Step one of learning how to use an Arduino is, well, having an Arduino. Once this is covered, you need to understand the basics and then get to making.
As with anything, the best way to learn Arduino is by carrying out projects that put into practice what you’ve learned. The challenge, however, is finding good resources for projects, especially tutorials with clear instructions, help with electrical wiring, and so on.
If you’re looking for engineering projects, games, lighting systems, or smart home ideas, we’ve got you covered. But if you don’t know where to start, read on to learn about the best sites for Arduino projects!
Considerations
We’ve researched and selected the best sites out there for Arduino projects, taking into account aspects like how detailed the explanations are, the frequency of uploads, as well as the following factors:
- Free: All of the sites listed allow you to access information about the projects for free.
- Wide variety: Some sites aren’t specialized in Arduino or are simply sites of less popularity with fewer projects. We took that into account to make sure all sites selected have a large number of projects available.
- Diverse selection: Some sites are more varied in the type of projects, while others focus on a certain kind of Arduino scheme. Both options are fine, so we tried to select sites that cover basics, signal treatment, and robots, as well as sites that specialize in one of the three.
- Understandable: We took care that the projects available are organized in a concise, easy-to-find way. We gave priority to those that present tutorials in an organized manner in their own section, as some sites offer tutorials but are focused on news or selling products, making projects harder to find.
- User feedback: One of the best ways to gauge if a project is worth investing time and money in is to see how others have responded to it. For example, does the page let you see how many people have tried a project? Does it have comments? Does it have likes?
And as a final item, we’ve also noted when it’s necessary to register to be able to like, comment, or provide feedback for a project.
Instructables
Instructables, as the name indicates, is a community dedicated to sharing instructions. That’s it. It can be about literally anything: crochet, pottery, 3D printing, and in this case, Arduino. By using filters, it’s very easy to narrow the featured projects to just those focused on Arduino.
These ideas are shared by community members, but, as is the theme of the site, projects shared on Instructables tend to be extremely detailed in assembly instructions, wiring, and programming. Even then, if you have questions, you can use the comments section to share doubts or your recommendations once you’re done with a project.
- Number of Arduino projects: 24,000+
- Type of feedback: Community makes of projects, comments, and tips
- Account required: Yes
Arduino Project Hub
Arduino Project Hub is Arduino’s official repository. As such, it’s a really good and trusted source of information. It boasts more than 10,000,000 projects shared, and they all have to fit a requirement of information, including bill of materials (BOM) of electronic components, assembly information, and code. That said, not all of them may have Arduino boards, as projects can be uploaded with options that are compatible with the Arduino ecosystem.
Projects are proposed by the community. You can ask questions through comments and mark the project as “respected” to indicate interest or trust in it.
- Number of Arduino projects: 10,000,000+ (or compatible with)
- Type of feedback: “Respect” button and comments
- Account required: Yes
Hackster.io
Hackster.io is a coding and electronics platform where you can find information and projects about many boards, not just Arduino. However, you can sort projects by platform to limit the projects displayed to those that use some kind of Arduino board.
The site allows you to see how many people have viewed and liked a project, and you can save the project in your library for later, as well as comment.
- Number of Arduino projects: 6,700+
- Type of feedback: Likes and comments
- Account required: Yes
How to Mechatronics
How to Mechatronics, as the name indicates, is a site dedicated to mechatronic projects. In this case, projects aren’t proposed by the community but rather by the site’s team, who conceive and try out the projects before sharing them. There are only about 40 Arduino projects, but they’re all precisely explained, and How to Mechatronics is considered a trusted source of information regarding Arduino.
Their tutorials are also available on YouTube, and the project pages usually offer a detailed written explanation and links to the corresponding video. The projects generally focus on creating moving machines, such as robotic arms or cars, rather than the kind that focuses on sensors or displays. The site doesn’t have a sign-up option, and you can’t save or like articles directly through the page, but you can still leave comments.
- Number of Arduino projects: ~40
- Type of feedback: Comments
- Account required: No
Maker Pro
Maker Pro is a great website full of resources for curious minds. Even though we’re focusing on Arduino projects, on Maker Pro you can find fun activities in many different technology areas, such as 3D printing, radios, audio, internet of things (IoT), mobile apps, robotics, Google Home, and more.
