In the automotive industry, “drive-by-wire” means that a traditionally mechanical linkage, like a throttle cable, has been replaced by an electronic actuator. That can eliminate design constraints and even save money. SciFientist was able to apply those same drive-by-wire principles to this 3D-printed micro milling machine.

Machine tools, including vertical mills, are usually either CNC, manual, or power-assisted. In that last scenario, there is usually a simple motor that rotates a lead screw, so the user doesn’t have to crank the handle a bunch of times to traverse long distances. The motor can feed more consistently than a person can as well.

But this 3D-printed micro mill is different, because it entirely replaces the traditional manual cranks with motors and can only be controlled electronically — just like a drive-by-wire car.

Each axis has a lead screw turned by a stepper motor, controlled by an Arduino UNO Rev3 with a CNC Shield. The Arduino moves the motors in response to user input through a joystick and buttons. But in this incarnation, there isn’t any provision for true CNC operation — though SciFientist has plans for a second version with that capability.

What also stands out about this micro mill is its 3D-printed frame. That isn’t rigid at all by machine tool standards, but it should be good enough for the PCB milling that SciFientist plans to tackle with the machine.

While this is just the first step on the way to more conventional CNC milling, the drive-by-wire control is interesting. With linear position feedback on each axis — essentially a DRO— and fine motor movement, it would allow for many of the benefits of manual milling, but in a compact and affordable package that ignores the design constraints of manual mills.

The post A 3D-printed “drive-by-wire” micro mill for your desktop appeared first on Arduino Blog.

Managing IoT devices at scale is hard, but we believe finding the right resources at the right time shouldn’t feel like searching through a haystack! That’s why we built Smart Folders in Arduino Cloud – saved searches that stay alive and update automatically in real-time. This builds on recent improvements announced in Arduino Cloud, including a dark theme and a new Thing page.

What are Smart Folders?

Smart Folders bring dynamic, rule-based organization to Arduino Cloud, an all-in-one platform to bring your IoT projects to life quickly. If you’ve used Smart Folders in macOS or Google Drive, the concept will feel familiar – but we’ve tailored it specifically for IoT fleet management.

Instead of manually organizing resources into static folders that get outdated immediately, you create folders based on criteria that matter to your workflow: device status, location, connection type, or custom keywords. Arduino Cloud automatically populates these folders and keeps them updated as your fleet evolves.

Where you can create Smart Folders

Smart Folders are available across all major IoT listing pages:

• Things
• Devices
• Dashboards
• Triggers

This universal availability means consistent organization across your entire Arduino Cloud workspace.

How to create a Smart Folder

Creating a Smart Folder is straightforward: here’s a quick step-by-step guide.

1. Define your criteria

Use search and filter controls to narrow down your resources. You can combine multiple filter types:

• Keywords: Multiple search strings as individual criteria (press Enter after each)
• Status filters: Device status
• Technical filters: Device type, connection type, timezone
• Metadata filters: Creation date, tags, and attributes

^{Select multiple active filters such as keywords, status, device or connection type}

2. Save as a Smart Folder

Save your filters with a descriptive name. Arduino Cloud immediately creates a folder that automatically includes all matching resources.

^{Arduino Cloud instantly generates a folder containing all matching resources}

3. Manage and refine

Here are the key actions you can take to keep your Smart Folders always functional.

• Duplicate: Create variations quickly
• Edit filters: Adjust criteria when requirements change
• Delete: Remove unused folders

^{The Smart Folder management options menu}

Why Smart Folders matter in Arduino Cloud

^{Your Smart Folders appear at the top}

Traditional folders become stale immediately and require constant manual maintenance. Smart Folders stay current automatically. Add a new device matching existing criteria? It appears in the right folders instantly. Change a device’s status? It moves between folders automatically. Update tags? Your organization adapts in real time.

Watch Marta Barbero, our Lead Product Manager, explain what you can do with Smart Folders in Arduino Cloud.

