A01
Mesh communication
Build off-grid Meshtastic nodes that relay messages across hills, farms and communities without cellular coverage.
LoRa • RF • Antennas • Networks Incoming transmission // Hāwea, Aotearoa
DON'T JUST USE
TECHNOLOGY.
UNDERSTAND IT.
A hands-on invention course for curious young minds. Build mesh radios, wire sensors, program tiny computers, diagnose real faults and learn how to learn—with AI as a tool, not a substitute for thinking.
0weeks
$10suggested / session
∞possible inventions
MESH NODE
915 MHzLoRaNODE 07
ESP32ONLINE
SENSOR23.7°C
AI LINKREADY
MESHTASTIC ◆ ESP32 ◆ LORA RADIO ◆ SENSOR NETWORKS ◆ SOLAR POWER ◆ AI LEARNING ◆ TROUBLESHOOTING ◆ FARM TECHNOLOGY ◆
01 // SYSTEMS WE WILL EXPLORE
REAL COMPONENTS.
REAL COMPONENTS.
REAL SIGNALS. REAL DISCOVERY.
Every session connects theory to something physical you can hold, measure, program, break, diagnose and improve.
A02
Tiny computers
Program ESP32 devices, understand GPIO, inputs, outputs, buses and how software turns electricity into behaviour.
C++ • MicroPython • Wi-Fi • BLEA03
Sensors & evidence
Measure temperature, humidity, soil, water, movement and signal strength—then make the data useful.
I²C • ADC • Calibration • APIsA04
Power anywhere
Learn batteries, solar charging, sleep modes and energy budgets so inventions can survive outside.
Volts • Amps • Watts • EfficiencyA05
Code that touches Earth
Send readings to a server, create dashboards and connect hardware to real farm and environmental systems.
JSON • HTTP • Linux • DataA06
AI as a thinking tool
Ask stronger questions, test assumptions, read datasheets, debug failures and verify answers instead of blindly copying them.
Prompting • Reasoning • Verification
02 // 12 AREAS TO EXPLORE
A TOOLKIT FOR
A TOOLKIT FOR
BUILDING REAL INVENTIONS.
These are not fixed one-topic-per-week lessons. We will touch on all twelve areas, then develop and focus on the projects and skills the kids are most excited about.
Voltage, current, resistance and the multimeter
Build a working circuit, learn to measure before guessing, and discover why smoke is usually a late diagnostic signal.
A tiny computer with physical senses
Flash firmware, blink outputs, read buttons and understand the boundary between software and hardware.
Send information through invisible space
Explore frequency, range, antennas, interference, packets and why LoRa can reach where Wi-Fi cannot.
Create an independent community mesh
Configure nodes, channels and roles, then test how messages hop from device to device around Hāwea.
Turn the physical world into data
Connect temperature, humidity and soil sensors; inspect noisy readings and learn why calibration matters.
Detect motion and control physical outputs
Use accelerometers, relays, servos or small motors to make a device react to its surroundings.
Make devices last beyond the workbench
Calculate energy use, compare batteries, experiment with deep sleep and design a solar-powered node.
Send measurements into the wider world
Transmit JSON to a Perl server, inspect requests and display live device data in a browser.
Ask, test, challenge and verify
Use ChatGPT to interpret errors, compare designs and form experiments—while learning to catch confident nonsense.
Break things intelligently
Diagnose planted faults using schematics, logs, measurements and disciplined troubleshooting.
Build something locally useful
Create a farm sensor, flood alert, weather node, wildlife monitor, gate notifier or entirely new invention.
Prove it outside the laboratory
Deploy, observe, improve and demonstrate the finished systems to family and community.
THE ACTUAL SUBJECT
LEARNING HOW TO LEARN.
Technology changes. The durable skill is knowing how to observe a system, ask the right question, find trustworthy information, design an experiment and keep going when the first attempt fails.
“The goal is not to memorise every answer. It is to become someone who can find, test and build the answer.”
MENTOR_PROFILE.EXE
LOCAL INVENTOR
HĀWEA // NZ
HĀWEA // NZ
YOUR GUIDE THROUGH THE UNKNOWN
TAUGHT BY A PRACTISING INVENTOR.
This is not a classroom simulation. Sessions draw from real work across electronics, wireless networks, CNC machines, solar systems, geodesic structures, ESP32 sensors, farm technology, software, APIs and artificial intelligence.
03 // OPEN CHANNEL
IS THIS YOUR
IS THIS YOUR
KIND OF SIGNAL?
We are gauging interest before locking in dates, times and the exact age range. Tell us who you are and what you would most like to build.
- Approximately 12 weekly sessions
- Based around Hāwea / Wānaka
- Suggested contribution: $10–$20 per session
- No previous experience required