It senses things
It can feel heat, light, movement, distance, smoke and how wet soil is. Each reading shows as a number on the dashboard.
What is MakerBuddy?
MakerBuddy is a kit for building your own gadgets. It has one board with 6 parts built in, plus 9 parts you plug in. You control it from your web browser on a computer, iPhone or iPad.
The brain of the board is an ESP32: a small computer that joins your Wi-Fi. Things that sense, act and connect to Wi-Fi are called the Internet of Things (IoT). That is what you build.
It does things
It can switch on a light, change colour, beep, turn a small motor arm and show words on a little screen. It can also switch a small low-voltage fan.
You make the rules
Make a rule like "if it gets dark, turn on the light". You pick it from menus, so you need no code. The board saves your rules and runs them by itself.
Code later, if you want
The 32 lessons need no code. When you want to code, you can. See how coding works.
Here is everything in the kit. Tap a button to see only the parts that sense things or the parts that do things.
Pick your first build
Pick something you care about. Build a simple version, test it, then add your own twist. These six builds need no code and only the parts in the kit.
Smart Night Light
No codeThe board's blue light turns on by itself when the room gets dark. Try a few dark levels, and find out why the best level changes from room to room.
Plant Thirst Tracker
No codeSet "dry" and "wet" with the soil sensor's calibration. When the soil gets too dry, a light or a beep reminds you to water the plant.
Motion Alarm
No codeWhen the motion sensor sees movement, the buzzer sounds and the blue light flashes. Walk past it to find out how far away it can see you.
Pet Feeder
No codeOpen a flap with the servo motor from the dashboard, or use a Timer rule that opens it every few hours. The board has no clock, so it cannot feed at a set time like 8 am.
Garage Park Assist
No codeThe colour light turns green, then yellow, then red as a car gets closer to the wall. The car stops in the same spot every time.
- Distance sensor
- Colour light (built into the board)
Step-by-step guide: Smart Car Parking Garage (opens Hackster.io in a new tab)
Digital Pet
No codeWhen the motion sensor sees you, the text screen shows a happy face and the buzzer beeps hello. When nobody is near, a second rule shows a sad face.
Want a mini smart city?
Make a model city with a parking helper, a street light that turns on in the dark, and a crossing light. Start from the Garage Park Assist, the Smart Night Light and the Pedestrian Light. Lessons 29 and 30 build a parking gate that opens by itself.
Want a game for your friends?
The board's button, colour light and buzzer make a fun game, like the Team Quiz Buzzer (one board per team). A reaction game that times each player needs code. You can add that later, with the Reaction Timer idea.
Try it now: make a rule
You don't need a kit for this. Pick a ready-made rule, move the slider and watch what the board would do. You can change the rule too.
Invent your own gadget
A loud snack alarm? A desk that complains when it gets too dark? Weird ideas are often the best way to learn.
Pick one part that senses and one part that does something. You get your gadget in one sentence, the lessons that teach each part, and real ideas that use both parts.
Your builder path
Six steps take you from your first light to your own invention. Tick each step when you finish it. The ticks are saved only in this browser.
0 of 6 done
On the way, you learn three big skills without noticing.
Think like an engineer
Think like a programmer
Learn the ideas inside apps and robots: parts that sense, parts that act, if-rules, timing and numbers. Lessons 21 to 27 teach them, with no code.
Explain your thinking
Tell your gadget's story: what problem it fixes, how it works and what you would make next. You do this at the MakerBuddy Expo in lesson 32.
No experience? That's fine.
You do not need to know electronics or code before you start.
Hard to plug in wrong
Each part has its own labelled socket. Most plugs fit only one way round. For the distance sensor and the screen, match the four wires by name.
See changes fast
The dashboard talks to the board over your own Wi-Fi. Readings update about every 2 seconds. You need no account.
Lessons guide you
32 free lessons take you step by step, 45 to 60 minutes each. Prefer to invent? Browse 50 project ideas.
What you need
- The MakerBuddy kit.
- A computer with Chrome, Edge or Firefox and the free MakerBuddy extension. Or Safari on a Mac, iPhone or iPad.
- A 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network. A phone hotspot works too. Wi-Fi with a sign-in web page will not work.
- A micro-USB cable and a 5 V USB charger, or a computer's USB port.
No kit yet? Try it for free
- Every lesson page has a Try it demo that works in your browser, with no kit. Start with lesson 4: switch on a light.
- Already have the dashboard? Type
demoas the device name to see sample readings.
Already know some code?
The 32 lessons use the dashboard and rules, with no code. They do not teach Arduino or the API. If you want to code, the board is open for it.
Pick how you want to build
Dashboard and rules
- How it works
- Click and pick from menus
- Code needed
- None
- In the 32 lessons
- Yes
- The MakerBuddy program
- Stays
- Where to read
- The lessons
Your own program
- How it works
- Your program talks to the board over your Wi-Fi (web API and WebSocket)
- Code needed
- Yes
- In the 32 lessons
- No
- The MakerBuddy program
- Stays
- Where to read
- Web API
Change the board's program
- How it works
- Open the MakerBuddy program in the Arduino IDE and edit it
- Code needed
- Yes, Arduino code
- In the 32 lessons
- No
- The MakerBuddy program
- Your Arduino program replaces it until you upload MakerBuddy again
- Where to read
- Arduino guide
- The board's program and the web app are open source (GPL-3.0) on GitHub (opens in a new tab). The V1.0 board design is shared there too (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- In the Arduino IDE, pick the board "ESP32 Dev Module".
- Every pin is listed on the technical details page.
- The board also has spare UART and I²C sockets. Using them needs your own code.
Ask a parent to get the kit
A parent, guardian or teacher orders the kit. This message tells them what they need to know.