Getting started 

Smart Folders are available now. Here’s how to start:

1. Log in to Arduino Cloud.
2. Navigate into your IoT builder side bar: Things, Devices, Dashboards, or Triggers.
3. Select the Smart Folder folder icon.

4. Apply filters using search and filter controls.
5. Save as Smart Folder with a descriptive name.
6. Pin important folders to your sidebar for quick access.

Start simple with one or two folders for your most common searches, such as “My Active Projects” or “Offline Devices,” and see how instant filtered views change your workflow!

Try Smart Folders today in Arduino Cloud, as well as our AI Assistant. Share your feedback in the Arduino community forums or reach out to our support team.

Arduino is a trademark or registered trademark of Arduino S.r.l.

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While hundreds of Arduino Days celebrations took place simultaneously in over 100 countries worldwide, on March 28th Vietnam stood out by hosting synchronized events in four major cities – Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, and Can Tho – bringing more than 1,000 students together for a day of hands-on technology learning. Activities included an international watch party, project showcases, workshops, talk shows, and a highlight Mini Hackathon where student teams were challenged to build functional health monitoring devices capable of measuring heart rate and SpO2 levels.

The event was organized by FPT Polytechnic in collaboration with Arduino and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., demonstrating – in the words of Julián Caro Linares, Arduino Senior Engineer for Qualcomm Europe – the university’s “experience in training young people who can create impactful innovations and contribute to economic growth.” This event showed not just the energy and passion from the students from various cities and backgrounds on using technology to solve real world problems, but also how today the barriers to entry for AI at a device level are significantly lower. Participants showed how using Arduino solutions and the new Arduino® UNO Q board can truly democratize physical AI.

From knowing to doing

The theme for this year’s Arduino Days – “Writing the next chapter of AI together!” – reflects a moment when everyone is called to play an active role in defining a new era of innovation, shifting from theoretical knowledge into direct engagement with global technology standards. Everyone is the keyword here. Dr. Vu Chi Thanh, Principal of FPT Polytechnic, commented, “We do not want access to technology to be concentrated in just one place. By organizing the event simultaneously in four cities, students from different regions can connect directly with the global ecosystem and experience a real technology environment, rather than just hearing about it.”

Guneet Bedi, Senior Director of Sales at Qualcomm Technologies, emphasized the significance of Vietnam’s participation in the global Arduino community. “We are entering the AI era, and we need to train students – the future generations – not just how to use AI in everyday life, but how to stop being afraid of this technology,” he said. “Currently, there are millions of people developing on the Arduino platform, creating the world’s largest open-source community, and Vietnam has an incredibly active community that we are eager to support.”

The Mini Hackathon exemplified the event’s hands-on philosophy. Teams – including local students in fields such as automation, electrical engineering, information technology, as well as middle school and high school students interested in STEM – worked under tight time constraints to complete health-tracking devices. The challenge demanded not only technical knowledge in electronics and programming but also teamwork, troubleshooting skills, and product-oriented thinking. One student reflected on the experience: “When our product was reviewed by experts from Arduino and Qualcomm Technologies, we could clearly see the gap between an academic model and a product that could actually be deployed in real life. It is a pressure, but also a strong motivation.”

For Hoang Hung Hai, Product Marketing Staff Manager for Qualcomm Vietnam who helped bring to life the Hanoi event, this hands-on approach represents the future of technology education. “We want students to access Qualcomm and Arduino technologies while they are still in school, and then turn that knowledge into practical exercises, projects, and eventually larger-scale products in the future,” he said.

The strong message behind the success

The entire event embodied a powerful message: AI isn’t something to fear but something to master. As Bedi told students, “You need to learn not only how to use AI, but also how to build and customize it to solve real-world problems. Start now. Do not let yourselves fall behind in the AI revolution.”

