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For engineers and product teams

Test your IoT idea on a ready-wired ESP32 board

Plug in sensors and outputs. Control them from a free dashboard, or call them from your own code over your Wi-Fi. No cloud and no account.

See price and orderRead the API docs
  • BrainESP32 DevKit
  • APIREST + WebSocket
  • SourceOpen, GPL-3.0
  • In the kit15 parts
The green MakerBuddy IoT Kit V1.0 board: a 30-pin ESP32 DevKit with its built-in button, colour light, light sensor, blue light, knob and buzzer labelled with their GPIO pins

Ask the board for its readings

REST · JSON
$ curl http://makerbuddy-01.local/api/sensors
{ "te": 25.5, "hu": 65, "li": 75,
  "di": 123.5, "md": false, ... }

A shortened sample reply: temperature, humidity, light, distance, motion and the rest.

One kit is PKR 40,000 in Pakistan. Elsewhere, it is USD 200, plus delivery in a written quote.Plan your kits

A working demo before you design a board

The board already has six parts built in: a blue light, a colour light, a button, a light sensor, a buzzer and a knob. Nine more parts plug into labelled sockets: sensors, a small servo motor, a switch for low-voltage things and a text screen. Put the board on your Wi-Fi, and it is ready.

Control it from a browser

Open the free dashboard. See every sensor reading and switch every output before you write any code.

Call it from your code

Send plain HTTP requests, or open a WebSocket, on your own network. No cloud server sits in between.

Open code you can change

The firmware, web app and V1.0 board design are open on GitHub (opens in a new tab). If something does not fit your idea, change the code.

The MakerBuddy dashboard in Chrome, connected to a board: live readings from all ten sensors, with the output controls below
The free dashboard, connected to a board: every sensor reading, with the controls for each output below.

No board yet? Install the free dashboard for your browser and type demo as the device name. You will see moving sample readings. Which dashboard fits your browser?

Call it from your code

Your code talks to the board over your own Wi-Fi. It needs no cloud account and no API key.

  • REST: http://<device>/api/... with 14 endpoints.
  • WebSocket: ws://<device>/ws. The dashboards use it too.
  • The address: <device> is the board's IP address, or its name plus .local (for example makerbuddy-01.local). The IP address shows on the board's screen.
  • Requests: POST requests take form fields, not JSON. Send state as the text true or false.
  • Rules from code: your code can add on-board rules too, with the WebSocket X message or POST /api/sequences.
  • Servo lock: the servo answers 409 while a rule, a sensor link or the knob controls it.
  • Security: there is no login and no encryption. Use the board only on a trusted network (see the limits).

Build your first call here, in curl, Python or JavaScript:

Full reference: REST API, WebSocket messages and the rule format.

Current versions

Firmware
2.10
The program on the board. Released 23 Oct 2026. Source on GitHub (opens in a new tab)
Web app
3.6
The dashboard at app.makerbuddy.cc. Safari opens it directly.
Browser extensions
2.15
The dashboard for Chrome, Edge and Firefox. Free from each store:Chrome extension store page (opens in a new tab)Edge extension store page (opens in a new tab)Firefox extension store page (opens in a new tab)
Phone app
Not yet
For iPhone and Android. It is not in the App Store or Google Play yet.

Firmware 2.10 installs over USB with the Arduino IDE; updating over Wi-Fi erases the board's saved settings.

What's in the kit

One board with 6 parts built in, plus 9 parts that plug in. Here is each part with its ESP32 pin, what it reports or does, and its keys in the API reply.

The MakerBuddy IoT Kit V1.0 laid out: the green board with its ESP32 DevKit, the plug-in sensors, a servo, a relay, a 16×2 screen and connector cables
The kit photo also shows cables, a small fan, a bulb, craft sticks and a screwdriver. Ask us what ships with your order.
Board
MakerBuddy IoT Kit V1.0, in purple or green. Both colours are the same board.
Brain
A 30-pin ESP32 DevKit (a small Wi-Fi computer)
Wireless
2.4 GHz Wi-Fi only. The chip has Bluetooth, but the firmware does not use it.
Power
5 V through the ESP32's micro-USB port
Spare sockets
UART and I²C. Using them needs your own code.
Code
Arduino framework, C/C++. Open source under GPL-3.0.

