Is there any "TinyCircuits for Dummies" info...?

[BirdsInMyBrain]

Hello!  I found this forum because I've had the notion of carving and assembling miniature lanterns, and putting mini-LED "candles" into them.  The problem is that my knowledge and understanding of electronics is rudimentary.  So I was wondering:
Is there a "For Dummies" type of booklet for TinyCircuits and "arduino"?  ((I am not sure yet what "arduino" really is...))
I know - I'm impatient.  I get the notion to make something, and I want to make it ASAP. 
Most of the time, I figure things out very quickly, but Electronics, or at least, anything much beyond connecting a battery, a resistor, and an LED, seems to be something of a maze, because there seem to be so many "systems".

TinyCircuits appeals to me, though, because, well, it's *tiny*.
So, if anyone can suggest any sources of introductory information for using these and for "arduino", that would be great!
Maybe it could even eventually be part of a FAQ...?
Thanks in Advance!   

[lennevia]

Hello!

There are a lot of resources for getting started with Arduino systems: https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/HomePage

We also have tutorials on our Wiki Learn site that includes a tutorial with example code for all of our products and other fun tidbits: https://learn.tinycircuits.com/

I recommend going through some of those high-level resources, but I also recognize being impatient as a similar-minded person. So I think starting with some bullet points on what you want your project to look like and do and then searching for something similar online that another person has done is likely the fastest way to get started.
For example, I made a little tutorial last Halloween using an LED to mimic a candle, so this might be a good project to start from: https://tinycircuits.com/blogs/learn/halloween-decoration-candle-flickering-tinylily-rgb-led

The above tutorial requires some soldering to get it as tiny as possible using our TinyLily products, but you could just as easily do the same project with our Wirelings - which are similar components, but allow you to plug-in sensors, LEDs, etc rather than needing soldering equipment. You could do the above project easily with the hardware in the RGB LED Wireling tutorial: https://learn.tinycircuits.com/Wirelings/RGB-LED_Wireling_Tutorial/ (you can also add in extra LEDs since the RGB LED Wireling has an extra connector on the back to string as many LEDs as you want)

That's a lot of info! Let me know where you have questions and I'd be happy to clarify and help you pick the right hardware for your miniature lanterns!

Best,
Réna

[BirdsInMyBrain]

Thank You, Réna!
I have some tiny LEDs I'd ordered on a whim  so I'm glad to know I can add some via  the extra Wireling connector. 
Thank you also for the links - I saw that there are many resources available  on the website but, to be honest, I got a little overwhelmed, so your suggestions let me focus and get started learning   

I peeked at the wirelings - I'm familiar with soldering but at the age where my hands sometimes seem to have minds of their own, LOL!  so the Wirelings are --- dare I say it???  ---- brilliant! 
Sorry, I could not "resist".......! 

Anyway, off to take a look and start learning

[lennevia]

No problem!

Feel free to ask more questions if you get stuck on something, and I would love to see the project once you finish it!

I love both the TinyLily and Wirelings, but the Wirelings are definitely a lot faster and easier to learn with since you can just unplug and re-plug them if you change your mind halfway through your project. The advantage of TinyLilys is that you can get simple projects really small and can even sew them into clothing with conductive thread (great for techy holiday sweaters!)

Best of luck!
Réna