Author Archives: MakerHub Helper

A stable 5V into micro-USB or VIN — from a good adapter, or from a battery through a converter. Why WiFi bursts trigger brownout resets, why a bare 18650 must never touch the 3V3 pin, and the wiring that keeps an ESP32 running.

Get a first live video stream from the ESP32-S3 CAM over plain USB-C — no FTDI adapter, no IO0 jumper — and fix the upload, stuck-IP and brownout errors that stop most beginners.

An HC-05 costs about the price of lunch and puts your Arduino on your Android phone: PIN 1234, a 1k/2k divider, one sketch. iPhone user? Read the first section before you buy.

If your SIM800L reboots the moment it searches for a network, the supply is the culprit. It needs 3.4–4.4V and 2A bursts — here is how to power it properly with an 18650 or an LM2596 buck.

Three wires and the Adafruit NeoPixel library get a WS2812 stick glowing from an Arduino Uno in minutes. The part everyone skips is the power budget — 60mA per LED at full white, which is why the 8×8 matrix needs its own 5V supply.

A classic school robotics build: 2WD chassis, Arduino Uno, L298N and two IR sensors following a black tape line. Complete wiring table, full code, and the sensor-tuning ritual that makes or breaks the robot — ideal for RBT and FYP projects.

A fan that spins then stops on the IRF520 module means the MOSFET is only half on at Arduino’s 5 V. Honest limits, correct wiring, the flyback diode check, and when to switch to a relay.

Fix one end of the 5kg bar load cell to the base plate, hang the platform on the other, and the HX711 turns that tiny flex into grams on your Arduino — mounting, wiring, calibration and full code.

NO, COM and NC explained, the high/low trigger jumper decoded, and honest advice on 240V mains — wire a relay module to your Arduino or ESP32 the safe way, starting on low-voltage DC.

Uno for 5V offline builds, ESP8266 for cheap WiFi, ESP32 for Bluetooth and heavier IoT — an honest spec table, a buying guide by project type, and the traps that catch people switching boards.