Welcome to the Franzininho project documentation
This documentation brings together guides, references, and examples for anyone who wants to learn, assemble, program, and build projects with Franzininho boards and kits.
If you are just getting started, begin with this page. It will help you understand the project, choose a board or kit, and find the next tutorial without needing to know the whole documentation structure first.
This material is continuously evolving. If something is missing, unclear, or outdated, let the community know or contribute an improvement.
About the Franzininho project
The Franzininho project was created to encourage and empower people in Brazil to build their own electronic projects with embedded systems, IoT, and open technologies.
We aim to make learning these technologies more accessible through development boards, educational kits, teaching materials, tools, practical examples, and a collaborative community.
The project is built on five pillars:
- Open source software and hardware;
- Open educational materials;
- Community;
- Knowledge sharing;
- Collaboration.
Where to start?
Today, the main materials under development and the highlighted boards in the Franzininho ecosystem are:
| Board | Best for | Start here |
|---|---|---|
| Franzininho WiFi | Learning IoT, connectivity, ESP32-S2, and different programming environments | Explore the Franzininho WiFi |
| Franzininho WiFi LAB01 | Workshops, labs, and quick experimentation with integrated sensors, actuators, and interfaces | Explore the Franzininho WiFi LAB01 |
| Franzininho C0 | Studying STM32 microcontrollers, embedded programming, and prototyping with ARM Cortex-M0+ | Explore the Franzininho C0 |
If you are still choosing where to begin, the Franzininho WiFi is a great general starting point. The LAB01 is recommended when you want to explore several hardware resources without building many external circuits. The Franzininho C0 is a good choice for learning the STM32 ecosystem.
Other paths available in the documentation:
| If you want to... | Start here |
|---|---|
| Simulate projects before using a physical board | Franzininho WiFi on Wokwi |
| Assemble your own board and learn soldering | Franzininho DIY |
| Create playful activities with Scratch and everyday objects | FranzMakey |
| Explore kits, badges, and educational materials | See the categories in the documentation sidebar |
Recommended first steps
- Choose the board or kit you have.
- Open that board's main page to learn about its features, pinout, power options, and programming methods.
- Follow the first tutorial for the technology you want to use, such as Arduino, MicroPython, CircuitPython, ESP-IDF, or STM32CubeIDE.
- Try a simple example, such as blinking an LED, reading a button, or testing a digital input or output.
- If you get stuck, ask the community. Many common questions happen during installation, environment setup, and the first code upload.
You can also start with simulators, such as Wokwi, when available. They help you test ideas and understand project logic before assembling the physical circuit.
What will you find in this documentation?
- Introductions to the boards and kits in the Franzininho ecosystem;
- Pinouts, schematics, hardware features, and power information;
- Tool installation and setup guides;
- Programming examples with Arduino, MicroPython, CircuitPython, ESP-IDF, AVR Libc, and STM32CubeIDE;
- Materials for workshops, educational activities, and practical projects;
- Links to repositories, hardware files, and complementary resources.
Need help?
If you did not find what you were looking for or got stuck on any step, join the community:
Join the community
When asking for help, try to include:
- Which board or kit you are using;
- Which tutorial you are following;
- Which operating system you use;
- Which error appeared, if any;
- A photo of the setup or a screenshot of the error message.
This information helps other people understand the issue faster.
How to contribute?
You can contribute in several ways:
- Request new tutorials and examples in the GitHub Issues area;
- Suggest corrections, text improvements, or link updates;
- Share examples, projects, and workshop materials;
- Talk with the Discord community, especially in documentation-related channels.
If you are not familiar with GitHub, you can also send your material through this form. It includes a template to help you create the content.
Contact
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.