I've been fiddling with arduino on and of f for a couple of years now. I read stuff online, watch videos of projects, and even sometimes try to build something. But I always give up mid-way and also it seems like everything that can be done with it has been done already, although it's not true. I really want to make something cool/useful with it but probably surprisingly, I have never ever built any complete projects even after something like 4-5 years of being introduced to it.

To answer your titled question, i get my motivation two ways, neither from trying to improve upon something. I am a fabricator (welder by trade) and incredibly mechanically minded. And I love personal projects. One motivating factor for me is just to solve problems. I have a problem, and need a solution. Is it better than what’s out there? Maybe, maybe not. Was it fun to build it? Most certainly! The other factor is that this is my hobby and i just enjoy tinkering with it. One day i would like to make a full on automated system for one of my chop saws. An automated vice that can move the material the appropriate length, and an automated cut, and of course a counter so it know when to stop cutting parts. There is really no end to problems i would like to solve.

Being mechanically minded is a requirement for building many things that actually gets overlooked often. For example I myself know nothing about mechanical stuff, can't even fit a wheel on an axism and I find this getting in my way most of the time, not letting me to think of any projects with mechanical parts. It also doesn't help that, contrary to electronics and arduino, mechanical things don't have a popular platforms for hobbyists, except maybe 3d printers, which have their own problems like being slow, being able to produce only plastic-like things, and also they're kinda expensive. Would you mind sharing some of the things you've built out of need, because I really can't think of anything like that for myself.

Nothing destroys motivation like trying to do too much or not have a firm grasp of the basics. Start with simple things first. Succeeding at a project gives the impious to continue with the next project. Always strive for a neat final project that includes full documentation. I will attach a schematic circuit you can easily construct for a logic probe with HIGH/LOW switch. It is a useful test tool especially for new users.

Thank you these are really useful advise, specially striving for a final project with full documentation sounds exciting, something to be able to share and get feedback on too. Also a logic probe sounds exciting, I appreciate it.

[image] jdolm: I myself know nothing about mechanical stuff, I myself used to know nothing of electronical stuff. And I still no very little, compared to the people on this forum who make a living in the electronics industry. But as I became more and more interested, I studied electronics more and more. No formal study, just hours and hours of online research and online videos. Mostly specifically related to the project at hand. Which leads me to [image] jdolm: I find this getting in my way most of the time, not letting me to think of any projects with mechanical parts Not every project is mechanically heavy. Consider home automation. Or a simple digital counter/timer. Start with the small stuff, and let your mechanical ability grow with the projects. Maybe you can find an erector set or legos and learn to automate a project with that. Start small. Then as the projects become more advanced, so can your research and knowledge on mechanical principles. As far as my projects, I built a sweet digital measuring wheel that measures inches, feet, and miles (just because) and records these measurements into EEPROM. The coding took some help from the forum members. @LarryD helped a TON with the coding on it. I did not need to build one, I could have bought another one. But the store bought ones don’t seem to last, so I thought “why not?” I have also done quite a few motorized projects, mostly salvaging old gate operators. I am in the access control industry (I stick with gates) and come across old controllers and operators that are no longer functioning. I can use Arduino to refurbish them and get them running again. I can not sell them to customers due to UL restrictions, but I place them around on gates on my farm and my uncle’s farm, or sometimes I might just give one away to someone who really needs it.

It is best to use LEDs that work at low current levels, typically 5 mA. [2025-11-05_14-25-56] Maybe peruse this very long thread for some ideas. [image] Share tips you have come across General Electronics This post will contain the index for this thread. This is going to be a work in progress Links to topics will be added so you can select a topic covered (in alphabetical order). Jump Links 123 blocks 44 Button IR remote Advanced electronic videos Alligator clip DIY tool Alligator Clip 3rd Hand to Binder Clip Alligator clip soldering aid tool examples Anti static wrist strap Arduino As ISP Arduino links of interest Arduino protection for pins when bread boarding Battery connector r…

Didn't someone say that "necessity is the mother of invention" and for me its usually a need or a problem that needs to be solved that becomes the motivating force or driver for a project. So for example I wrote a PC program to remote control a communications receiver and because I didn't have one, built the PC-to-radio interface using a micro-controller that was required to make it work. I have also built a couple of Raspberry Pi projects to solve particular problems at home. Sometimes it is for a bit of fun because I as a retired IT engineer and electronics hobbyist and still enjoy learning new stuff and will sometimes work on a project just to prove to myself that I am still capable of learning and adapting to new technology and accomplishing something. It keeps the little grey cells active!

Hallowe'en. Lasers help, too. But Hallowe'en is a great opportunity to work towards something cool, something your intended audience has probably never seen before and even if they have, it's still really cool from their perspective.

For me, it’s always to solve a perceived problem or to make something more efficient.

I scan the project hub looking for projects that: Look interesting. I have at least most of the components. Don’t require expensive exotic parts. Trigger ideas of expanding their scope. Currently rattling around my head is taking a mecanum wheeled buggy and adding distance measuring modules (Ultrasonic, time of flight, ?) to get it to find its way through random mazes. After a 6 year layoff from I’m having trouble getting started.

Where do you get the motivation and ideas for doing personal projects?

Projects General Guidance

LarryD November 5, 2025, 9:27pm 7

It is best to use LEDs that work at low current levels, typically 5 mA.

Maybe peruse this very long thread for some ideas.

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Where do you get the motivation and ideas for doing personal projects?

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