Learn & Build

Guides

Step-by-step tutorials and project walkthroughs — from first blink to full builds.

How to Adjust and Replace V-Slot Wheels on a 3D Printer Guide

How to Adjust and Replace V-Slot Wheels on a 3D Printer

Diagnose wobble, binding and flat spots, then adjust or replace a 625ZZ POM V-slot wheel without losing the original hardware order.

Read more
Momentary vs Latching Switches: Choosing and Wiring a Push Button Guide

Momentary vs Latching Switches: Choosing and Wiring a Push Button

Understand momentary and latching actions, NO and NC contacts, panel fit and a simple Arduino button input with software debounce.

Read more
DHT22 vs DS18B20 vs BMP280: Which Sensor Should You Choose? Guide

DHT22 vs DS18B20 vs BMP280: Which Sensor Should You Choose?

Choose a sensor for air temperature, humidity, remote temperature or pressure. Compare DHT22, DS18B20 and BMP280, with practical wiring and placement checks.

Read more
3D Printer Nozzle Guide: MK8 vs V6 vs Volcano Guide

3D Printer Nozzle Guide: MK8 vs V6 vs Volcano

MK8, E3D V6 or Volcano? Learn how to match nozzle format, material and diameter before you buy, with practical advice for New Zealand 3D printer owners.

Read more
A4988 vs TMC2208 vs TMC2209: Which Stepper Driver Should You Use? Guide

A4988 vs TMC2208 vs TMC2209: Which Stepper Driver Should You Use?

A plain-English comparison of A4988, TMC2208 and TMC2209 stepper drivers. Choose by noise, UART, current control, sensorless homing and project type.

Read more
DS18B20 Waterproof Temperature Sensor: Wiring, Code and the 4.7k Pull-Up Guide

DS18B20 Waterproof Temperature Sensor: Wiring, Code and the 4.7k Pull-Up

One pin, any number of sensors, and a sealed stainless probe you can put in water. How to wire and code the DS18B20 on Arduino, ESP32...

Read more
Which ESP32 Board Should You Buy? C3 vs C6 vs S3 vs H2 vs WROOM-32 Guide

Which ESP32 Board Should You Buy? C3 vs C6 vs S3 vs H2 vs WROOM-32

C3, C6, H2, S2, S3 or the classic WROOM-32? A plain-English comparison of every ESP32 board we stock, including the two that quietly have no WiFi...

Read more
Hall Effect Sensors Explained: Switch vs Latch vs Linear Guide

Hall Effect Sensors Explained: Switch vs Latch vs Linear

Switch, latch or linear? A plain-English guide to picking the right hall effect sensor for your Arduino or ESP32 project, with wiring, code, and fixes for...

Read more
How to Use the 28BYJ-48 Stepper Motor with Arduino and the ULN2003 Driver Guide

How to Use the 28BYJ-48 Stepper Motor with Arduino and the ULN2003 Driver

A complete beginner's guide to wiring, coding and troubleshooting the 28BYJ-48 stepper motor with the ULN2003 driver and Arduino. NZ based, with the classic pin-order fix...

Read more
How to Wire a Resistor Guide

How to Wire a Resistor

Learn how to wire a resistor: they have no polarity, how to protect an LED, choosing a value with Ohm's law, and reading the colour bands....

Read more
Getting Started with the ESP32-WROOM-32 (USB-C) Guide

Getting Started with the ESP32-WROOM-32 (USB-C)

New to the ESP32? This step-by-step guide takes you from an unopened board to a blinking LED in about 10 minutes. Drivers, Arduino IDE setup, and...

Read more
Wire & Control an MG90S Servo with Arduino or ESP32 Guide

Wire & Control an MG90S Servo with Arduino or ESP32

Wire up an MG90S metal-gear servo and swing it to any angle with a few lines of code, wiring, the Arduino/ESP32 code, and how to power...

Read more