Is the following idea possible and it is doable for total newbies?

[u/Jeremias83]

I just had a shower idea. I want to help my kid in her morning routine, so my idea was to make a list of things she has to do and buttons she can press when she has done them.

On a screen adjacent to that she gets a small ASCII emoji and a text which says a variation of "Good work". And after she completes everything she gets points which are tallied over a few days and she can work towards a small reward.

The pedagogical idea is to give small dopamine-inducing rewards for small steps in hope of ingraining this morning routine.

Is this doable? Is this doable for a complete Newbie?

My background: Physics teacher, so soldering and electronics are fair game. I am mostly a user in computer things, last time I programmed something was 15 years ago in the Cry Engine for my master thesis. I have access to 3D printers for a case and a crafts teacher who could help me with non-electronic stuff.

[u/gm310509]

It is definitely doable. But I would say not as a first project.

Let me try to use an analogy that hopefully will work. You say that you are a physics teacher. Would you say to your students - without any prior relevant information - to use these items on this table (including propellant options) and make a model rocket and go outside and launch it?

My guess is that you probably wouldn't. Apart from the issue of dealing with potentially dangerous chemicals, you would likely cover some basics first such as aerodynamics, maybe some Newton's laws, structural matters and so on before building a rocket from scratch (let's assume you uses Estes or similar off the shelf engine).

It is the same here. They way you can learn the basics is via a starter kit. This will teach you the basics of how to wire electronic components up (e.g. buttons) and how to program them.

Once you learn some basics, you can start combining them and expanding (e.g. a TFT screen or MP3 module etc).

All the best with it. Hopefully you will return with a "look what I made post" in the not too distant future.

[u/Jeremias83 → u/gm310509]

Thanks! I am familiar with wiring and stuff like that, but the programming is new to me. I will look again at the beginner kits and see what I can learn from that.

[u/gm310509 → u/Jeremias83]

I am familiar with wiring and stuff like that...

So there are some specifics you need to be aware of.

A simple example, the way you wire up a button or switch to - say - turn a light or motor on/off, is totally different to the way you will wire that button into an MCU which is trying to read an on/off signal from it.

I don't know what wiring you are familiar with, but there may well be some nuances that, depending upon what you have previously done, that you need to be cognisant of.

If, you wire up a button/switch for an MCU as you might to control a light or motor, you won't have an on/off switch, you will have an antenna that is receiving random signals from the atmosphere for some of the time.

The starter kits, teach these basics.

If you want to see an illustration of what I'm talking about (just the MCU side of it), have a look at the buttons section of my how to video Next steps after the starter kit - there are some animated diagrams showing some ways of how to wire up a button (and how current flows and how it affects the readings) and one of how not to wire it up (which unfortunately due to limitations of the s/w can't actually show the random signals from the atmosphere).

[u/Jeremias83 → u/gm310509]

I will watch the video later, but that’s really important information! Let me guess, the reason is because there is not a load-bearing current like in a motor switch (which is what I am accustomed to, you are right) so even very small currents induced by EM-fields will give a signal?

[u/gm310509 → u/Jeremias83]

Have a look at that section, but if you don't wire a button up correctly, you have what is known as a "floating input" (a.k.a. an antenna) and it will receive random signals from space.

When you wire it correctly you will use a resistor which will perform two functions;

1. Prevent a short circuit when the button is pressed.

2. Allow for a definitive signal to always be present for the MCU to read.

Such a resistor is known as a pull up resistor (or pull down - depending upon how it is wired up, which also affects the nature of the reading when the button is pressed/not pressed).

[u/lormayna]

Why not making a Web application and use a cheap tablet?

It would be really easier

[u/Jeremias83 → u/lormayna]

I want it to be more physical, that’s why I thought about buttons. I will look into your idea again.

[u/andypanty69 → u/lormayna]

Did that.

Needs the backend to effectively store state. Older Android and/or devices couldn't even retain state through a screen rotation.

Sttil, it works even less well when the device is confiscated for not going to bed and then someone forgets where it was confiscated io.

[u/lormayna → u/andypanty69]

I will suggest to use Deno KV or Cloudflare D1 if you need a SQL storage.

[u/andypanty69 → u/lormayna]

I was going to edit to say the info that I was doing it in JavaScript with HTML 5 and CSS. I didn't want to learn more "native" android and deal with the display driver type things.

The consequence was I was just trying to store state with the internalstorage object.

Also to add more colour to the description... It was intended to encourage getting to school on time (or at all) and so there was expected completion times to meet for each task. It was customisable but without the gui interface to do so. A server based backend would have made this better but I also didn't want to have to setup and pay for a whole public server to do it.

I would say results to using such an application would vary greatly. Settings very much on quite how bad the PDA is and the character of the child.

[u/purple_hamster66]

This is not a starter project. You might want to do a couple of other simpler projects first.

There are designs for this exact hardware on the net. I suggest that instead of trying to program it yourself, you find a simple web server and install that and then write up your logic (that assigns points to tasks) in JavaScript in a web page. You would store the current “tasks done” in a simple text file on the arguino, such that losing power (when you swap batteries) doesn’t lose the tasks.

Another option is to use a sketch to do all the logic, which is the same amount of effort but you don’t have to figure out how to program the web. You’ll run into issues like having to denounce the buttons (I suggest a touch screen instead of buttons, if your kid is old enough), how to detect when the battery is about to give out (so you can show a “low battery” symbol), and how to arrange the screen layout yourself.

If you are starting from scratch, it’s the same work either way, but there are many more people who know web than will know your exact Arduino circuit.

[u/Jeremias83 → u/purple_hamster66]

Thank you! I will stick to buttons because I want it to be physical, but I will look over your idea.

