"No Loop" Mode & Multi-Step Sequences
Learning Objective
Build your first working rule using No Loop mode, and learn how Steps let a single rule control several outputs one after the other.
Theory: One Shot, Then Stop
This week we zoom in on the simplest Loop Mode: No Loop.
A No Loop rule is a one-shot. It runs its steps from first to last exactly once, then stops. It does not repeat or watch a sensor. That makes it great for learning: you see the whole rule run, start to end.
Select No Loop when the steps should run once and then stop.
When Does a No Loop Rule Run?
A one-shot rule fires at three moments:
A new enabled rule with steps runs the moment you press Save Rule.
Each saved rule in the Rule Engine list has a ▶️ Start button. Press it to fire the one-shot again. (While the rule is playing, the button shows ⏹️.)
Every saved rule runs at power-on, so a No Loop rule fires once each time the MakerBuddy switches on. Exception: a rule you stopped with ⏹️ stays stopped until you press ▶️ again.
Steps: What Should the MakerBuddy Actually Do?
The Loop Mode decides when the rule runs. Steps decide what happens.
Steps are like a shopping list: many things, in order, top to bottom. One rule can do up to 10 things in sequence.
Adding Steps to a Rule
The Steps panel is near the bottom of the rule form. A new rule starts with no steps, so click "➕ Add Step" once for each one. Each step runs right after the one before it finishes.
The Steps panel — click "➕ Add Step" to keep adding actions that will run one after the other.
What Is Inside One Step?
Most steps have up to three fields:
Inside Each Step
- Action: what to do, picked from a dropdown list (see the table below).
- Value: a number, shown only for LED brightness (0–255) or Servo angle (0–180).
- Delay (ms): how many milliseconds (thousandths of a second) to wait after this action before the next step. 1000 ms = 1 second.
Servo Move steps look a little different: the number box is Target angle (°), the Delay box is Hold after movement (ms), and there are two extra boxes. To make the servo jump straight to its angle, leave Movement type on Absolute angle and Movement duration on 0.
The Full Action List
Every action you can pick in a step:
| Component | Actions available | Needs a Value? |
|---|---|---|
| 💡 Single LED | LED On, LED Off | Yes — brightness 0–255 on LED On |
| 🌈 RGB LED | RGB Red, Green, Blue, Yellow, Purple, Cyan, White, Off | No — the color is the action |
| 🔊 Buzzer | Buzzer On, Buzzer Off | No |
| ⚡ Relay | Relay On, Relay Off | No |
| 🔄 Servo | Servo Move | Yes — angle 0–180 |
| 📺 LCD | LCD Display | No — you type two lines of text instead |
Note on RGB: a rule step offers eight fixed colors. The free color mixing from Week 5 is a dashboard control, not a rule step.
Note on LCD: pick LCD Display and the Value and Delay boxes disappear. Leave LCD Display Mode on Custom Text to type two lines, each up to 16 characters wide on the screen. Or pick Default (Sensor Data) to show the normal sensor screens. With no Delay box, a new LCD step still waits 1 second (1000 ms) before the next step. Wildcards such as {temp}, {humidity}, {light}, {soil} and {distance} put live sensor readings in the text.
Inside a step — choose the component, set its value, set the delay. Here several steps are configured in sequence.
The Golden Rule of Delays
Students get this wrong most often, so read it twice:
A step's delay happens AFTER its action, not before. "Buzzer On, delay 1000" means "start the buzzer now, then wait one second before moving on". That makes a one-second beep.
So to keep something on for 2 seconds and then switch it off, you need two steps:
A Real Example: A Startup Sequence
This multi-step rule runs once when you save it, and again every time the board powers on:
Result: the LED comes on at full brightness, a one-second beep plays, and the servo goes back to its home position. Every time, in the right order.
In the Activity below, you build a shorter rule called WelcomeSequence. It has just the first three steps, with no servo.
For Teachers
Ask students to describe a system, like a parking gate, as a sequence with waits: what first, what next, how long to wait? Demo the delay-after-action rule live: build the 2-step buzzer example, then swap the delays so students hear the difference.