Built into the board (6)

Ready the moment the board has power.

  • Blue light

    LEDGPIO 12

    On or off, brightness 0–⁠255, blink

    API keys:lslplb

  • Colour-changing light

    RGB LEDGPIO 13 · 14 · 27

    Red, green and blue, each 0–⁠255

    API keys:r

  • Push button

    Push buttonGPIO 5

    Pressed or not. Hold 10 s to clear the saved Wi-Fi

    API keys:bp

  • Light sensor

    LDRGPIO 35

    Light level, 0–⁠100

    API keys:li

  • Buzzer

    BuzzerGPIO 4

    Beeps. One tone only, it cannot play notes

    Command only: POST /api/buzzer

  • Turning knob

    PotentiometerGPIO 34

    Knob position, 0–⁠100

    API keys:po

Plug-in sensors (6)

Each has its own labelled socket. Most plugs fit one way; the distance sensor's four wires are matched by name.

  • Temperature and humidity

    DHT11GPIO 25

    Air temperature in °C and humidity in %

    API keys:tehu

  • Waterproof temperature probe

    DS18B20GPIO 26

    Temperature in °C, for water or soil

    API keys:d8

  • Distance sensor

    HC-SR04GPIO 2 · 15

    Distance in cm, about 2 cm to 4 m

    API keys:di

  • Motion sensor

    PIRGPIO 18

    Movement nearby: yes or no

    API keys:md

  • Smoke and gas sensor

    MQ-2GPIO 33

    Gas level, 0–⁠100. For learning, not a real alarm

    API keys:ga

  • Soil moisture blade

    Capacitive sensorGPIO 32

    Moisture 0–⁠100 and raw 0–⁠4095. Coated blade, no prongs

    API keys:smsr

Plug-in outputs (3)

Same labelled sockets. The text screen's four wires are matched by name.

  • Servo motor

    SG90 servoGPIO 19

    Turns to an angle, 0–⁠180°. It does not spin round

    API keys:sp

  • Relay switch

    RelayGPIO 23

    Switches a separate circuit on or off

    API keys:rs

    Low-voltage things only, like a small fan or bulb. Never connect mains electricity.

  • Text screen

    1602 LCDGPIO 21 · 22 (I²C)

    2 lines of 16 characters, can show live readings

    API keys:lm

You also need:

  • A computer with Chrome, Edge or Firefox and the free MakerBuddy extension. Or Safari on a Mac, iPhone or iPad. Android phones cannot run it yet.
  • A 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network that joins with just a name and password. A phone hotspot works.
  • A micro-USB cable and a 5 V USB power source.
  • Internet only to open the web app or install the extension. The board itself needs none.
  • For your own firmware: the Arduino IDE with the board set to "ESP32 Dev Module" and the Arduino-ESP32 core 3.3.7.

What a team can do with it

Six ways to use one board.

Show the idea early

Let a client or manager try a working version. Learn from their reaction before the plan is fixed.

Try the interface

Test dashboards, light and buzzer alerts, buttons and screen messages with real sensors.

Teach APIs

Teach REST, WebSockets and how small devices react to events. Learners can see the board and change it.

Run team workshops

Give a mixed team (design, business, engineering) one real device to test and argue about.

Before you design a PCB

Prove the main behaviour on a board that already works. Then design your own circuit board or case.

Small office and lab tools

Try monitoring and automation ideas. Keep the board on a separate, trusted network.

Test an idea in 6 steps

  1. 1

    Pick your question

    Decide what this demo must prove.

  2. 2

    Plug in only what you need

    Connect just the sensors and outputs for that question.

