Python from zero
Beginner Python on a Raspberry Pi: print, variables, decisions, loops, lists, functions, dicts and strings, then a button with gpiozero and a working pedestrian crossing.
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Coding track
Learn to code, on boards that show what your code did
Python and C++ from your first print to classes, tests and state machines. Every program runs on a simulated board, so a bug is something you can see.
The track
Zero to expert, one course at a time
Most coding courses end at text on a screen. Here your program lights an LED, reads a button or drives a display, and the simulator checks each step, so you know when you got it right and you can see exactly what went wrong when you did not.
Start with Python on a Raspberry Pi or C++ on an Arduino Uno, with no experience needed for either. The track then climbs to the habits working programmers use: classes, references, ring buffers, templates, tests and code split so it can be tested away from the hardware.
The ladder
Every course, by level
Take them in order, or start on the rung that matches what you already know. Each course page lists every lesson.
Level 1
Start from zero
Your first language, one idea per lesson.
C++ on a board
The language, one idea per lesson, on a board that shows you what your code did.
Open the courseLevel 2
Build real programs
Find bugs from evidence, then write code that stays sane as it grows.
Fix the bug
Short puzzles on an Uno: one planted fault each, in the wiring or the code. Find it, fix it, and see it work.
Open the courseC++ that scales
The habits that keep a big program sane, on the Uno: references and const, classes, a ring buffer, a state machine class, templates, and logic split from pins so it tests itself. Ends with a tested calculator.
Open the coursePython with real habits
Advanced Python on a Raspberry Pi, after Python from zero: modules, classes, exceptions, files and logging, tests with plain assert, generators, and a sensor logger that uses them all.
Open the courseLevel 3
Expert
The data structures, algorithms and design habits interviews ask about.
Data structures and algorithms
The ideas every programmer is asked about, built and measured on an Uno: big O, linked lists, stacks and queues, hash maps, sorting and binary search. Ends with a leaderboard that needs them all.
Open the courseSoftware design and testing
How teams keep firmware right as it grows: readable code, modules behind narrow interfaces, fakes, tests on boot, test-first fixes, safe refactors and code review. Ends with a messy sketch refactored under test.
Open the courseOutcomes
What you will be able to do
- Write Python with variables, loops, functions, dicts, classes, exceptions and tests.
- Write C++ that knows the size of its types, uses pointers and structs, and splits into headers.
- Find a bug from the evidence instead of guessing, in the wiring or the code.
- Structure a bigger program with classes, a state machine and logic you can test without the board.
Careers
Where this track leads
The jobs these skills are used in every day, with what each one does and how to get there.
Software developer
Write, test and ship the programs people use every day.
See the careerIoT and connected devices developer
Build devices that sense the world and talk to apps over Wi-Fi.
See the careerEmbedded firmware engineer
Write the code that runs inside cars, drones, watches and every smart gadget.
See the careerTopics
Looking for something specific?
Each of these starts you on the right course and lesson for one subject.
Learn Python free, with code that lights things up
Beginner to real habits on a simulated Raspberry Pi: print and loops first, then classes, exceptions, logging and tests, with LEDs and buttons to show it working.
Start hereLearn C++ for embedded systems, on a board
Types with a size, pointers and structs first, then references, classes, ring buffers, templates and code you can test without the hardware.
Start hereArduino debugging practice with real planted bugs
Short puzzles with one fault each, in the wiring or the code. Then the meter, scope and Serial habits that find bugs from evidence.
Start hereElectronics for programmers
You already think in state, timing and interfaces. This route maps them onto current, voltage, pull-ups and buses, with code you can read on a simulator that shows each wire.
Start hereQuestions
About the coding track
Do I need to know any code before I start?
No. Python from zero and C++ on a board both start with a program of one line and build from there, one idea per lesson.
Should I learn Python or C++ first?
Either works. Python reads more like plain English and is a good first language. C++ is what most microcontrollers run, so pick it if you want to build devices. The ideas carry over both ways.
Why learn to code on a simulated board?
Because you can see what your code did. A loop that runs one time too many blinks one time too many, and a wrong comparison leaves a light on. That makes bugs easier to find and the ideas easier to remember.
Do I need to install anything?
No. Everything runs in your browser on a laptop, a Chromebook or a tablet, and your progress is kept so you can stop after any lesson.
Tracks
The other tracks
Embedded track
Arduino, ESP32, Raspberry Pi Pico and STM32: pins, timing, buses, motors, WiFi, registers and debugging, every lesson checked on a simulated board.
See the trackElectrical track
Current and voltage you can see, then transistors, op-amps, filters, power and PCBs. Every circuit runs in a real circuit simulator in your browser.
See the trackMaker track
Follow the starter kit you already own, then build a claw machine, a balance bot, a handheld console or an LED cube, each a short course checked by the simulator.
See the trackRobotics track
Motors, servos, sensors and PID control loops, then a rover, a claw machine and a balance bot, every lesson checked on a simulated board.
See the track