzzer.
Modules
Servo, motor driver, stepper driver, LCD, DHT11, RTC, LDR/thermistor, ultrasonic and IR receiver.
ESP32 track (Units G-I)
ESP32 DevKit (ESP32 Dev Module), USB data cable, potentiometer, NeoPixel/WS2812 strip (8+ LEDs), optional 8x8 matrix, external 5 V supply for LED power, and a 3.3 V-safe habit for all wiring.
Safety boundary
Use extra-low-voltage DC only. Never connect mains. Motors, servos and NeoPixel strings require suitable external supplies and common GND. ESP32 I/O is 3.3 V - do not feed 5 V into pins.
Seven-unit learning path
Unit A - Foundations
6 lessons
Safety, Electricity & Breadboards - Microcontrollers & the Arduino Uno - Arduino IDE 2 & First Upload...
Unit B - Inputs & Outputs5 lessons
Digital Outputs, RGB LEDs & Buzzers - Digital Inputs, Pull-Ups & Debouncing - UART Serial & Debugging...
Unit C - Actuators & Displays5 lessons
Transistors, MOSFETs & Relays - Servo Motors - DC Motors & H-Bridges...
Unit D - Sensors & Buses8 lessons
I2C, Address Scanning & I2C LCD - DHT11 / DHT22 Temperature & Humidity - DS1307 RTC & Formatted Text...
Unit E - College Practice6 lessons
Practical Fault-Finding & Multimeter Skills - Capstone 1: Environmental Monitor - Capstone 2: Clock, Alarm & Servo...
Unit F - Assessment & Reference3 lessons
College Practical Assessments - Theory Reference - Build Your Own Library
Unit G - ESP32 Foundations7 lessons
Introducing the ESP32 Family - Why ESP32: Architecture, Memory and When to Leave the Uno - 3.3 V Logic, Power Rails and Level Shifting...
Unit H - ESP32 Wireless5 lessons
WiFi Fundamentals: Station vs Access Point - Local Web Server: Control from a Browser - HTTP Client, JSON and Cloud APIs...
Unit I - ESP32 Advanced5 lessons
Bluetooth Low Energy Essentials - Deep Sleep and Power Management - FreeRTOS Tasks and Dual-Core Basics...
All lessons
Work in order if you are new, or search for a revision topic.
01Unit A - Foundations
Safety, Electricity & Breadboards
Work safely with ELV DC, use Ohms law for LED resistors, and read a breadboard correctly.
2-3 hours02Unit A - FoundationsMicrocontrollers & the Arduino Uno
Meet the computer on the Uno: MCU vs PC, power pins, I/O groups, R3 vs R4, and optional bare-chip essentials.
2-3 hours03Unit A - FoundationsArduino IDE 2 & First Upload
Install Arduino IDE 2, select board and port, Verify, Upload, and blink the onboard LED.
2 hours04Unit A - FoundationsSketch Structure, Variables & Types
Build readable sketches: setup/loop, named pins, suitable types, scope, and clean syntax.
3 hours05Unit A - FoundationsOperators & Decisions
Calculate, compare and branch: arithmetic, = vs ==, Boolean logic, and if/else chains.
3 hours06Unit A - FoundationsLoops, Arrays & Functions
Remove repetition with for/while, store related pins in arrays, and package work in functions.
4 hours07Unit B - Inputs & OutputsDigital Outputs, RGB LEDs & Buzzers
Drive LEDs safely, mix RGB colour, and play tones on a passive buzzer.
3 hours08Unit B - Inputs & OutputsDigital Inputs, Pull-Ups & Debouncing
Read stable button and switch signals.
3 hours09Unit B - Inputs & OutputsUART Serial & Debugging
Watch your sketch over USB Serial, print useful labels, and accept simple commands.
3 hours10Unit B - Inputs & OutputsAnalogue Inputs, ADC & Voltage Dividers
Understand analogue versus digital signals, measure voltage with the Uno ADC, and scale readings into engineering values.
4 hours11Unit B - Inputs & OutputsPWM, millis() & State Machines
Explain PWM duty cycle with waveforms, drive brightness using analogWrite, and keep several tasks alive with millis and a simple state machine.
4 hours12Unit C - Actuators & DisplaysTransistors, MOSFETs & Relays
Switch loads safely without overloading an Arduino pin.
4 hours13Unit C - Actuators & DisplaysServo Motors
Command and safely power a closed-loop position actuator.
3 hours14Unit C - Actuators & DisplaysDC Motors & H-Bridges
Control motor direction, speed and stopping safely.
4 hours15Unit C - Actuators & DisplaysStepper Motors & Drivers
Produce repeatable incremental motion.
4 hours16Unit C - Actuators & Displays16x2 LCD in 4-Bit Mode
Display text and live values on a character LCD.
4 hours17Unit D - Sensors & BusesI2C, Address Scanning & I2C LCD
Share a two-wire bus and simplify display wiring.
4 hours18Unit D - Sensors & BusesDHT11 / DHT22 Temperature & Humidity
Use a library-based digital environmental sensor.
3 hours19Unit D - Sensors & BusesDS1307 RTC & Formatted Text
Keep calendar time through power loss and format it for displays.
4 hours20Unit D - Sensors & BusesThermistors, LDRs & Calibration
Understand how NTC thermistors and LDRs change resistance, wire them as voltage dividers, convert ADC counts to resistance and temperature, and calibrate thresholds with hysteresis.