  3. 3

    Make it work with no code

    Use the dashboard and if-then rules. Rules run on the board itself, even with no dashboard open. A board holds up to 10 rules of up to 10 steps each.

  4. 4

    Connect your code

    Use HTTP, the WebSocket or your own firmware when the test needs it.

  5. 5

    Try to break it

    Test slow updates, weak Wi-Fi, a lost connection and a power cut. Rules are saved and run again at power-on.

  6. 6

    Write down the result

    Note what the demo proved, and what it did not.

Limits to know before you start

Plan your demo around these limits.

Topic
Wi-Fi
What it does
Joins 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi with just a name and password. A phone hotspot works.
What it does not do
No 5 GHz. No Wi-Fi with a sign-in page (captive portal) or a username (enterprise). No Bluetooth.
Topic
Speed
What it does
Reads sensors once a second. Sends updates about every 2 seconds.
What it does not do
Not a real-time control system.
Topic
Security
What it does
Works on your own local network.
What it does not do
No login and no encryption. CORS allows any website. The setup network has a fixed password. Updates over Wi-Fi are not signed. Never put it on the internet.
Topic
Cloud
What it does
Your own code on the same network can use the API.
What it does not do
No cloud, MQTT or Home Assistant link built in. Use a bridge program or your own firmware.
Topic
Rules
What it does
Up to 10 rules, each with up to 10 steps, saved on the board.
What it does not do
No more than that. Run extra logic in your own code.
Topic
Time and data
What it does
Live readings only.
What it does not do
No clock, no dates, and no stored history or graphs.
Topic
Power
What it does
5 V through the ESP32's micro-USB port.
What it does not do
Battery use is not confirmed yet. Ask us.
Topic
Relay
What it does
Switches low-voltage things, like a small fan or bulb.
What it does not do
Never mains electricity.
Topic
Updates
What it does
Firmware installs over USB with the Arduino IDE.
What it does not do
Any update over Wi-Fi erases all saved settings (Wi-Fi, name, rules, calibration), even if it fails.

If the board cannot join its saved Wi-Fi at start-up, it runs on without Wi-Fi. It does not go back to setup by itself. To set it up again, hold its button for 10 seconds. That clears only the saved Wi-Fi and screen mode. Rules and calibration stay.

Before you build a real product

MakerBuddy is for learning, trying ideas and quick demos. It is not production hardware.

  • The firmware and web app are open source under GPL-3.0.
  • The V1.0 board design (a Fritzing file) is under CC BY-SA 4.0.
  • No ready-made Gerber files or parts list are published.
  • The browser extensions and the phone app are not in the public repository.

Check what these licences mean for your product before you build on them.

More detail: hardware reference, API reference and source on GitHub (opens in a new tab).

Kits for your team

Enter how many people will build at the same time.

Pakistan

Order online now

PKR 40,000 per kit

Order on this site, then pay by bank transfer to the UBL account of OR97, the company that makes MakerBuddy. The form takes up to 200 kits.

Volume discounts

  • 10+ kits (Classroom)2% off
  • 25+ kits (School)5% off
  • 50+ kits (District)8% off
Order in Pakistan

Outside Pakistan

Request a delivered quote

USD 200 per kit

  • USA & Canada
  • UK & Europe
  • Middle East
  • Somewhere else

Tell us where the kits are going and how many you need.

We reply with a written quote that includes delivery to your address.

Delivery depends on your address, so every order starts with a quote.

Request a quote

Anywhere

Build your own

The board design, the firmware and the web app are open source on GitHub.

  • Board design (Fritzing file): CC BY-SA 4.0.
  • Firmware and web app: GPL-3.0.

You find the parts and build the board yourself. No ready-made Gerber files or parts list are published.

Open the files on GitHub (opens in a new tab)

Ready to try it

Show a working demo before you build the real product

Start with one kit and the free dashboard. Ask us anything about the API or the board.

Get the kitTalk to us