Alexander Chiu

First Arduino circuit — blink, button, sensor

Learning the fundamentals of microcontrollers: driving an LED, reading a button, and responding to a sensor on a breadboard.

building · June 12, 2026 · Arduino, C/C++, Electronics

Problem

I wanted to go from writing code on a screen to making physical things happen — the core of embedded electrical engineering.

Approach

Start with the classic "blink" sketch, then add inputs and outputs one at a time so I understand each piece: an LED (output), a push-button (digital input), and a [light/temperature] sensor (analog input).

Build

(Add a photo of the breadboard and a short demo clip here as you go.)

Result

[What works so far, what was harder than expected, and what I learned about circuits, current, and debugging.]

Next: combine these into something useful — a [night-light / reaction-timer / mini alarm].


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