When I started these classes, I did not begin with a big project in mind. I was simply learning how electronics worked. My first circuits were basic: LEDs, switches, resistors and breadboards. I learned how current and voltage behave, how to use Ohm’s Law, and how to turn a circuit diagram into something physical on the table.

I found that I enjoyed the hands-on side of electronics the most. Reading about a capacitor or transistor was one thing, but building a circuit and actually seeing an LED react made the idea much easier to understand. As the circuits became more complicated, I also started learning how to troubleshoot instead of immediately asking for the answer.

Learning to Make Things More Real

One of the first important transitions was moving from breadboards to more permanent hardware. A breadboard is easy to change, but once I started soldering components onto a perfboard, I had to be much more careful. Small mistakes mattered more, and I had to think about component placement, wire routing and whether the circuit would still fit inside an enclosure.

I also learned that a working circuit is not the same as a finished product. A real project needs a structure around it. That led me into 3D design and 3D printing, where I began thinking about dimensions, assembly and how electronic parts physically fit together.

When the Hardware Became Programmable

Later, I started working with microcontrollers. Using an RP2040 and MicroPython, I learned that code could directly control physical hardware. Buttons could become inputs, LEDs and buzzers could become outputs, and a display could become part of the user interface.

One of my bigger projects was a Memory Game using several buttons, LEDs, a buzzer and an LCD display. It was much more complicated than the early circuits because both the wiring and the program had to work correctly at the same time.

A Memory Game project helped me learn how multiple inputs and outputs work together in one embedded system.

That project also taught me a better way to debug. Instead of looking at the entire system as one problem, I learned to test the buttons, buzzer, display and code separately, then connect the pieces again.

Making Something That Was Mine

After several guided projects, I started making more decisions myself. I used AI-assisted coding to build and refine a small Space Shooter game, where I had to solve problems such as joystick direction, game controls, wiring and display behavior.

Using AI made it possible to experiment quickly, but I also learned that getting working code is not the same as understanding it. I still needed to read the logic, test it, change it and figure out why something was not behaving the way I expected.

sequence.append(random.randint(0, 3))

for expected in sequence:
    pressed = wait_for_button()

    if pressed != expected:
        correct = False
        break

if correct:
    level += 1
else:
    fail_signal()

Later, I started moving from MicroPython toward C++ and working with the ESP32. At the same time, my soldering became more precise, and I was able to do more detailed hardware work independently.

The Idea Behind Little Black Cat

At home, I noticed that watering plants could sometimes attract small flying insects. They were annoying, and I had also experienced being bitten by insects while sleeping. That made me think about whether I could use the skills I was learning to solve a problem I actually cared about.

That question became the beginning of Little Black Cat, a smart insect-trapping concept.

The idea uses attraction and fan-generated negative pressure to pull insects into a collection area and make it difficult for them to escape. But once I started designing it, I realized this was no longer only an electronics problem. I also had to think about airflow, mechanical structure, where components should go, how insects would enter and whether the design could actually be manufactured.

The CAD model looked reasonable on screen, but printing it taught me another important lesson: a digital design still has to survive the physical world. Parts need the right dimensions, enough strength, and a structure that is practical to assemble.

Building and evaluating the first prototype helped turn the project from an idea into something testable.

What I Want to Explore Next

Later, after seeing roadside traps used for invasive pests, I started thinking about whether the same concept could grow beyond a small home device. One possible direction is a larger outdoor structure with a one-way entrance, where captured insects could eventually decompose into soil rather than relying only on chemical pest control.

There are still many questions I do not know the answers to. How much airflow is actually needed? What entrance geometry works best? Could solar power make the system self-sufficient? Could environmental sensors eventually make the platform useful for collecting more information?

What Changed for Me

Looking back, the biggest change is not one particular circuit or one finished project. I became more comfortable trying things without knowing the answer first.

I learned how to build a circuit, solder it, program it, design around it, print a physical structure, test it and change it when it did not work. I also became more interested in the idea that technology can be used to respond to problems around us.

I still have a lot to learn, especially in C++, sensors, physics and more advanced engineering design. But that is also what makes me want to keep going.

Sarah's Engineering Learning Journey
Electronics · Microcontrollers · Programming · Prototyping · EIM Technology