At Arduino, we are certain you have the curious mindset and proactive attitude to shift from “using” AI to “making” AI, adding value with every project, prototype, or full-fledged product you create. Our mission is to provide you with access to the technologies you need, and to help you bridge any gaps on your way. The success of the event held by FPT Polytechnic during Arduino Days 2026 is a demonstration of how technology education can be both locally accessible and globally connected, how regional educational institutions can create synergies with the global technology ecosystem, and how each one of us is already part of something bigger.

Qualcomm branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. Arduino is a trademark or registered trademark of Arduino S.r.l.

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At Arduino, our mission has always been clear: make complex technology accessible to everyone. But accessibility also means reaching people, inspiring them, and helping them understand what’s possible.

That’s why we’re especially proud to share that our “From Blink to Think” campaign for the launch of the Arduino® UNO Q board has been recognized by Unione Industriali Torino with the Mattia Serafini Award in the Best Digital Strategy category. 

The award was created by the Unione Industriali Torino to honor the memory of Mattia Serafini, a valuable member of their communication department and celebrates the most effective digital communication campaigns created by companies in 2025, across categories such as brand, sustainability, and product launches. Our campaign was selected as the top product launch in the small and medium enterprise category, among 29 finalists, highlighting not only creativity but also impact and clarity of message.

Communicating complexity, simply

Launching UNO Q was a unique challenge. It represented a new step forward for Arduino: a board designed to enable more advanced applications, bridging the gap between the Linux and the microcontroller worlds. But how do you communicate that evolution without losing what makes Arduino… Arduino? “From Blink to Think” was our answer. We started from the most iconic first step in a developer’s journey — blinking an LED — and showed how far users can go from there, following an exciting path to innovation that Arduino has enabled for two generations of developers, from a few lines of code to machines that act as fast as they can think.

Because ultimately, technology adoption starts with understanding. And understanding starts with clear, effective communication. As our Marketing Director Stefano Implicito said during his acceptance speech, “Today, we are living in a unique moment — a kind of renaissance of electronics — where AI, which many people still identify as a simple chat producing answers, is now moving into the physical world. We are entering the era of physical AI, and the real challenge now is to give people the tools to create tangible AI applications themselves. We can’t keep technology confined to a small group of engineers working in isolation, building black boxes that few can truly understand; it has to be something accessible, transparent, and within everyone’s reach.”

What matters most: what you build next

Awards are meaningful, especially when they recognize the work of an entire team and the value of clear communication in a complex technological landscape. But what we’re most proud of isn’t the campaign itself, but what it started. Since the launch of UNO Q, we’ve seen a growing number of projects, ideas, and experiments coming to life, powered by this new platform. That’s the real measure of success: not just telling a story, but enabling thousands of new ones.

The post The Arduino Marketing Team receives Best Digital Strategy award for “From Blink to Think” appeared first on Arduino Blog.

Clem Mayer over at element14 Presents got his hands on a big old LED matrix display and when he turned it on, it worked perfectly. It even displayed the last programmed message, like an inadvertent time capsule. But upon opening up the enclosure, Mayer found danger and some strange control quirks. So, he used an Arduino UNO R4 WiFi to rebuild the LED sign, making it both safe and usable.

The danger lurking inside was thanks to a brick-style AC-to-DC adapter. That wouldn’t be a problem on its own, but the AC input wires were soldered directly to the adapter’s pins. That’s a big no-no, because a loose wire could contact the enclosure and send deadly voltage through it for anyone to touch.

Mayer’s first task was to replace that with a simple and correctly wired external power supply that outputs a safe 5V DC. That was easy and wasn’t particularly interesting, but it was absolutely crucial for peace of mind.

The second task was programming new messages. Mayer thought he’d be able to send data to the display’s controller via serial, but wasn’t able to get that working. Attempts to communicate didn’t result in a response from the display.

However, the display did come with a PS/2 keyboard and some intriguing instructions. It turns out that the display’s controller accepts input directly from the PS/2 keyboard, which is quite unusual. But it gave Mayer an access path: he used an UNO R4 WiFi board with a PS/2 library to emulate keyboard input. As long as it “types” slowly, the Arduino can program the display with any arbitrary message.

