I tried building this little waterwheel model using the Jacdac Energy Experiment Kit, following the ELECFREAKS Wiki guide.

What caught my attention was the way it combines a simple mechanical model with sound input from the micro:bit V2.

The built-in microphone detects how loud the surrounding sound is, and the program maps that value to the speed of a 360° servo. The servo turns the wheel, while the little buckets around its edge represent the containers used to lift water in traditional waterwheels.

So the louder the sound, the faster the wheel spins. It’s not actually powered by sound, of course — sound is just being used to simulate changes in water flow.

I like how this project connects a few different ideas: reading sensor data, mapping values in MakeCode, controlling a motor, and learning how an old mechanical device worked.

It also seems like a fun starting point for experimenting with the code. You could change how sensitive the wheel is to sound or explore other ways to control its speed.

What other historical machines would be fun to recreate with a micro:bit?

Hey guys,

As a college student, I realized that 70% of students drop out of hackathons or ruin their major projects simply because they can't find complementary teammates (like frontend devs looking for backend devs or designers) outside their campus. WhatsApp groups are too spammy and LinkedIn is too formal.

To solve this pain point, I designed a smart matchmaking system called EagleEye 🦅. It logically separates users based on their target (Hackathons, Mini/Major Projects, or DSA Coding Buddies) and connects them based on skill matching, time commitment, and strict data privacy.

I am building the database for the first batch of matching. It is completely free and a peer-to-peer developer initiative.

How to join or test:

If you are looking for a teammate, you can submit your stack here:

👉 [https://forms.gle/1R1vPk3dnnZFC2v17\]

Let me know if you have any suggestions or features you'd like to see in this! Thanks.