I’m creating a new flavor of companion bots based on the old LightBlue Bean microcontroller, which I used to program with Arduino code via a Bluetooth mobile app. The series has been retired for years, but the devices still work – and I’d love to clone them someday (using the files open-sourced by PunchThrough Design), since they were really good for wearable tech!

TUTORIAL: Programming the LightBlue Bean in 2026

By collaborating with others, I finally managed to get my Bean up and running again! Here’s my current process, running on an M1 Mac.

Here’s what I did! Your mileage may vary, consult a physician before adopting your new Bean diet, etc.

Overview

• Write and compile code via PlatformIO, inside VSCode
• Upload the code using Bean Loader

Install on Mac

• Bean Loader (desktop app)
• Visual Studio Code
  • PlatformIO plugin
  • If I say “VSCode” or “PlatformIO” below, I’m referring to the PlatformIO plugin running within VSCode.
• Legacy version of Arduino IDE (1.8.*)
• LightBlue app (optional – this is reported to help the computer “find” the Bean over Bluetooth, if it’s having trouble)

I also created a project folder on my computer. It’s good to have a place to stash known-good code and compiled .hex files.

• Keep this folder separate from the whole PlatformIO file tree. If there are any issues with them, it’ll screw up your whole build.

Set up the Bean connection

• Power on your Bean
• Open Bean Loader
• It said I needed to associate an Arduino IDE with it. Choose the legacy version (1.8.*) you’ve downloaded.