1.1
Inputs → Processing → Outputs
15 min
1.2
Your kit · Arduino + ThinkerShield
20 min
Course · Beginner · Arduino Uno
Crack the Code
Crack the Code is the NSW Technology Mandatory 7–8 design project, rebuilt as a self-paced course on Little Bird. You'll go from your first `digitalWrite(LED, HIGH)` to a complete alarm/alert system using a real Arduino + ThinkerShield kit. By the end you'll be reading buttons, potentiometers and light sensors, driving LEDs and piezos, and writing real Arduino C++ — the same code your kit ships with.
9 lessons
⏱ 3 h 15 min total
🏆 4 chapters
Updated 19 days ago
PriceFree · part of Little Bird
LevelBeginner
Pace~30 min per lesson · 6 lessons total
HardwareArduino Uno
Course outline
What you'll learn
✓
Identify control technologies in the world around youSpot the inputs, processing and outputs in everyday devices — TV remotes, microwaves, traffic lights — and map them as IPO charts.
✓
Write, upload and modify your first Arduino sketchGet past the blank page: load Blink onto an Arduino + ThinkerShield, then change the timing, the pin and the pattern.
✓
Read digital and analog inputsUse `digitalRead` for buttons and `analogRead` for potentiometers and LDRs. Feed those values into LEDs and buzzers.
✓
Drive outputs with codeTurn LEDs on/off, dim them with PWM, and make a piezo buzzer sound an alarm tone.
✓
Design, prototype and evaluate an alarm systemTake a design brief, brainstorm options, prototype on a breadboard, and write a short evaluation against your criteria for success.
✓
Use the Serial Monitor to debugRead live sensor values from your Arduino over USB — the single most useful debugging skill in embedded programming.
Course content
2.1
Blink
25 min
2.2
Why HIGH and LOW?
15 min
3.1
Buttons & digitalRead
25 min
3.2
Analog input · pots & light sensors
25 min
3.3
The piezo buzzer
15 min
4.1
Read the brief
20 min
4.2
Prototype it
35 min
Before you start
Comfortable with a computer
You can plug in a USB cable and install a desktop app (the Arduino IDE).
Recommended
Any prior coding experience
Helpful but not required — we explain `if`, `int`, `loop()` and friends as they come up.
Optional
Questions people ask
Do I need an Arduino to start the course?
You can read the lessons and see the code without one, but you'll get the most out of Crack the Code with a real Arduino + ThinkerShield. Order the kit from Little Bird and the components arrive in a single box.
Will this work on a school Chromebook?
Yes — the Arduino IDE for Chrome/Web works on managed Chromebooks. We test against the latest browser-based Arduino IDE.
Is this aligned to the NSW Technology Mandatory syllabus?
Yes. Crack the Code is the customer-facing version of the unit teachers are running in NSW Stage 4 Technology Mandatory. Outcomes map to TE4-1DP, TE4-2DP, TE4-3DP and TE4-6FO.
What if I get stuck?
Every lesson has a 'Check yourself' mini-quiz and a Discussion thread. We also publish the full reference solution for each exercise once you mark the lesson complete.