And because it has Wi-Fi capability, Mayer can make the Arduino work via his network. It would, for example, be possible to have the Arduino check the weather each morning and then program the display with a weather description.

The post An Arduino gives this quirky old LED sign a new life as a smart display appeared first on Arduino Blog.

A granular synthesizer — or more appropriately, a granular audio processor — is a device that chops audio samples into small “grains” that are just a few milliseconds long. It then manipulates them and rearranges them, before outputting the result. The auditory effect is interesting and appealing to experimental artists, but even low-end granular synthesizers are pricey. So, Sid Rockett used an Arduino Nano R4 to build his own open-source granular synthesizer called Arena Digitalis.

Granular synthesizers are expensive because they have to store audio samples, which takes memory, and then manipulate them in real-time, which requires processing power. Luckily, the Arduino Nano R4’s Renesas RA4M1 microcontroller has generous memory (32kB of RAM) and processing power (48MHz clock speed) at a low price. It also has analog input pins and a digital-to-analog converter (DAC).

Aside from the Nano R4, the only components required to build an Arena Digitalis are some audio jacks, potentiometers, buttons, LEDs, capacitors, and resistors. 

Those components provide input and output connections, plus the user interface. Musicians can adjust grain size and tweak tone, mix, and speed — or simply press the “random” button to make interesting sounds without any fuss. 

Because Arena Digitalis doesn’t generate audio on its own, the sound will depend entirely on the input. That can be anything from a CD to a synthesizer to an electric instrument. But no matter what you use for input, the glitching effect will add a layer of texture that you really can’t achieve in any other way and this is the most affordable way to get it.

The post Glitchy goodness from an open-source granular synthesizer appeared first on Arduino Blog.

We’re excited to announce Arduino App Lab 0.6, a release that makes managing your Arduino® UNO Q board easier, extends your creative toolkit, and brings AI capabilities right to your fingertips.

A new settings page in Arduino App Lab

The standout feature in 0.6 is the new board settings page. Think of it as mission control for your UNO Q: everything you need to know about your board in one place. At a glance, you can see your firmware version, operating system details, and whether updates are available. 

^{New settings page gives you full visibility into your board}

You can also access your board’s serial identifiers, system specs, kernel information, and configuration options like external sensor support, keyboard language, and remote access.

No more hunting through menus or switching between tools. It’s the kind of feature that just makes sense once you start using it.

Retrain your Edge Impulse models with one click

New Bricks, new examples in Arduino App Lab!

The 0.6 release brings fresh Bricks to your toolbox:

• Sound Generator Brick: Create audio feedback, alarms, or musical elements with ease.
• Telegram Bot Brick: Connect your projects to Telegram for notifications, remote control, and more.
• Automatic Speech Recognition (Cloud) Brick: Build voice-controlled projects without the complexity of managing inference pipelines yourself.

And here is something every beginner (and veteran) will appreciate: every Brick now includes a basic use example. 

For instance, here are a few more examples that show what is possible:

• Telegram Bot: See how to wire up messaging and commands.

• Music Composer: Turn your UNO Q into a musical instrument.

• Cloud AI Assistant: Explore conversational AI integration.

As a reminder, you can save a copy of any of these pre-built examples into your own apps in the Arduino App Lab, then run it quickly on your UNO Q. 

Try Arduino App Lab now

Arduino App Lab 0.6 is available now for UNO Q. Update through the app or download the latest version here. The full changelog and technical documentation are available in our release notes.

What will you build with 0.6? Share your projects with us on Arduino Project Hub or tag us on social media. We can’t wait to see what you create.

Get started in your edge AI development journey

• Arduino App Lab latest documentation
• UNO Q documentation
• Find inspiration on Project Hub 
• Download Arduino App Lab
• Purchase UNO Q

Arduino is a trademark or registered trademark of Arduino S.r.l.

The post Arduino® App Lab 0.6: more control, more Bricks, faster AI appeared first on Arduino Blog.

