Build your own devices with electronics from Digilent.com

When Mark received the package from his friend Luis, his heart raced with excitement. Inside the box, nestled among protective foam peanuts, was a sleek, custom-designed circuit board and a handwritten note: “Let’s bridge the distance between us with this project.”

Mark and Luis had been friends since college, where they bonded over their shared passion for electronics. After graduation, life took them to opposite sides of the globe—Mark to San Francisco and Luis to Madrid. Despite the distance, their friendship remained strong, fueled by late-night video calls, shared blueprints, and their favorite hobby: building electronic devices.

This latest project was a culmination of months of collaboration. They had decided to create a pair of custom smart lamps that would light up simultaneously, no matter the time zone. The lamps would symbolize their enduring connection, glowing whenever either one was awake and working at their desk.

Mark carefully unpacked the components, his eyes lighting up as he examined each piece. The circuit board was a marvel of precision, reflecting hours of Luis’s meticulous work. Mark’s role was to handle the programming and assemble the final device.

He set to work immediately, soldering components to the board with practiced ease. Each connection felt like a step closer to his friend. The soldering iron hissed and puffed faint smoke, filling the air with a familiar, comforting smell. Once the hardware was complete, he connected the lamp to his computer and started coding.

The goal was to synchronize the lamps over the internet, ensuring they mirrored each other’s state in real-time. Mark wrote the code, debugging it line by line, testing and re-testing until the connection was flawless. He could almost hear Luis’s encouraging voice, as if he were right there, reminding him to double-check the logic and keep the code clean.

After hours of work, the moment of truth arrived. Mark plugged in his lamp and watched as it flickered to life. He then video-called Luis, eager to share the moment. The familiar ring tone sounded, and Luis’s face appeared on the screen, beaming with anticipation.

“Ready?” Mark asked.

Luis nodded, holding up his identical lamp. “Let’s do this.”

Mark tapped a key on his laptop, and his lamp glowed a soft, warm yellow. A split second later, Luis’s lamp lit up the same way. They cheered simultaneously, the joy of their shared success bridging the miles between them.

They spent the next few hours fine-tuning their devices, adding features like color changes and brightness adjustments. Each tweak made the lamps more personal, reflecting their unique tastes and shared experiences.

Building the smart lamps was more than a technical challenge; it was a way to stay connected despite the physical distance. Every component, line of code, and glowing bulb was a testament to their friendship and their love for creating together. As they worked, they reminisced about their college days, dreamt up future projects, and made plans to visit each other.

The lamps became a daily reminder of their bond. When Mark stayed up late working, his lamp glowing softly in the corner, he knew Luis was doing the same, half a world away. Their creation wasn’t just a piece of technology—it was a symbol of their enduring connection, lighting up their lives and their friendship, one glow at a time.

Sharing the joy of building something so meaningful with someone overseas had transformed their relationship, making the distance feel insignificant. For Mark and Luis, the true power of technology lay not just in what they built, but in the connections they strengthened through their shared passion.