Getting Started
Build your first project in 5 minutes — blink the built-in LED on your Arduino Uno, 20 times.
Prerequisites
- An Arduino Uno (or compatible board) + USB cable
- Chrome or Edge (or a Chromebook) — the browser talks to your board directly, nothing to install. On Firefox/Safari, use the Bridge fallback.
- A free account at app.arduinostudio.com — or try it first with no account on the live demo
What We’re Building
A sequence that turns the built-in LED (pin 13) on for 1 second, then off for 1 second, repeated 20 times. The sequence looks like this:
Loop (20 repeats)
└─ Standard LED → pin 13, ON
└─ Wait → 1000ms
└─ Standard LED → pin 13, OFF
└─ Wait → 1000msStep-by-Step
1
Create a new project
Log in to app.arduinostudio.com and click the + button on your dashboard to create a new project.
2
Add a Loop
On the canvas, click the + button on your sequence. Switch to the Actions tab and click Loop. Click the Loop to open its settings and set Times to
20. Click Save.3
Add LED ON inside the Loop
Click the + button on the Loop component. In the Components tab, open LED and click Standard. Click the new Standard LED block to open its settings:
| Setting | Value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Digital pin | 13 | Pin 13 has a built-in LED — no wiring needed |
| Off/On | On | Turn the LED on |
| Brightness | 100% | Leave it. Pin 13 isn’t a PWM (~) pin on an Uno, so the panel greys Brightness out and the LED runs at full brightness |
| Mode | static | Nothing to change: Mode shows “Coming soon” and stays at static. The Wait blocks do the timing |
4
Add a Wait (1000ms)
Click + after the LED component. Switch to Actions tab and click Wait. Set Time to
1000 ms. This keeps the LED on for 1 second.5
Add LED OFF
Click + after the Wait. Add another Standard LED. Set pin to
13 and Off/On to Off. Click Save. This turns the LED off.6
Add another Wait (1000ms)
Click + after the LED OFF. Add a Wait with
1000 ms. This pauses 1 second before the loop repeats.7
Connect your Arduino
Plug your Arduino into USB and click USB direct in the toolbar. In Connect to hardware, click Connect on the USB direct row — the browser shows a port picker; choose your board. (On Firefox/Safari, run the Bridge and use the Browser-agnostic — for Firefox/Safari/etc. row instead.)
8
Flash Firmata (first time only)
First time? New boards don’t come with Firmata, so the setup wizard uploads it — on an Uno, Nano or Mega, straight from the browser. This lets ArduinoStudio control your board in real time, erases the sketch that was on the board, and is only needed once per board.
9
Press Play
Click Play. Your Arduino’s built-in LED will blink — 1 second on, 1 second off, 20 times. You just controlled real hardware from your browser!
Your Sequence Should Look Like
| # | Component | Settings |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Loop | Times: 20 |
| 2 | ↳ Standard LED | Pin: 13, On |
| 3 | ↳ Wait | 1000ms |
| 4 | ↳ Standard LED | Pin: 13, Off |
| 5 | ↳ Wait | 1000ms |
What Just Happened?
When you pressed Play, ArduinoStudio sent each command straight from your browser to the Arduino over USB (Web Serial + the Firmata protocol). The Loop ran 20 times: LED on → wait 1s → LED off → wait 1s. All in real time — no code, no compilation, no uploading. (On Firefox/Safari the Bridge relays the same messages.)
Next Steps
- Try a Servo — Add a Servo component to move a motor arm
- Add a sensor — Use a Photoresistor or Button to make interactive sequences
- Use Check — Put a Check right after a sensor block. In the simulator and over USB direct, when the Check fails that pass stops there; through the Bridge, the input block waits until the Check is true. Either way, the blocks after it run only when the condition is true
- Build an interface — Switch to the Interface Editor to create buttons and sliders
- Share your project — Make it public and share the link
See the editor in action with a guided demo, no account or install needed: open the demo