Try It: Build a One-Shot Rule
Interactive demo · no kit needed
Play with a pretend MakerBuddy board and its web page, right here.
Follow the steps one at a time. Got the kit? You can switch to the real board inside.
Activity: Build the Welcome Sequence
Time to build your first real rule. It greets you when it runs.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
- Open the Rule Engine tab on the dashboard.
- Name the rule WelcomeSequence (names can be up to 20 characters).
- Loop Mode: choose ⏹️ No Loop.
- Click "➕ Add Step". Step 1: Action → LED On, Value → 255, Delay → 1000.
- Click "➕ Add Step" again. Step 2: Action → Buzzer On, Delay → 1000.
- Click "➕ Add Step" again. Step 3: Action → Buzzer Off, Delay → 100.
- Press Save Rule and watch it run straight away! 🎉
- Find WelcomeSequence in the Rule Engine list. While it plays, its status says ▶️ Running. About a second after it ends, it says ⏸️ Stopped. Press ▶️ to play it again.
What you built: a rule that turns the LED on, waits a second, beeps for a second, then stops. It is No Loop, so nothing repeats. While it plays, the LED and Buzzer cards on the Dashboard tab say "This control is used by Rule Engine", so you and the rule can't fight over them. About a second after the rule ends, the message goes and the controls are yours again.
Troubleshooting: if Save does nothing, your browser points to the box to fix. Every step needs an Action, and every Delay must be a whole number from 0 to 3,600,000. If the form clears but no new rule appears, you may already have 10 rules saved, the most a MakerBuddy can hold. Delete an old one and try again.
Challenge: The Latching Relay Switch
Two Rules, One Relay
A latch is a switch that stays where you put it, like a wall light switch. Build one from two No Loop rules.
⚠️ Safety: unplug the USB cable before plugging the relay module into connector 23, and never force a plug. Use only the kit's low-voltage fan or lamp on the relay, never mains electricity.
- Create a No Loop rule called RelayOn with one step: Action → Relay On, Delay → 100.
- Create a second No Loop rule called RelayOff with one step: Action → Relay Off, Delay → 100.
- Use the ▶️ button on each rule in the Rule Engine list to flip the relay on and off. Listen for the click.
Think about it: after RelayOn finishes, the rule has stopped, yet the relay is still on. Why? What is the difference between a rule running and an output holding its state?
(In the list, RelayOn shows ▶️ Running for about a second, then ⏸️ Stopped. The board finished in a split second; the list catches up a moment later.)
Key Takeaways
✓ No Loop is a one-shot
It runs the whole sequence once: on save, on Start, and each time the board powers on.
✓ Steps run in order
Up to 10 steps per rule, top to bottom, so one rule can drive several parts.
✓ Delay comes after the action
To hold something on, put the wait on the step that switched it on.
✓ 0 ms means "go straight on"
Delays can be 0 to 3,600,000 ms. Use 0 to go straight to the next step, or on the last step.
Coming Up Next Week:
Week 23: Continuous Processing — Forever Loops: what happens when a rule never stops, and when two rules fight.
Learning Support
Use this quick guide to help every learner understand, practice and explain "No Loop" Mode & Multi-Step Sequences.
For students
Try it in three steps
- Say it: explain the main idea in one simple sentence.
- Show it: Build a multi-step Welcome Sequence that runs once: LED on, a welcome beep, then silence.
- Stretch it: Build a latching relay switch using two 'No Loop' rules.
Checkpoint: What was your input, what decision or process happened, and what was the output?
For teachers & parents
Coach without taking over
- Before: ask the learner to predict what will happen and why.
- During: use prompts such as “What changed?” and “What could you test next?” instead of giving the answer.
- After: ask for a 30-second explanation, one piece of evidence and one improvement.
Look for: safe handling, correct vocabulary, a result the learner can demonstrate, and an explanation in their own words.
Did you get it?
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see whether it is right, and why.
1How many times does a No Loop rule run its steps each time it fires?
2When does a step's delay happen?
3How do you make the buzzer sound for 2 seconds and then stop?