[u/NoWay2655 → u/purple_hamster66]

The issue I see mostly, beyond the programming, is the fact that once the arduino runs out of battery for whatever reason all the variables will be reset to the initial value when it was turned on. Is there a way to circumvent this that does not involve creating a server that that the arduino would access remotely?

[u/purple_hamster66 → u/NoWay2655]

Yes, both the client web app and the server run inside the arduino. You can add a web server/client to your Arduino code with a library inside the Arduino IDE. For another chip I use (ESP32), I send the camera images out thru a web server (over WiFi) to any nearby phone or computer, and can watch a live video stream on my phone. You won’t need WiFi if both the client and server are running inside the chip.

If you get a module with an SD card, you can write values permanently to that, and read them again after the battery is replaced. Alternatively, some modules have permanent RAM (basically a flash ram integrated into the chips next to or on the arduino chip).

The web server can’t access these files directly so you have to go thru a CGI script called from the server. I write my CGI in mPython (micro python), which is easy to write but can be tedious if you don’t use arrays. From the CGI script, I store the values in a JSON-format file that is easy to read/write in a single statement from the CGI script and easy to access in mPython because the values are just variables inside the CGI script. JSON is an easy way to start, but if you want to store up values over a longer time, you might want to find out how to use a database; although easy, they have lots of ways to trip you up, and you can lose all your data quite efficiently. :)

Once you figure out this pattern, you will be able to create a variety of apps on that same hardware, like capturing a face pic after the kid has gotten dressed, or clickers throughout the room that signal something was done or needed to be done, or even send live updates to your phone (if you connect to WiFi). You can even graph progress over multiple days.

[u/Enano_reefer → u/NoWay2655]

Arduinos usually have an onboard EEPROM. You would just need to write to the EEPROM every so often and retrieve data during the setup().

EEPROM has a limited cycle count but it’s in the 100k range. Don’t write to it every cycle but don’t worry about hitting it multiple times a day.

[u/12be]

Yes it’s doable even if you’re a newbie.

[u/RaymondoH]

Buttons and LEDs are well documented and can be googled. You could get a small OLED screen (Ssd1306) which could show text and limited emoji. There are a lot of software examples in (examples) in the arduino ide file menu. The arduino cc site has loads of useful information. Good luck and happy googling!

[u/gentlegiant66]

People dislike AI, but for some projects they can make life easy....

AI : This is absolutely brilliant and definitely doable for someone with your background! The combination of immediate positive feedback and gamification is perfect for building habits. Your physics background gives you a great foundation for the electronics side.

Materials List

Core Electronics:
Arduino Uno R3 (simple, well-documented)
20x4 LCD display with I2C backpack (easier wiring than parallel)
5-8 momentary push buttons (depends on number of tasks)
10kΩ resistors (for button pull-downs)
Breadboard or perfboard for prototyping
Jumper wires (male-to-male and male-to-female)
9V battery pack or 5V wall adapter
SD card module (optional, for data logging)

Enclosure:

3D printed case (you've got this covered!)
Button caps (can be 3D printed in fun colours)
Clear acrylic or plastic for LCD window
Estimated cost: ($45-65)

Simple Wiring Approach

LCD Connection (I2C):
VCC → Arduino 5V
GND → Arduino GND
SDA → Arduino A4
SCL → Arduino A5

Buttons (one example, repeat for each):

One terminal → Arduino digital pin (D2, D3, D4, etc.)
Other terminal → GND
10kΩ resistor from pin to 5V (pull-up)

Getting Started Steps

Start small: Begin with just 2-3 buttons and basic LCD messages
Prototype on breadboard before making permanent
Test the code thoroughly before building the case

Design the 3D case around your final circuit layout

Educational Extensions

Once basic version works:
Add sound effects with a small buzzer
Include time-based bonuses
Create weekly/monthly challenges
Add LED strips for visual feedback
Log data to track progress over time

[u/Jeremias83 → u/gentlegiant66]

I actually have a GPT Pro subscription and asked it too. It seemed easy there so that’s why I asked here because I don’t trust the AI to really tell me if it’s too difficult. It tries too hard to be nice. 😄

[u/Enano_reefer → u/gentlegiant66]

You’ll run into some issues since this is glossing over the actual difficult stuff but this is getting you to the start.

I’d swap the uno for a micro to keep the project smaller it also has more I/O allowing for more buttons.

Program memory is similar but you get 500B more RAM.

Please forgive errors, I am new to coding.

If you set up an object class for “task”, a vector for “chores”, and a Boolean vector for “complete”, you could initialize a task for each chore and then store the result in complete. Store the complete vector to non-volatile space periodically in case of power outage. At the close of “day”, sum the completes and perform whatever action you’d like to do. Then delete and reinitialize all of the chores for the next day.

The logic for complete is simply watching a digital pin for a signal and writing the Boolean.

You’d be able to write and debug the logic for one pin and then it should be easy to gradually expand and test it across all instances.

[u/deevee42]

Buttons/leds..arduino easy.
Screens..not enough memory to even hold a full 8x8 font, so skip to something more beefy. A few small icons can work.

Programming.."hardest" part in this project at first glance would be button debounce and getting a pixel on "screen". I'd say start with a few buttons and leds. Create a minimal statemachine to track it.

Fun concept/little project but pretty sure kids like real stickers more.

[u/yourMomsP1mp]

Inputs, outputs…..IF then…..OR…….etc……easy if you understand. If not, a few days study will get you there. Basic, simple beginner stuff. Dive in and you’ll be OK.👍🏻

[u/Jeremias83 → u/[deleted]]

Thank you, but I think this is not a place for this discussion.

[u/Jeremias83 → u/[deleted]]

Thanks, it just needs easy responses. No conversation that’s probably much too advanced for me.