Quick Start: Arduino IDE

Flash CONDUYT firmware and blink an LED from a Node.js script in about 5 minutes.

Prerequisites

  • An Arduino board - Uno R3, Uno R4, ESP32, or any board supported by the Arduino IDE
  • USB data cable for your board (not charge-only - if the board doesn't show up, try a different cable)
  • Arduino IDE 2 installed
  • Node.js 20+ installed - verify with node --version in your terminal

1. Install the CONDUYT library

In the Arduino IDE:

  1. Go to Sketch → Include Library → Manage Libraries
  2. Search for Conduyt
  3. Click Install

If the library doesn't appear in the search results, you can install it manually: download the latest Conduyt-x.x.x.zip from the GitHub Releases page, then go to Sketch → Include Library → Add .ZIP Library and select the downloaded zip.

2. Flash the firmware sketch

Go to File → Examples → Conduyt → BasicBlink. This opens a minimal sketch:

#include <Conduyt.h>

ConduytSerial  transport(Serial, 115200);
ConduytDevice  device("BasicBlink", "1.0.0", transport);

void setup() {
  device.begin();
}

void loop() {
  device.poll();
}

This creates a serial transport at 115200 baud, names the device "BasicBlink", and enters a poll loop that listens for commands from the host.

Now upload it:

  1. Go to Tools → Board and select your board (e.g., "Arduino Uno")
  2. Go to Tools → Port and select the serial port for your board
  3. Click the Upload button (right-arrow icon)

Wait for "Done uploading." in the status bar. The board is now running CONDUYT firmware.

3. Find your serial port

You'll need the port path for the host script. Here's how to find it:

macOS:

ls /dev/cu.usb*
# Example output: /dev/cu.usbmodem14101

Linux:

ls /dev/ttyACM* /dev/ttyUSB* 2>/dev/null
# Example output: /dev/ttyACM0

Windows: Open Device Manager → Ports (COM & LPT). You'll see something like COM3 or COM4.

Or list ports from Node.js (after step 4):

// list-ports.mjs
import { SerialPort } from 'serialport'
const ports = await SerialPort.list()
ports.forEach(p => console.log(p.path, p.manufacturer || ''))

node list-ports.mjs
# /dev/cu.usbmodem14101  Arduino (www.arduino.cc)

4. Create the host project

Open a terminal and run:

mkdir my-conduyt && cd my-conduyt
npm init -y
npm install conduyt-js

conduyt-js includes the protocol SDK and serial transport. No other packages are needed.

5. Blink the LED

Create blink.mjs - replace <YOUR_PORT> with the port you found in step 3:

// blink.mjs
import { ConduytDevice } from 'conduyt-js'
import { SerialTransport } from 'conduyt-js/transports/serial'

// Replace with your port: '/dev/cu.usbmodem14101' (macOS),
// '/dev/ttyACM0' (Linux), or 'COM3' (Windows)
const device = await ConduytDevice.connect(
  new SerialTransport({ path: '<YOUR_PORT>' })
)

console.log('Connected to:', device.capabilities.firmwareName)

// Set pin 13 as digital output
await device.pin(13).mode('output')

// Blink 10 times
for (let i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
  await device.pin(13).write(1)
  console.log('LED ON')
  await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 500))

  await device.pin(13).write(0)
  console.log('LED OFF')
  await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 500))
}

await device.disconnect()
console.log('Done.')

Run it:

node blink.mjs

Expected output:

Connected to: BasicBlink
LED ON
LED OFF
LED ON
LED OFF
...
Done.

You should see the LED on pin 13 blink 10 times.

Troubleshooting

"Connection failed" or timeout:

  • Make sure the Arduino IDE Serial Monitor is closed - only one process can use a serial port at a time
  • Verify the port path matches your board. Re-run ls /dev/cu.usb* (macOS) or check Device Manager (Windows)
  • Try pressing the RESET button on the board, wait a second, then run the script again

LED doesn't blink but no errors:

  • Your board's LED might be on a different pin. ESP32 uses pin 2, Pico uses pin 25. Change pin(13) to match.

"Permission denied" (Linux):

sudo usermod -aG dialout $USER
# Log out and back in, then retry

npm install fails:

  • Make sure you have Node.js 20+: node --version

Next steps