Beginner’s Guide to Arduino – Part 1: Learning Arduino Without a Real Board (Tinkercad Circuits Simulation)

Do you want to learn Arduino, get started with electronics, or learn coding, but don’t have an Arduino board or any prior experience? The good news is, you can start learning Arduino without even owning a board.

Arduino is an open-source electronics platform that uses a programmable board and custom software to build interactive projects. Simply put, Arduino is the brain of a circuit that tells other components what to do and makes decisions based on sensors or other inputs. Fortunately, you don’t need to buy a board or kit right away. With free online tools, you can already start learning how to code, wire components, and design projects.

In this Instructables, we will be exploring Tinkercad Circuits, a simulator that lets you build virtual Arduino projects and run them just like real hardware. By the end, you will know how to set up circuits, write simple Arduino programs, and practice the essential skills that will make using a real board much easier.

1. A computer (laptop or desktop)
2. An internet connection
3. A web browser
4. A mouse and keyboard (optional but recommended) – A mouse makes wiring components easier, and a keyboard is essential for writing Arduino code.
5. A free Autodesk account

1. Go to the official Tinkercad website: https://www.tinkercad.com
2. Click “Log In” if you don’t have an account, or “Sign Up” if you already do.
3. To create a new account, you can sign up using:
4. An email address (Autodesk account)
5. Or link a Google/Apple/Microsoft/Facebook account for quick access
6. Once logged in, you’ll see the Tinkercad dashboard where you can create and manage projects.

Tip: Make sure you’re signed in whenever you work, so your circuits and code are automatically saved online.

1. On the Tinkercad dashboard, look for the "+Create" button on the right side and click it to reveal the dropdown menu.
2. Select the “Circuits” option (not “3D Design” or “Codeblocks”).

This will open the Circuits workspace, where you can add virtual breadboards, wire components, and program an Arduino Uno board directly in your browser.

1. Inside the Circuits workspace, look at the panel on the right side of the screen. This panel displays a list of electrical components you can use.
2. You can use the search bar at the top to quickly find parts or scroll through the list of components.
3. Drag and drop an Arduino Uno R3 onto the workspace.
4. If needed, also drag a breadboard (to make wiring easier) and simple components like:
5. LED (The color can be changed later after placing it in the workspace.)
6. Resistor (The resistance value can be adjusted after adding it.)
7. Pushbutton

Tip: At the top of the components panel, you can switch the dropdown from “Basic” to “All” to access more advanced parts later (e.g., sensors, motors, displays).

Before wiring anything to the Arduino, it’s important to understand how a breadboard works. A breadboard allows you to build and test circuits without soldering. It acts like a solderless PCB or perfboard. A breadboard is a plastic board filled with holes arranged in rows and columns. Inside, metal clips connect certain holes, so you can quickly make electrical connections.

Breadboard Layout

1. Power Rails: These are the long vertical strips on the sides, often marked with red (+) and black (−), that carry power and ground. Each column is connected internally along its length.
2. Terminal Strips: The central area contains rows of five connected holes. These rows are used to place components and make connections.
3. Center Gap: The gap running down the middle separates the two halves of the terminal area. It is designed to fit integrated circuits (ICs) so each side of the IC connects to a different row. The rows on opposite sides of the gap are separate, thus they are not connected electrically.

Now that your Arduino and parts are placed on the workspace, it’s time to wire them together.

1. Power and Ground
2. Connect the 5V pin on the Arduino to the + (red) rail of the breadboard.
3. Connect the GND pin on the Arduino to the – (black) rail of the breadboard.
4. This ensures all components share the same power and ground.
5. LED Circuit Example
6. Place your LED on the breadboard. Remember: the long leg is positive (anode), the short leg is negative (cathode). (Tip: you can hover your cursor over the pins in Tinkercad to confirm polarity.)
7. Connect the anode (long leg) to a digital pin on the Arduino (e.g., pin 13) through a resistor.
8. To adjust the resistor, click it and change the value (220 Ω is recommended for a simple LED circuit).
9. Connect the cathode (short leg) directly to the GND rail.

Tip: Use color-coded wires to keep your circuit organized; red for power, black for ground, and other colors for signals. You can change a wire’s color using the dropdown in the toolbar at the top of the workspace.

With your circuit wired, the next step is to program the Arduino.