As a leading digital transformation and software engineering company, Arduino system integrator Softeq Development Corp. is a proven innovator in the industrial space – working with clients to deliver sophisticated, reliable solutions that leverage power and accessibility at the same time.

In a recent project, the company developed a cutting-edge controller for a client specializing in automation technology. The goal was to create a reliable system capable of transporting items along complex pathways using multiple conveyor belts and diverters. This required a centralized brain to manage the sequence and timing of all moving parts and sensors.

The challenge of complex transport and remote control

The client needed a solution that went beyond simple, straight-path conveyor control. As a first step, the system supports multiple conveyor belts operating in line with each other, establishing the foundation for future capabilities like managing transitions between belts and routing items to specific destinations.

The key technical challenge was twofold:

1. Centralized, reliable control: Developing a controller that could successfully manage the sequence of multiple conveyor belts, photo-eye, and contact sensors.

2. Wireless connectivity: For future, large-scale deployments, the client wanted to avoid running extensive control and sensor cables to every unit. The solution required robust, production-ready wireless control capabilities.

The Arduino advantage: off-the-shelf and industrial-grade

Softeq selected two key Arduino products to deliver the solution: Arduino® Opta WiFi and Arduino® MKR WiFi 1010. While the Opta WiFi served as the micro PLC (programmable logic controller) for the system, managing sensor inputs (origin, destination, door) and controlling the power output for the conveyor motor, the MKR WiFi 1010 provided wireless remote control and intelligent status updates, enabling the system to be managed without extensive hardwired cabling.

By utilizing these industrial-grade devices, the Softeq team was able to meet the demanding requirements for sensor inputs and motor control outputs. The choice simplified firmware programming and eliminated the need for costly, time-consuming custom hardware development. The resulting hardware controller box is a robust unit that integrates seamlessly with the conveyor system to ensure safe, intelligent, and efficient package handling. For instance, the system ensures the conveyor only runs when conditions are met and automatically returns packages if they linger too long at the destination or after a door cycle.

“The decision to use Arduino was driven by the client’s need to wirelessly control conveyor belts in a large warehouse with multiple conveyor systems. They wanted to avoid running extensive control and sensor cabling to each conveyor. The solution required three sensors (Origin, Destination, and Door open/close) along with motor power control, making off-the-shelf Arduino devices a strong fit. This approach eliminated the need for custom hardware, saving both time and cost. With built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support, and Opta handling sensor inputs and motor outputs, only minimal firmware was needed to manage sensor states and Bluetooth inputs from the MKR 1010 control box.” – Paul Fruia, Senior Advisor with Softeq Development Corp.

A successful partnership for smart logistics

This smart conveyor belt is a prime example of the synergies between Softeq and Arduino in the industrial IoT space – following the previous successful collaboration for a non-invasive glucose monitoring prototype. Softeq’s client expressed strong satisfaction with the delivered controller box and is already preparing specifications for extending the solution to new applications.

Industrial innovation is no longer reserved for companies with massive R&D budgets: accessible and production-ready industrial hardware makes smart logistics and automation easier and more accessible for everyone.

The post The smart conveyor belt from Softeq uses Arduino for a robust wireless control solution appeared first on Arduino Blog.

We’ve been working on some updates to Arduino Cloud that honestly make the whole experience better. Dark theme? Finally. A way to undo deletes? Yes. And we completely rebuilt the Thing Page so you don’t have to jump between a million tabs anymore. Here’s what changed.

Dark theme is finally here

^{Arduino Cloud offers a dark theme across the entire platform}

Okay, this one’s been requested forever, and we finally did it. Arduino Cloud now has a proper dark theme across the entire platform – home, dashboard, Cloud Editor, Things, Devices, Triggers, everything.

We didn’t just flip some colors around and call it done. We actually went through and redesigned the visual experience to make sure it looks good and stays readable when you’re coding at 2 AM. The app defaults to light mode, but you have full control. You can sync it with your OS settings, or just toggle to dark mode whenever you want.

