Source: https://mokxi.com/learn/path/software-capstone Updated: 2026-11-11 All paths # Software capstone: your own project The end of the Coding track: design and ship a project of your own on a Raspberry Pi, milestone by milestone, from the problem and the spec through modules, slices, tests and polish to a demo you can share. Raspberry Pi 4 Model B Free 7 lessons 8 h 4 chapters 3,720 XP Coding ยท Expert +400 XP 0 of 7 done Start the course free Pick a problem Lesson plan for teachers What you will build ## 3 projects, built step by step 7 lessons in 4 chapters, about 8 hours on a simulated Raspberry Pi 4 Model B. Free, in your browser, every step checked by the simulator. Chapter 1 project ### Write the spec Turn the problem into a written spec with user stories and an out-of-scope list, then into acceptance checks the program prints: a boundary bug the spec catches, a spec change made test first, and the spec run against the hardware. Open it in the simulator Chapter 2 project ### Build in slices Grow Sprout one vertical slice at a time, each a command that goes from typed text through every layer to a result: status, water, history and a setting, with bad input answered instead of crashing. Open it in the simulator Chapter 3 project ### Polish and docs Make Sprout feel finished: a version string and --help from argparse, options that change behavior, logging with levels, errors that are logged instead of crashing, help text that documents itself, and a README and docstrings for the next reader. 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 ## Plan Pick a problem worth solving and write a spec the program can check. Open 350 XP ### Pick a problem Start the capstone: what makes a problem worth a portfolio project, evidence that a sensor can see it, the smallest program that helps, the edge case that would fool it, and a one-sentence problem statement for your own project. 0 of 6 steps Start What is in it Project Locked 800 XP ### Write the spec Turn the problem into a written spec with user stories and an out-of-scope list, then into acceptance checks the program prints: a boundary bug the spec catches, a spec change made test first, and the spec run against the hardware. 0 of 7 steps Chapter 2 ## Build Give every job a module, then grow the product one working slice at a time. Locked 350 XP ### Architecture Split the working script by job: pure care rules, a sensor adapter behind a read() interface with a fake for tests, JSON storage, and a report layer, so each part can change, or be tested, without touching the others. 0 of 6 steps Project Locked 800 XP ### Build in slices Grow Sprout one vertical slice at a time, each a command that goes from typed text through every layer to a result: status, water, history and a setting, with bad input answered instead of crashing. 0 of 7 steps Chapter 3 ## Prove A test suite with fakes that finds bugs first, then polish a stranger can use. Locked 400 XP ### Tests A test suite of plain asserts with a tiny runner that counts: boundary tests from the spec, the command handler tested through a fake probe and a fake lamp, a test that finds a real bug before you fix it, and a gate that will not start the app until every test passes. 0 of 7 steps Project Locked 700 XP ### Polish and docs Make Sprout feel finished: a version string and --help from argparse, options that change behavior, logging with levels, errors that are logged instead of crashing, help text that documents itself, and a README and docstrings for the next reader. 0 of 6 steps Chapter 4 ## Ship A demo that cannot go wrong, a write-up, and a link to share. Locked 320 XP ### Demo and write-up Finish the capstone: a scripted --demo mode that runs every command, a live moment with the lamp, the spec's acceptance checks run against the finished code, a one-line share card, then your README, a 60 second demo script and the Mokxi project link. 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 ### Plan - Pick a problem Start the capstone: what makes a problem worth a portfolio project, evidence that a sensor can see it, the smallest program that helps, the edge case that would fool it, and a one-sentence problem statement for your own project. - Write the spec Turn the problem into a written spec with user stories and an out-of-scope list, then into acceptance checks the program prints: a boundary bug the spec catches, a spec change made test first, and the spec run against the hardware. Chapter 2 ### Build - Architecture Split the working script by job: pure care rules, a sensor adapter behind a read() interface with a fake for tests, JSON storage, and a report layer, so each part can change, or be tested, without touching the others. - Build in slices Grow Sprout one vertical slice at a time, each a command that goes from typed text through every layer to a result: status, water, history and a setting, with bad input answered instead of crashing. Chapter 3 ### Prove - Tests A test suite of plain asserts with a tiny runner that counts: boundary tests from the spec, the command handler tested through a fake probe and a fake lamp, a test that finds a real bug before you fix it, and a gate that will not start the app until every test passes. - Polish and docs Make Sprout feel finished: a version string and --help from argparse, options that change behavior, logging with levels, errors that are logged instead of crashing, help text that documents itself, and a README and docstrings for the next reader. Chapter 4 ### Ship - Demo and write-up Finish the capstone: a scripted --demo mode that runs every command, a live moment with the lamp, the spec's acceptance checks run against the finished code, a one-line share card, then your README, a 60 second demo script and the Mokxi project link. 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 Software capstone: your own project Is Software capstone: your own project free? Yes. All 7 lessons of Software capstone: your own project are free and run in your browser, with nothing to install and no parts to buy before you start. Do I need a real Raspberry Pi 4 Model B? No. Every lesson runs on a simulated Raspberry Pi 4 Model B 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 Software capstone: your own project take? About 8 hours: 7 lessons in 4 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: Write the spec, Build in slices and Polish and docs. Where do I start? With "Pick a problem", and each lesson builds on the one before it. New to circuits? Electronics basics is the course that starts from zero.