You have to start somewhere, and I am not sure if there is any greater place to start than using an Arduino. Why? The community, the documentation, and yes, even the abstraction provided. Because of this, I have put together a self-guided Arduino Crash Course providing some detail and explanation on how some of the most common electronic components and parts work.
My goal here is to go beyond what most “intro to Arduino” courses go, and provide more insight than simply a wiring diagram and code. If you (or your kids) wanted to explore the world of microcontrollers, pick up an Arduino, some parts, and work through this course. Before you know it, you may want to grow beyond Arduino and you WILL have the tools to be able to do so! I have 20+ lessons and projects already handwritten, and will continuously post them as I compile them. This crash course is and will always remain 100% free. If you are an absolute beginner, and do not already have a Arduino Uno (or equivalent) board, I highly recommend the kit from Elegoo below to get started.
- Lesson 1 – Ohm’s Law and LEDs
- Lesson 2 – More LEDs, Photocell Resistor, Rocker Switch and 7-segment Display
- Project 1
- Lesson 3 – Measuring Distances and Serial Communication
- Lesson 4 – LCD Character Display and Discussion on Watts
- Project 2
- Lesson 5 – Servo Motors and discussion on the different kinds of Motors with pros/cons
- Several lessons will be posted each week!
Think you need some more guidance? Check out and sign up for the live webinars. No commitment at this time.
One thing I want to stress that makes this course different: It is not just project tutorials on how to solve specific things, but instead lessons by utilizing these basic concepts to then be able to think through and solve through any number of problems that you wish to solve in the future. Most tutorials or crash courses online are missing the actual value of all things a course should do, and that is to teach the actual concept, not just provide the answer to a very specific (and more often than not) basic problem.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please reach out by commenting on this page (or on the specific lesson of the Arduino crash course page the question is relevant to). Join the Circuit Fanatic Facebook group to always stay current with the latest tutorials and help build a community around learning and experimenting in the great hobby of Electronics.
If you enjoy the Arduino Crash Course, please tell others. If you want more assistance, I am available for one on one online tutoring. If you are looking to make the jump to other microcontrollers, or need some help with designing a circuit for your own personal project, you can reach out to me using the Contact Me form.
Have Fun! And keep on learning!