We’re also planning to add custom color themes for Pro and Education organizations down the road.

New sidebar with Trash

We redesigned the sidebar to make it cleaner and easier to use, but the real win here is the new Trash section. Now when you delete something, it’s not just gone into the void forever. You have the ability to restore a deleted operation.

^{You can now restore deleted dashboards, Things, triggers and sketches from your Trash}

Dashboards, Things, Triggers, Sketches – they can all be recovered now. We figured if we’re building tools this powerful, they should also be forgiving. You should be able to experiment without the risk of breaking something permanently.

The Thing Page: rebuilt from scratch

^{The Thing is now the central place to manage your device and Cloud variables}

This is the big one. A Thing should be the center of everything in Arduino Cloud. It’s the hub. Everything else connects to it. And we wanted the whole system to actually feel like that instead of like a bunch of features bolted together.

^{A more central and intuitive way to manage your Things}

So we rebuilt the whole Thing Page from the ground up. Our design team spent a lot of time trying to make sure you can find your stuff easily. We wanted the interface to support a navigation that feels natural, friction-less. And we wanted the powerful features to just make sense, without needing to read documentation.

Up until now, you had to go to different pages to associate a Device, open the Cloud Editor, or check Triggers. You’d end up with a bunch of tabs open, constantly jumping around. It was annoying, and you could lose your bearings.

Now everything’s in one place. You can associate Devices, open the Cloud Editor, set up Triggers, and manage everything connected to your Thing without leaving the page. No more tab chaos. No more “Wait, where was I?”

This isn’t just about adding a little convenience to your journey, but about putting Things where they should be – at the center of your IoT projects. Now the Arduino Cloud interface actually reflects that.

Try it out

Everything we just talked about is live in production right now, ready for you to test out! Here’s what we recommend trying first:

• Log into app.arduino.cc (it’s free) 
• Open a Thing Page. Notice how everything’s integrated right there?
• Turn on the dark theme. See how it feels – your eyes might prefer it, especially during those long coding sessions.
• Delete something, then restore it. Go ahead, try it. Head to Trash and bring it back.

As always, we’re committed to continuously improving Arduino Cloud based on your actual, ever-evolving needs. These updates represent our vision for a more intuitive, forgiving, and powerful platform – but they are also the result of essential feedback and collaboration from the community. 

So, feel free to head to Arduino Forums to ask for support or let us know what you think about the new features. Let’s blaze a new path to innovation, together! 

Arduino is a trademark or registered trademark of Arduino S.r.l.

The post Here’s what’s new in Arduino® Cloud: a completely rebuilt Thing Page, dark theme and more! appeared first on Arduino Blog.

Pick and place (PnP) machines are the linchpin on which modern electronics manufacturing rests. A PnP is a special kind of robot with a vacuum end effector designed to pick up SMD (surface-mount device) components and place them on a PCB for soldering. But for hobbyists, they’re usually overkill. So, John LeClair bridged the gap with these manual PnP vacuum tweezers.

This is just a PnP machine, but without all that fancy CNC robot stuff. With this, you’re the robot and you hold the “end effector.” You likely won’t have the precision or work ethic of a robot, but you’ll be able to place SMD components on your board without resorting to sticky, staticky, pinchy tweezers.

The end effector here is just a small Weller handheld tool with flat cup nozzle. All of the interesting stuff is related to controlling vacuum. An Arduino UNO Rev3 handles that by sending power to a 12V diaphragm air compressor pump working in reverse to pull vacuum. The Arduino controls it and a solenoid valve through MOSFETs. By modulating power to the pump MOSFET via PWM, the Arduino can control the pump’s speed. 

For ease of use, there are only four user controls. The first is a power switch to turn on the whole machine. The second is a potentiometer to set the pump speed. The third is a potentiometer to set the amount of time the pump stays on. The last is a footswitch to activate the pump.

When you’re ready to grab something, simply depress the footswitch and the pump will come on. Then use the tool to start picking up and placing your SMD components. 

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