Programming LEDs

You'll flash code onto an ESP32-C3 microcontroller, get color moving down the strip, then change the program and flash it again — faster, brighter, different colors, a different pattern. Along the way we'll cover what a microcontroller actually is, how ten LEDs share a single data wire, and why your code has to be written a particular way to keep the lights responsive.

This class is for absolute beginners. No electronics experience, no coding experience, and no soldering required — everything is wired up in advance and plugs into a breadboard.

Bring a laptop and a USB-C cable if you can — Mac, Windows, or Linux, and a cable that transfers data rather than one that only charges. We'll send setup instructions ahead of time so you can install the free software at home; it's a large download and doing it on venue WiFi eats into class time. We'll have a few spare cables, and we'll help anyone who arrives unprepared.

We provide the hardware: an ESP32-C3 board, a breadboard, and an addressable LED strip, already assembled and ready to plug in. Full details, including the pre-class setup steps, are in the student guide.