How to Make a Crystal Ball With Arduino and Substrate

Embedded programming is evolving rapidly. Instead of writing long C++ programs or configuring complex toolchains, you can now build hardware using natural language. In this tutorial, we recreate a classic Magic-8-Ball style "Crystal Ball" using an Arduino UNO — and generate the entire firmware and wiring logic using Substrate, our AI-powered hardware coding platform.

With Substrate, you describe what you want, and it automatically produces:

• Wiring instructions - Pin assignments and circuit diagrams
• Fully functional embedded firmware - Ready-to-flash code
• Compilation and flashing steps - No Arduino IDE required
• Validation against wiring mistakes - Catch errors before they happen
• Debugging guidance - Live logs and error diagnostics

This guide walks through exactly how Substrate was used to build a shake-activated device that displays random predictions on a 16×2 LCD.

What We're Building

The Crystal Ball behaves like the classic Magic-8-Ball toy:

1. You ask a question
2. You shake the device
3. A tilt switch detects movement
4. A random answer appears on the LCD, such as:
   • "Yes"
   • "Ask again"
   • "Most likely"
   • "Doubtful"

The key difference is that all logic and firmware are generated automatically by Substrate.

Components Used

This project is inspired by the Hackster.io Crystal Ball build and uses the following hardware:

How the Circuit Works

The wiring is straightforward once you understand the purpose of each component. Substrate will generate variant-specific wiring instructions based on your natural language prompt.

Using Substrate for Natural-Language Hardware Coding

Substrate responds with:

• Pin assignments
• LCD configuration logic
• Random message selection
• Loop logic
• Initialization code
• Debounce handling
• Flashing instructions
• Wiring validation

This approach eliminates the need for manual coding and accelerates the prototyping process significantly.

Flashing the Board With Substrate

Substrate handles the entire deployment process. Once the firmware is generated:

1. It detects the connected board
2. Compiles the firmware
3. Uploads it over USB
4. Verifies successful flashing
5. Provides live logs and error diagnostics

This avoids the need for the Arduino IDE or manual compilation, streamlining the workflow from idea to running hardware.

Demonstration

Final Results

When flashed and powered, the Crystal Ball operates exactly like a modernized version of the Magic-8-Ball:

• Tilting the switch triggers the event
• The code selects a random response
• The LCD updates with a readable prediction
• The system resets automatically for the next use

This simple build clearly demonstrates the power of Substrate for embedded development. And also how you can rapidly test multiple designs.

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Try Substrate Studio at bedrockdynamics.studio and build your own Crystal Ball — or any hardware project — using natural language.

Questions? Reach us at hello@bedrockdynamics.com