1. In the top-right corner of the Tinkercad Circuits workspace, click “Code.”
2. By default, Tinkercad may show the Block coding view (drag-and-drop style).
3. If you prefer to start with real Arduino code, switch to “Text” mode using the dropdown.
4. You will now see the Arduino coding environment, where every program has two main sections:

1. setup(): Used to configure pins or settings. Runs only once at the beginning.
2. loop(): The main part of your program. Runs over and over again as long as the Arduino is powered.

Example: If you want an LED on pin 13 to blink, you’ll configure the pins in setup() and then tell it to turn on and off repeatedly in loop().

1. In Tinkercad Circuits, click the “Start Simulation” button at the top.
2. The Arduino will now run your program.
3. If you wired everything correctly, the LED (as well as the built-in LED) should blink ON and OFF every second.
4. If it doesn’t work:
5. Double-check your wiring (power, ground, pin numbers).
6. Make sure your code matches the circuit (LED connected to pin 13 or built-in LED).

Tip: If you want to stop testing or edit the code, click “Stop Simulation.”

1. Drag a pushbutton into the workspace.
2. Connect one side to 5V through a resistor, the other side to pin 12, and connect the circuit to GND.
3. Use this code:

Now the LED lights only when you press the button.

1. Change the delay(1000); values in your code.
2. Try delay(200); → LED blinks faster.
3. Try delay(2000); → LED blinks slower.
4. Click Start Simulation again and observe how the LED speed changes.
5. This teaches you how timing control works with the delay() function.

Try these experiments:

1. Potentiometer + LED brightness → read input with analogRead() and output with analogWrite().
2. Servo motor sweep using the Servo library.
3. LDR (light-dependent resistor) for simple light-sensing.

These give you a taste of how sensors and actuators work.

1. Label your wires in Tinkercad for clarity.
2. Organize your code with comments:

1. Think in steps: break a project into smaller parts before coding.
2. Experiment: change numbers (like delay time) and observe what happens.

Once you are comfortable in the simulation, you will likely want to work with physical boards. My personal recommendation is to buy an ESP32 Development Board or Kit instead of an Arduino kit, as the ESP32 board offers several benefits, such as:

1. Built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
2. Much higher performance compared to the Arduino Uno.
3. Often cheaper than an official Arduino Uno.
4. Works in the Arduino IDE with similar code.

Choose this if you are comfortable learning with a bit of extra complexity.

Safer Alternative: Arduino Uno or Nano

1. Very beginner-friendly with a large community and extensive tutorials.
2. Starter kits often include complete components such as LEDs, sensors, motors, and displays.

Choose this if you are not yet comfortable with the ESP32 and want a safer option (ideal if you want the simplest starting point).

When buying a kit, check that it includes enough parts to complete common projects.

A good kit should contain at least:

1. Microcontroller Board (Arduino Uno, Nano, or ESP32)
2. USB cable (If the kit is Arduino Uno or others with uncommon USB connectors)
3. Breadboard
4. Jumper wires (male-to-male, female-to-female, and male-to-female)
5. LEDs (multiple colors)
6. Resistors (220Ω, 330Ω, 1kΩ, 10kΩ)
7. Pushbuttons
8. Potentiometer
9. At least one sensor (light or temperature)
10. At least one actuator (servo motor or buzzer)

If buying parts separately, aim for at least:

1. 1 × Board (Uno/Nano or ESP32)
2. 1 × USB cable (matching the board)
3. 1 × Breadboard
4. 40 jumper wires
5. LEDs (assorted)
6. Resistor assortment
7. 2 × Pushbuttons
8. 1 × 10kΩ potentiometer

Recommended extras: servo motor, buzzer (active or passive), light-dependent resistor (LDR), DHT22 temperature and humidity sensor, OLED/LCD, breadboard power supply, and relay module.

Now, you should feel comfortable:

1. Adding components in Tinkercad
2. Wiring basic circuits (LEDs, buttons, sensors)
3. Writing simple Arduino sketches

Once you’re ready, the next step is to move on to real hardware.

In conclusion, you can definitely learn Arduino without having an Arduino board or other electronic components. Free online tools, such as Tinkercad, can help you learn Arduino without a real Arduino board. In the second part of this series, we will cover how to set up the Arduino IDE, connect real boards, install drivers, manage libraries, and safely work with hardware.

Happy tinkering!

Rainier P.S.

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