The website features a wide range of Arduino projects posted by the community. However, the wide variety doesn’t compromise the quality of the projects, which include everything from voice-controlled robots to a burglar alarm. You don’t need an account to access projects or leave comments, but you can create one to save projects, share your own, and post your own contributions to existing projects.
- Number of Arduino projects: 300+
- Type of feedback: Contributions to projects and comments
- Account required: No
Miliohm
Miliohm‘s site has about 60 different projects on Arduino, and it’s also possible to find projects done with other boards. The projects are organized by date, with a new one posted every month.
The projects are more focused on basics and generally center around trying different things with a specific component, like a temperature sensor or using relays. The projects shared include a written explanation as well as a video explanation.
- Number of Arduino projects: ~60
- Type of feedback: Not directly on the page, but you can like, dislike, and comment on their YouTube videos
- Account required: No
Circuit Digest
Circuit Digest has over 300 articles focused on Arduino, although it has even more content focused on other boards or on different electronic components like relays, timers, sensors, and so on. The projects are posted by different members of their team and are displayed chronologically.
Projects shared are usually accompanied by pictures showing the processes described, and although you can log in to the site and comment, there are no tools to save articles you like. The projects are more on the technical side, with a heavy focus on signal treatment. Some cool projects include a solar irradiance meter for solar panels and humidity sensing for automatic irrigation, among others.
- Number of Arduino projects: 300+
- Type of feedback: Comments
- Account required: Yes
Simple Circuit
Simple Circuit, similar to the previous selection, centers on projects about signal measurement and treatment. This makes these two sites stand out, as most of the other sites on this list are either really varied or focus on moving mechatronics like cars and robots.
Signal measurement – whether that be voltage, capacitance, or frequency – is a vital thing to understand for any newbie. It can also be useful in advanced projects, as it’s important to have comfortable and precise ways to check characteristics in a complex project to avoid dangerous accidents or damage to expensive parts.
There are about 120 projects. The instructions typically include BOMs, electrical diagrams, pictures of electrical wiring, Arduino code, and explanations on the code.
- Number of Arduino projects: ~120
- Type of feedback: Comments and inquiries through a contact form
- Account required: No
Hackaday
Hackaday has over 4,600 Arduino projects and even more that focus on other kinds of electronics. The projects are very varied, from LED stair lights to piloting Roombas and walking robots. On this site, you can log in and you can see how many people have seen, liked, and followed a project. You can also leave comments as well as save projects by following them.
The descriptions include diagrams of the electrical logic and of the actual wiring. An interesting added feature is that there doesn’t have to be a sole author for a project. If all authors have registered as users, you can link co-authors to a project, making it ideal for teams who want to share their project.
- Number of Arduino projects: 4,600+
- Type of feedback: Likes, comments, and ability to follow projects or authors
- Account required: Yes
Electronics Hub
Electronics Hub has 200+ articles centered around Arduino. The page doesn’t necessarily offer the tutorials but rather offers a curated list of 200+ quality projects tried by their team. The list is a mix of their own projects and others shared in different communities.
Even though they’re technically not all offered by Electronics Hub directly, having a curated list saves you the trouble of finding a good tutorial you can trust, and 200 is a long enough list that you won’t run out of ideas quickly. You can sort the list by date, theme, or difficulty. If you have questions, you can use the comments section, and once you’re done with a project, you can share it with your own recommendations.
- Number of Arduino projects: 200+
- Type of feedback: Comments
- Account required: No
YouTube
Even though YouTube has all kinds of content, searching using keywords as simple as “Arduino Projects” makes it really easy to zero in on what you’re looking for. Many Arduino projects showcased on different sites even use YouTube videos for their explanations, so it makes sense to look directly there.
For some people, it’s easier to follow instructions in a visual format rather than a written one. Code is usually explained in the video or linked in the description. As YouTube is not a site dedicated to Arduino, there isn’t strict regulation about the quality of projects posted. Some may have insufficient information in terms of materials, explanations, or coding.
In such cases, the dislike button comes in handy. In addition to disliking a video, you can comment, like, and save the video in a playlist.
- Number of Arduino projects: Not specified
- Type of feedback: Likes, dislikes, comments, and ability to add videos to playlists
- Account required: Yes
License: The text of "The Best Sites for Arduino Projects" by All3DP is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.