In the final session of our Magic Wand series, we’ll transform the wand from a self-contained project into a wireless prop controller.

The first Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense Rev2 will remain inside the wand, where it recognizes gestures using our Edge Impulse model. Once a spell is identified, the wand will send a command over Bluetooth Low Energy to a second Nano 33 BLE Sense Rev2 or ESP32.

The second microcontroller will act as the prop controller and activate two different components:

• An addressable LED strip for lighting and animation effects
• A DC motor for movement and mechanical effects

We’ll use these components to represent the kinds of outputs you might find inside a cosplay prop, Halloween decoration, interactive display, animatronic, or escape-room effect.

Have questions about wiring or code you’ve seen in a past live event? Or, are you feeling stuck with your project? Stop by any time from 7 – 9 PM EST and let’s chat about it!

Even if you can’t attend the live event, I regularly comb through your posts to see where you are with your projects and try to tackle as many as I can with participating members. Then I’ll post whatever wiring diagrams and code we come up with to your project thread.

To get the most out of the Office Hours event, tell us about your project and where you’re getting stuck beforehand by starting or updating a thread in Project Help.

If you need help with your project let me know!

Want your projects to react like magic—without anyone ever touching a button?

In this live workshop, we’ll explore the surprisingly powerful world of reed switches and learn how a tiny hidden magnet can trigger everything from LEDs and motors to full-blown haunted house effects.

We’ll cover the different styles of reed switches, including glass reed switches, rugged plastic-encased versions, and magnetic door and cabinet sensors commonly used in home security systems. You’ll learn how each one works, when to use them, and how to connect them to an Arduino.

Have questions about wiring or code you’ve seen in a past live event? Or, are you feeling stuck with your project? Stop by any time from 7 – 9 PM EST and let’s chat about it!

Even if you can’t attend the live event, I regularly comb through your posts to see where you are with your projects and try to tackle as many as I can with participating members. Then I’ll post whatever wiring diagrams and code we come up with to your project thread.

To get the most out of the Office Hours event, tell us about your project and where you’re getting stuck beforehand by starting or updating a thread in Project Help.

If you need help with your project let me know!