Amaete Circuits

Learn electronics on a 3D workbench

Wire a board, run the code and see what the circuit really does. 15 short Basics, then 100 projects from real places. Free, in your browser.

Start the first lessonSee the tracks
Whole board

Slide to take the board apart. Tap any part to see what it does.

Every part has a name

Each bench is a real circuit from a real place. Tap a numbered part to see what it is and what it does.

Power bank

Feeds the board 5 volts over USB, the same pack that charges your phone.

The NEPA is back! light-up alert bench
NEPA is back! light-up alert A sitting room when the light returns

Start with the Basics

15 short lessons, each with one question at the end.

B1 · 6 stepsWhat electricity isWater-tank picture of voltage and current, then the same with a battery and bulb.FinishedB2 · 6 stepsVolts, amps and ohmsSlide a resistor value and watch the current and the bulb change.FinishedB3 · 6 stepsHow a breadboard worksLift the plastic off: the metal strips light up as you touch a hole.FinishedB4 · 6 stepsMeet the boardA tour of every part on the Uno-style board.FinishedB5 · 6 stepsResistors and the colour codeRead the bands, pick the right resistor for an LED.FinishedB6 · 6 stepsLEDsLong leg +, needs a resistor; wire one backwards, then burn one out.FinishedB7 · 6 stepsButtons, switches and knobsPull-up vs floating input; a potentiometer as a divider.FinishedB8 · 6 stepsDiodesA one-way valve, and why the motor needs one.FinishedB9 · 6 stepsCapacitorsCharge and discharge, smoothing, RC timing.FinishedB10 · 6 stepsTransistors as switchesA small current controls a big one.FinishedB11 · 6 stepsMotors, and why they need a driverPin current vs motor current.FinishedB12 · 6 stepsSensors: digital and analog0/1 vs 0–1023.FinishedB13 · 6 stepsThe multimeterVolts across, amps in series, continuity.FinishedB14 · 6 stepsReading a circuit diagramSymbols, then the same circuit as diagram and as 3D.FinishedB15 · 7 steps3.3 V vs 5 V: meet the ESP32Why the ESP32 is different, and what Wi-Fi and Bluetooth add.Finished

Ten tracks, 100 projects

Real problems from real places, ten projects in each track.

The Traffic light bench01

First light

Make things blink, glow, beep and count. The first ten builds on the Uno-style board.

  • Blink an LED
  • Shop sign that flashes OPEN
  • Push-button doorbell
  • +7 more
Open First lightUno-style board
The Car reversing sensor bench02

Sensing

Read the world: light, heat, humidity, distance, motion, sound, weight and time.

  • Streetlight that turns on at dusk
  • Pepper soup pot thermometer
  • Harmattan humidity and heat index
  • +7 more
Open SensingUno-style board
The NEPA is back! light-up alert bench03

Power

Batteries, generators, inverters and solar: measure them, guard them and schedule them.

  • Read a car battery voltage
  • Rechargeable lamp battery meter
  • NEPA is back! light-up alert
  • +7 more
Open PowerUno-style board
The Pump that stops when the tank is full bench04

Water

Tanks, pumps, boreholes and rain: keep the water running and stop the waste.

  • Overhead tank level gauge
  • Pump that stops when the tank is full
  • Borehole pump timer
  • +7 more
Open WaterUno-style board
The Fish pond temperature and aerator bench05

Farm and food

Irrigation, incubators, ponds and stores: small controllers for real farms.

  • Auto-water a garden bed
  • Drip irrigation timer
  • Egg incubator: temperature and turning
  • +7 more
Open Farm and foodUno-style board
The Automatic estate gate bench06

Moving things

Motors, servos and steppers: make things turn, push, slide and sort.

  • Control a motor
  • Sweep a servo
  • Stepper precision: camera slider
  • +7 more
Open Moving thingsUno-style board
The Okada helmet that lights up and signals turns bench07

Home and safety

Gas, fumes, fire and intruders: alarms that reach your phone, on the ESP32.

  • Hello ESP32: your first web page from the board
  • Gas cylinder leak alarm with a phone alert
  • Generator fumes alarm (carbon monoxide)
  • +7 more
Open Home and safetyESP32
The Arrivals board for a BRT stop bench08

Money and community

Scales, meters, kiosks and queues: tools for shops, clinics and transport.

  • Market scale with price and receipt
  • Phone-charging kiosk that bills by the minute
  • Shop prepaid energy meter
  • +7 more
Open Money and communityESP32
The Long-range radio between villages (LoRa) bench09

Talking machines

Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, SMS, radio and infrared: boards that talk to phones and to each other.

  • Phone control over Bluetooth
  • Live sensor dashboard in the browser
  • SMS alert with no data (GSM)
  • +7 more
Open Talking machinesESP32
The Smart bin for a street corner bench10

Big builds

Whole systems: smart water, smart farm, solar home, security, weather and your own invention.

  • Smart water: tank, pump and phone
  • Smart farm: soil, weather, irrigation and SMS
  • Solar home kit: panel, battery and loads
  • +7 more
Open Big buildsESP32
1 / 10

Ten tracks, ten films

Each track in 24 seconds, cut to the beat. Play all ten and you hear the whole song.

Now showingFirst light
1 / 10

Real places

A market stall in Onitsha, grandma's room, a school gate. Every project starts from a place.

The NEPA is back! light-up alert benchNEPA is back! light-up alertA sitting room when the light returnsThe Fall alert for grandma benchFall alert for grandmaGrandma's roomThe Smoke and fire alarm for a market stall benchSmoke and fire alarm for a market stallA market stall in OnitshaThe Bean sorter by colour benchBean sorter by colourSorting beans at a marketThe Pure-water sachet vending machine benchPure-water sachet vending machineA school gateThe Robotic arm: pick and place benchRobotic arm: pick and placeA small factory lineThe Mini solar grid for a village kiosk benchMini solar grid for a village kioskA village kioskThe Afrobeats beat box benchAfrobeats beat boxA bedroom studio

From the screen to your table

A minuteWire itDrag wires into the breadboard, hole for hole, the way you would on a table.
Two minutesCode itThen change the sketch. It is real Arduino code, with every line explained.
SecondsRun itThen press Run. Lights, motors and screens react, and a wrong wire is named in plain words.
An afternoonBuild it for realLast, buy the parts from the list, priced in naira, and build the same circuit hole for hole.
  1. Drag wires into the breadboard, hole for hole, the way you would on a table.
  2. Then change the sketch. It is real Arduino code, with every line explained.
  3. Then press Run. Lights, motors and screens react, and a wrong wire is named in plain words.
  4. Last, buy the parts from the list, priced in naira, and build the same circuit hole for hole.

Begin with what electricity is

A water tank, a pipe and a tap, then the same thing with a battery and a bulb. Six short steps, read aloud, and one question at the end.

Open the first lesson
The first lesson: a water tank beside a battery and a bulb