5 hours21Unit D - Sensors & BusesHC-SR04 Ultrasonic Distance
Trigger a 40 kHz burst, time the echo with pulseIn, convert microseconds to centimetres, and handle timeouts.
4 hours22Unit D - Sensors & BusesInfrared Remote Control
Decode modulated infrared commands and map them to actions.
3 hours23Unit D - Sensors & BusesUART, I2C & SPI Reference
Choose and troubleshoot common embedded communication buses.
3 hours24Unit D - Sensors & Buses4x4 Matrix Keypad
Read a membrane keypad with the Keypad library and print each press on Serial.
2-3 hours25Unit E - College PracticePractical Fault-Finding & Multimeter Skills
Diagnose circuits methodically instead of guessing.
4-5 hours26Unit E - College PracticeCapstone 1: Environmental Monitor
Integrate DHT11, LDR, I2C LCD and a temperature alarm into one monitored system.
6-8 hours27Unit E - College PracticeCapstone 2: Clock, Alarm & Servo
Share I2C between RTC and LCD, then drive a servo and buzzer from alarm states without blocking delays.
6-8 hours28Unit E - College PracticeNon-Blocking Timing with millis()
Run several timed tasks together without delay().
3 hours29Unit E - College PracticeInterrupts on the Uno
Use Uno interrupts and sleep: external, pin-change, timer, USART, ADC, comparator, watchdog, and power-down wake.
3-4 hours30Unit E - College PracticeMFRC522 RFID Access Log (VMA202)
Identify cards with an MFRC522, decide allow or deny, and append timestamped events to the Velleman VMA202 SD card.
6-8 hours31Unit F - Assessment & ReferenceCollege Practical Assessments
Complete three practical tasks and a code-correction exercise with planning, safe build, measured evidence and printable rubrics.
8-12 hours32Unit F - Assessment & ReferenceTheory Reference
World-class language, types, snprintf, I/O and circuit reference for this course. Read matching sections before practical lessons.
Reference - use as needed33Unit F - Assessment & ReferenceBuild Your Own Library
Full SimpleThermistor walkthrough: library folder layout, .h/.cpp class, test sketch and thermistor divider wiring.
2-3 hours34Unit G - ESP32 FoundationsIntroducing the ESP32 Family
Meet the ESP32 family, learn classic DevKit anatomy, install Espressif support, and complete a reliable first blink/Serial upload.
2-3 hours35Unit G - ESP32 FoundationsWhy ESP32: Architecture, Memory and When to Leave the Uno
Build a board passport: read chip model, flash and free heap, then decide when ESP32 earns a place over the Uno.
2-3 hours36Unit G - ESP32 Foundations3.3 V Logic, Power Rails and Level Shifting
Protect ESP32 GPIO and build a safe front-panel acknowledge button with a status LED - never feed 5 V into pins.
2-3 hours37Unit G - ESP32 FoundationsPinout, Strapping Pins, ADC, DAC and Touch
Learn strapping pins and 12-bit ADC, then build a trim setpoint reader that reports LOW/MID/HIGH bands.
3 hours38Unit G - ESP32 FoundationsGPIO, PWM, ADC and UART on ESP32
Map Uno I/O habits onto ESP32 and build a bench lamp dimmer with a clear brightness percent readout.
2-3 hours39Unit G - ESP32 FoundationsAddressable RGB LEDs: NeoPixel / WS2812 Strips
Power a short NeoPixel strip safely, then build a shelf mood strip with calm / work / alert colours.
3 hours40Unit G - ESP32 FoundationsNeoPixel Matrices and XY Mapping
Map an 8x8 matrix with serpentine XY(), then build a desk status tile with free / busy / alert colours.
3-4 hours41Unit H - ESP32 WirelessWiFi Fundamentals: Station vs Access Point
Join the LAN, then build a network health meter that reports RSSI and reconnects if the link drops.
3 hours42Unit H - ESP32 WirelessLocal Web Server: Control from a Browser
Build a room light remote: a phone on the same WiFi toggles a named lamp and sees when it last changed.
3-4 hours43Unit H - ESP32 WirelessHTTP Client, JSON and Cloud APIs
Parse JSON as a client, then build an outdoor condition lamp driven by a live temperature field.
4 hours44Unit H - ESP32 WirelessMQTT Publish and Subscribe
Build a remote thermostat channel: publish temperature and switch a heater-sim LED from an MQTT command topic.
3-4 hours45Unit H - ESP32 WirelessCredentials, Reconnect and SoftAP Provisioning
Build a first-boot WiFi setup path: try STA, then open SoftAP with a form that captures credentials on Serial.
3-4 hours46Unit I - ESP32 AdvancedBluetooth Low Energy Essentials
Build a phone-controlled desk lamp over BLE: advertise, write on/off, then notify the phone of lamp state.
3-4 hours47Unit I - ESP32 AdvancedDeep Sleep and Power Management
Build a battery-style pulse logger: wake on a timer, read a sensor stand-in, print a line, then sleep again.
3 hours48Unit I - ESP32 AdvancedFreeRTOS Tasks and Dual-Core Basics
Build an alive monitor: a snappy status LED in loop while a worker task samples slowly on another core.
3 hours49Unit I - ESP32 AdvancedOver-the-Air Updates
Ship a field-updatable node: first USB flash enables OTA, then change the firmware version banner and blink over Wi-Fi.
3 hours50Unit I - ESP32 AdvancedCapstone: Networked Room Node
Build an assessment-ready room node: STA WiFi, live comfort reading on the web, JSON for programs, and a threshold alert LED.
4-5 hours