Source: https://mokxi.com/learn/path/maker-capstone Updated: 2026-11-11 All paths # Maker capstone: your own invention Invent a gadget of your own and take it from a blank page to a shared demo: find an idea, plan it, prototype, iterate, make it robust, document it and share it, each milestone practiced on real gallery builds first. Arduino Uno R3 Free 7 lessons 7 h 3 chapters 3,280 XP Maker ยท Expert +400 XP 0 of 7 done Start the course free Find an idea Lesson plan for teachers What you will build ## 3 projects, built step by step 7 lessons in 3 chapters, about 7 hours on a simulated Arduino Uno R3. Free, in your browser, every step checked by the simulator. Chapter 1 project ### Sketch and plan Turn a pitch into a plan you can build: a block diagram, a pin map, a parts and power list, and the numbers each block passes along. Read off the tripwire, then drawn for your own idea. Open it in the simulator Chapter 2 project ### Iterate Test like a skeptic, change one thing at a time, and write down what happened. Field bugs on the tripwire (a ghost at power-up, a wobbling beam, a hot attic and a cold garage), then a test log for your own build. Open it in the simulator Chapter 3 project ### Share it Script a short demo, share the project with a Mokxi link, credit everyone you built on, and ship your write-up. Rehearsed on the tripwire, then done for your own invention. Open it in the simulator The map ## Chapter by chapter Each lesson opens when the one before it is done, and each chapter ends in a project. Chapter 1 ## Spark: find an idea and plan it What makes a build worth sharing, ten ideas of your own, and a plan you could hand to a friend. Open 320 XP ### Find an idea What makes a build worth showing off: a real problem, a clear input and output, and one moment that makes people grin. Studied on a zombie tripwire, then applied to ten ideas of your own. 0 of 6 steps Start What is in it Project Locked 640 XP ### Sketch and plan Turn a pitch into a plan you can build: a block diagram, a pin map, a parts and power list, and the numbers each block passes along. Read off the tripwire, then drawn for your own idea. 0 of 6 steps Chapter 2 ## Build: prototype and iterate The smallest thing that works end to end, then field tests that change one thing at a time. Locked 320 XP ### Prototype Build the smallest thing that works end to end: smoke test one block at a time, then join them. Practiced on the tripwire's sensor, display and siren, then done for your own invention. 0 of 6 steps Project Locked 700 XP ### Iterate Test like a skeptic, change one thing at a time, and write down what happened. Field bugs on the tripwire (a ghost at power-up, a wobbling beam, a hot attic and a cold garage), then a test log for your own build. 0 of 6 steps Chapter 3 ## Ship: robust, documented, shared Survive real life, write it down so others can trust it, and put your demo out into the world. Locked 400 XP ### Make it robust A gadget that works on your desk is not done until it survives real life: defaults that fail safe, bouncing buttons, sagging batteries and sensors that lie. Practiced on an automatic plant waterer. 0 of 7 steps Locked 320 XP ### Document Write it down so someone else can build, fix or trust it: evidence from a full run, measured numbers, a wiring table and a README. Practiced on the plant waterer, then written for your own invention. 0 of 6 steps Project Locked 580 XP ### Share it Script a short demo, share the project with a Mokxi link, credit everyone you built on, and ship your write-up. Rehearsed on the tripwire, then done for your own invention. 0 of 6 steps Syllabus ## Every lesson in the course All 7 lessons, in order, each with what it covers. Any of them opens in the editor right away. Chapter 1 ### Spark: find an idea and plan it - Find an idea What makes a build worth showing off: a real problem, a clear input and output, and one moment that makes people grin. Studied on a zombie tripwire, then applied to ten ideas of your own. - Sketch and plan Turn a pitch into a plan you can build: a block diagram, a pin map, a parts and power list, and the numbers each block passes along. Read off the tripwire, then drawn for your own idea. Chapter 2 ### Build: prototype and iterate - Prototype Build the smallest thing that works end to end: smoke test one block at a time, then join them. Practiced on the tripwire's sensor, display and siren, then done for your own invention. - Iterate Test like a skeptic, change one thing at a time, and write down what happened. Field bugs on the tripwire (a ghost at power-up, a wobbling beam, a hot attic and a cold garage), then a test log for your own build. Chapter 3 ### Ship: robust, documented, shared - Make it robust A gadget that works on your desk is not done until it survives real life: defaults that fail safe, bouncing buttons, sagging batteries and sensors that lie. Practiced on an automatic plant waterer. - Document Write it down so someone else can build, fix or trust it: evidence from a full run, measured numbers, a wiring table and a README. Practiced on the plant waterer, then written for your own invention. - Share it Script a short demo, share the project with a Mokxi link, credit everyone you built on, and ship your write-up. Rehearsed on the tripwire, then done for your own invention. Kits ## Build it on your bench too Every lesson runs in the simulator with nothing to buy. When you want the real thing, these kits have the parts. Have a kit already? ### Find your kit Pick the starter kit you own and run every lesson in its manual with the same parts on the same pins. See every kit Questions ## About Maker capstone: your own invention Is Maker capstone: your own invention free? Yes. All 7 lessons of Maker capstone: your own invention are free and run in your browser, with nothing to install and no parts to buy before you start. Do I need a real Arduino Uno R3? No. Every lesson runs on a simulated Arduino Uno R3 with its parts on the canvas, and the simulator checks each step as you go. When you want to build it for real, the same wiring and code work on a real board. How long does Maker capstone: your own invention take? About 7 hours: 7 lessons in 3 chapters, each one a few short steps. Your progress is kept, so you can stop after any lesson and pick up where you left off. What will I build? Each chapter ends in a project that puts it together: Sketch and plan, Iterate and Share it. Where do I start? With "Find an idea", and each lesson builds on the one before it. New to circuits? Electronics basics is the course that starts from zero.