Top 5 Arduino Projects: Beginner to Advanced Level

A simple yet perfect idea for getting you started in the world of Arduino microcontrollers is creating some electronic dice. At the push of a button, you’ll activate a random generator that uses the lights to give you a number between 1 and 6. Perfect if you don’t trust physical die and want to leave your number generation completely up to chance!

Depending on the specific project, you’ll typically need an Arduino UNO, seven-segment LED display, touch sensor, breadboard, breadboard connectors, jumper wires, a power supply, and a 1K ohm resistor. All of these are easy to come by, making an electronic die a great beginner’s Arduino project.

A fully automatic light tracker is an Arduino project that you can quickly create using only a handful of parts.

The premise is simple: the machine you build will be able to track and point itself at a source of light. It will operate much similarly as solar power systems pivot themselves to face the sun to ensure efficiency when generating photovoltaic energy. There are many at-home applications for this Arduino project, though, from optimising plant-growing conditions, building a smart solar cooker or, even better, drying your laundry!

To create a light tracker, you’ll usually need an Arduino Uno board, a breadboard, a micro-servo motor, a resistor, a light-dependent resistor (LDR), and both male-male and female-female jumper wires. Pretty simple for such a cool project.

A lie detector is another creative project you can build quickly using only a few materials. Of course, this Arduino project cannot guarantee whether someone is telling the truth or not; it just measures the electrical conductivity of their skin. This can be increased by increased sweat gland activity, which in turn is caused by stress… We’ll let you and your subjects argue over those finer points, though!

A super easy project, Arduino lie detectors usually only require an Arduino board, LEDs, a resistor, cables, and craft supplies like a soldering iron, a glue gun, a solder, cardboard and foil. You can view the various projects available over at the Arduino project hub.

This cool box Arduino project connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth and is ideal for lazy summer days or keeping a watchful eye over your picnic. It can follow you around thanks to an in-built GPS navigation system.

The construction of this cooler is a little more time consuming than the three Arduino projects listed above and requires more materials. That’s because you’ll need to construct a wheeled contraption out of wood that will hold the cooler, as well as the electronics themselves. That said, the cool factor (pun intended) definitely makes this project worthwhile!

You’ll also need some core components such as an Arduino UNO, a motor driver, a GPS module, a compass, a Bluetooth module, and rechargeable batteries to ensure your cooler can keep up.

A drawing robot is a classic example of the impressive Arduino project ideas that experienced DIY coding enthusiasts come up with all the time.

Drawing robots work by controlling multiple servo motors, which pivot a pen around a page in a pre-programmed fashion. The result is that you can input an image or design of your choice, press ‘draw’, and sit back while your robot handles the production. Perfect for those of us more interested in DT than art!

Creating this robot requires not only a deep knowledge of Arduino but also numerous components and a great deal of time, depending on the complexity of the project. That makes it an expert undertaking, but it is incredibly satisfying to see in action when complete.