r/ArduinoHelp

I’m building a portable air-quality monitoring station based on an ESP32-S3 DevKitC-1.
My current setup uses:
ESP32-S3 DevKitC-1
ESP32-S3 screw terminal breakout/adapter board
SPS30 particulate matter sensor
TFT SPI display
SHT45 temperature/humidity sensor
BMP390 pressure sensor
DS3231 RTC
MicroSD module
LiPo battery/charging circuit
Several JST connectors for removable sensors/modules
I want to build a large custom protoboard as a shield on top of the terminal adapter, where I can solder all my JST connectors, power rails, I²C/SPI/UART connections, buzzer, battery electronics, etc.
Ideally I would like the project to be stackable:
ESP32-S3 → terminal adapter → large protoboard shield → possibly another board later
The problem is that the ESP32-S3 itself sits higher than the female headers on the terminal adapter. If I plug my protoboard directly into those headers, the protoboard physically hits the ESP32 before the pins are fully inserted.
My male headers are already soldered to the protoboard, so I’d prefer not to desolder and replace everything.
I’m looking for a clean solution similar to Arduino stackable shields:
Is there a standard 2.54 mm male/female header extender made specifically for this?
Are there extra-tall / elevated female headers that would solve this?
Is there a better connector system for stacking PCBs while keeping standard 2.54 mm headers?
How would you normally build this kind of multi-level ESP32 prototype cleanly?
I’m ultimately going to design a custom PCB once everything is validated, but for now I want a robust and removable prototyping solution rather than wiring everything with Dupont cables.
Thanks!

So this is my school project and this is my first time working on things like this.

I'm not sure whether this is a software problem or a hardware problem.

The blue motor seems to be like tweaking?

The sensor is detecting light but it seems to only wanna move side by side and not up and down.

Please help as I have no idea what to do anymore I've gone through every tutorial I could find and can't seem to find what to do.

Hi, I am working on an Arduino project (as a software developer without prior experience in hardware/electricity).

One of my colleague helped me to wire these materials up (1 ESP32 + 1 buck converter + 1 relay + 1 electronic lock + 1 power supply (12V)) - When I looked at his wiring, I hadn’t any ideas lol.

I want to add another logic for 1 relay, 1 buck converter, and 1 electronic lock into the same ESP32 and the same power supply but not sure if that is feasible. And I do not really know how to understand and wire those things.

I feel quite lost and do not know where I should start off with.

😭😭😭 Any of your helps would be greatly appreciated!!! Thank you so much!

Using 'external' 5V supply for the MCP expander, TCA multiplexer and display backpacks. Power bleeds into the Arduino through SDA/SCL and Interrupt on Pin 1. I am assuming this is the reason for weird behavior of the project when I connect. Pin 1 has internal pull-up. Arduino VCC reads 4.78V, external 5V reads 5.18V.

1. Pls confirm to my illiterate mind this is indeed an issue.

2. Options for solving? (Better circuit plan, MOSFET)?

Cheers,

G

Hey everyone! I’m interested in building this Garduino smart garden project:

Garduino – the Smart Garden With Arduino

I’m fairly new to Arduino/electronics and want to actually build and understand the project, rather than just copy the instructions blindly.

A few questions:

1. Is this project still a good starting point with modern Arduino boards/components?
2. What parts of the project would require soldering?
3. Can I build/test most of it first on a breadboard with jumper wires?
4. If soldering is required, what exactly would I need to solder?
5. Are there any components in the original project that you would replace with newer/easier alternatives?
6. What would you recommend I build first so I can test each part individually before putting the whole smart garden together?

My goal is to learn Arduino, sensors, wiring, and eventually soldering through this project.

Thanks!

Its for a high school project, a smart laser security system.

Idk why am always having this error, i tried everything and it still shows this.

Sorry for the code being AI generated, its my first time ever doing such a project...

CODE:

// --- Pin Definitions ---
const int LDR_ANALOG_PIN  = A0; // Analog light reading (A0)
const int BUZZER_PIN      = 12; // Active Alarm Buzzer (GPIO12 / D6)
const int LED_GREEN       = 5;  // System Armed Indicator (GPIO5 / D1)
const int LED_RED         = 4;  // Interruption Indicator (GPIO4 / D2)
const int ROOM_LIGHTS_PIN = 0;  // Transistor Base (GPIO0 / D3)
// Initial threshold estimate (we will adjust this after checking readings)
int lightThreshold = 500; 
void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);
  pinMode(BUZZER_PIN, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(LED_GREEN, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(LED_RED, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(ROOM_LIGHTS_PIN, OUTPUT);
  // Set initial state
  digitalWrite(BUZZER_PIN, LOW);
  digitalWrite(LED_GREEN, HIGH);
  digitalWrite(LED_RED, LOW);
  digitalWrite(ROOM_LIGHTS_PIN, LOW);
  Serial.println("\n==========================================");
  Serial.println("  Smart Laser Tripwire System Initialized ");
  Serial.println("==========================================");
}
void loop() {
  int ldrValue = analogRead(LDR_ANALOG_PIN);
  Serial.print("LDR Raw Value: ");
  Serial.println(ldrValue);
  // Logic check: if light level changes significantly
  if (ldrValue > lightThreshold) {
// Laser beam broken (Darker / Tripped)
digitalWrite(LED_GREEN, LOW);
digitalWrite(LED_RED, HIGH);
digitalWrite(BUZZER_PIN, HIGH);       // Sound alarm
digitalWrite(ROOM_LIGHTS_PIN, HIGH);  // Turn ON white room LEDs
  } else {
// Normal state (Laser hitting LDR)
digitalWrite(LED_GREEN, HIGH);
digitalWrite(LED_RED, LOW);
digitalWrite(BUZZER_PIN, LOW);        // Silence alarm
digitalWrite(ROOM_LIGHTS_PIN, LOW);   // Keep room LEDs OFF
  }
  delay(200);
}

Hello, i'm a beginner that just started with arduino's, does anybody know why the LED doesn't turn on? (if I set the variable RedLEDPower to something it just flashes and stops)

I want to start a lil project (IK this is not an arduino but was cheepier) but I'm really stunned by all this complicate names and port, i wonder if someone could help me to undertant WHAT IS THIS and what they do:)

So I have an ardiuno project we’re basically u press a button and on a display a random number from one to ten would appear showing if u are a cool guy or not, for reference this is the display I will use. I know how to use button switches I really only need help with the code for this project

It is showing that the code is correct. I can't figure out what went wrong. I am a beginner only so i am not aware of all the procedures. I followed a tutorial to make this.

help me understand what went wrong