This MagSafe Mod Makes Your iPhone a Microcontroller
Commi Board is a MagSafe breadboard that uses your phone as the microcontroller for simple circuit prototyping on the go.
Arduinos, Raspberry Pis, and the like have made prototyping of electronic circuits so simple and convenient it can be done just about anywhere. But a lone designer named Kevin Yang has come up with an idea that could make prototyping ideas even easier and more portable. Yang has developed what he calls the Commi Board, which is essentially a breadboard that sticks to the back of a phone, using its powerful processor in place of a traditional microcontroller.
Commi Board attaches to the back of an iPhone like any other MagSafe accessory. Instead of embedding its own processor, battery, and screen, it is deliberately minimal. The board provides the physical interface for components — pins, traces, and modular sections — while the smartphone supplies the computing power, display, connectivity, and power management.
The system works through a combination of wired and wireless communication. When attached to a phone, Commi Board connects via USB-C 3.2 for high-speed, low-latency GPIO communication, while Bluetooth and BLE are available for wireless use and lighter tasks. Components are placed directly onto the board, and the companion mobile app handles everything from circuit validation to code execution. As users wire up a project, the app provides real-time feedback, visual guidance, and execution status, helping catch mistakes before anything is damaged.
The app supports four different modes, designed to scale with the user’s skill level. Beginners can use conversational, AI-driven prompts — typing something like “blink an LED every second” — and instantly see working code. More visual learners can use block-based or puzzle-style programming, similar to Scratch, to understand logic flow without worrying about syntax. Advanced users can switch to a full IDE, all while using the same hardware and project files.
Because modern smartphones far exceed Arduino-class microcontrollers in raw processing power, Commi Board can simulate many common microcontroller functions directly on the phone. For timing-sensitive or demanding tasks, the USB-C connection helps mitigate latency issues introduced by wireless communication. Projects, schematics, and code are saved to the cloud, making it easy to resume work later or share builds with others.
Designed as a modular system, the breadboard can detach from its MagSafe frame when more space is needed. Yang currently has a working prototype with tested connectivity, and while the full software ecosystem is still evolving, Commi Board already shows how rethinking the role of the smartphone could reshape electronics prototyping.