# Circuit Playground

> Electronics reference and calculation tool for makers and hobbyists. (iPhone/iPad app by Adafruit Industries.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/circuit-playground/id492487671 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Adafruit Industries](https://appshunter.io/developer/492487674)
- Category: Utilities, Reference
- Price: $2.99
- Rating: 4.30/5 from 19 App Store ratings · 114 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 12.0 · 27 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2012-01-27
- Data updated: 2026-09-03
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/circuit-playground/id492487671/reviews.md

## What is Circuit Playground?

Circuit Playground simplifies electronics reference & calculation – so you can have more fun hacking, making, & building your projects. 

Features:
• Calculate component values for Op Amp, 555, RC Filter, Resistor Divider circuits & more
• Decipher resistor & capacitor codes with ease
• Calculate power, resistance, current, and voltage with Ohm's Law & Power Calculators
• Quickly convert between decimal, hexadecimal, binary or ASCII characters
• Calculate values for multiple resistors or capacitors in series or parallel
• Pinout diagrams for widely-used ICs, connectors, & boards
• Find color for LED wavelength
• Detect a magnet's polarity
• Show off your project by submitting pics to Adafruit's Show & Tell
• Access exclusive deals from Adafruit Industries

All that, plus more functions & enhancements to come!

## Key features

- Circuit value calculations
- Resistor and capacitor code deciphering
- Ohm's Law and power calculators
- Number and character conversions
- Series/parallel component calculations
- IC and connector pinout diagrams

## What do users think of Circuit Playground?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 👍 Clean, intuitive, easy-to-use interface
- 🚀 Fast load times and responsive performance
- 📚 Comprehensive reference tools and calculators
- 🎯 Resistor and capacitor color code tools
- 📍 Useful pinout references for various boards
- 💡 LED resistor calculator
- 📊 Ohm's Law and circuit calculators
- 📄 Datasheet storage and reference feature
- 🎓 Great for beginners and hobbyists
- ⭐ Well-designed and visually appealing
- 🔧 Handy workbench companion
- 💰 Good value with Adafruit coupon integration

**Cons**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
- ⚠️ Outdated and needs regular updates
- ❌ Limited calculator functionality and flexibility
- 🎨 Poor visual design in some areas
- 📱 Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
- 💸 Expensive for the feature set offered
- 🔧 Calculators don't work smoothly
- 📊 Limited coverage of Ohm's Law
- 🚫 Cannot simulate circuits
- ❓ Confusing datasheet management

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App crashes when opening multiple capacitors section
- LED Resistor Help Menu crashes the app
- Wavelength to Colour slider inoperable until text field activated
- Capacitor code function broken (incorrect default values)
- Number converter only accepts value 50
- Resistor color codes show conflicting color solutions
- iPad side-wiping error with page ghosting
- Calculator input issues requiring excessive fiddling
- Document folder missing in version 2
- Crashes on iPad mini 1st generation

**Most requested features**

- Update USB Type-C connector information
- Add transistor pinouts and HFE values
- Transistor and op-amp calculators
- Voltage divider calculator
- Arduino and Raspberry Pi pinout references
- More Adafruit board pinouts (HATs, KiPPAHs, TFT, Trinkets)
- LED parallel circuit handling
- Logic gate truth tables (NAND, AND, NOR, etc.)
- Function generator with sine, square, sawtooth, triangle waves
- Tuned LC circuit calculator
- NPN and PNP transistor calculator
- Mica capacitor color codes for vintage radios
- Better PDF datasheet import (via Safari/Dropbox instead of iTunes)
- Ability to rename datasheets for easier identification
- Breadboard templates for drawing
- Number keypad instead of full keyboard for inputs
- Power dissipation calculations on resistor calculator
- Schematic symbol reference
- iCloud syncing for datasheets
- Direct browsing of Adafruit store within app
- iOS 11+ compatibility updates

## Recent user reviews (10 of 114)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/circuit-playground/id492487671/reviews.md

### 4/5 — Has useful stuff

*2025-08-17*

Some handy knowledge is present, but some other entries could be added for rf/si topics quite readily

### 4/5 — Really good, wish they’d update

*2024-12-18*

The little calculators are great, especially for beginners. I wish they’d update it, though.

### 1/5 — Not what I expect.

*2023-12-28*

Very disappointed, so requested an immediate refund. Why did I buy it?

### 4/5 — Need to update USB TYPE C

*2022-07-04*

Probably a few other updates are needed.

### 4/5 — Almost

*2020-11-18*

Does not let me decide which values must be fixed and which must be computed, and usually gets it wrong, requiring much fiddling to get the answer desired.  Does not have a way for handling LEDs in parallel.  Otherwise, really useful piece of software, especially for teaching.

### 1/5 — Crashing

*2019-06-10, version 2.1.3*

The content is fine. Just a handy version of content you can find online. It crashes a lot though.   I’ll give it 3 stars when it stops crashing.

### 5/5 — So handy

*2019-05-10*

Much more convenient than searching the Internet and handy when checking all kinds of things like USB connector pinouts.

### 4/5 — Bugs [Requires ‘Patch/Update’]

*2018-03-18*

Major Issue = [Crash to Home Screen];

Cause’1of2’= /Component Values/Multiple Capacitors [Crash on opening]; FIXED

Cause’2of2’ = /Circuit Calculators/LED Resistor/i”Help Menu” [Crash on opening];

Minor Issue = [No Operation];

Cause’1of1’ = /Wavelength to Colour [Slider inoperable till ‘Wavelength:”...”’ text field activated] FIXED

Resolve = [5 STAR REVIEW]

### 5/5 — Just what I needed

*2018-01-10*

I mainly got this for the resistor codes but I have no doubt I'll put the other tools to use too. It's a nice little app and I'm happy to support Adafruit software!

### 5/5 — Excellent Quick Tech Reference..

*2017-12-26*

Found this app to be an excellent reference for my hardware projects. Clean, simple, with lots of spec info for simple circuits.  Would like to see more pin layouts for more boards but great resource as it is now.

## Frequently asked questions about Circuit Playground

### What does Circuit Playground do?

Circuit Playground simplifies electronics reference and calculations for makers and hobbyists. It helps with tasks like calculating component values for various circuits, deciphering resistor and capacitor codes, and performing Ohm's Law calculations.

### What are the key features of Circuit Playground?

Key features include calculating values for Op Amp, 555, RC Filter, and Resistor Divider circuits, deciphering resistor and capacitor codes, Ohm's Law and power calculators, number and character conversions, series/parallel component calculations, and pinout diagrams for common ICs and connectors.

### Is Circuit Playground free to use?

Yes, based on the provided information, Circuit Playground is a free application. It does not have in-app purchases or advertisements.

### What kind of projects can this app help with?

This app is ideal for a wide range of electronics projects, from simple DIY builds to more complex hacking and making endeavors. It assists with the fundamental calculations and references needed for building and troubleshooting electronic circuits.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.1.5 — 2021-09-03

Improved support for iOS 14

### 2.1.4 — 2020-02-18

Better support for iOS13
Fixed a typo in the resistor divider equation

### 2.1.3 — 2018-05-15

- Ohm's Law module: now the default state shows value symbols instead of units
- Capacitor codes: fixed problem entering decimal values
- Minor bug fixes and improvements

### 2.1.2 — 2018-03-22

Magnet pole detector

### 2.1.1 — 2018-03-19

Magnet Pole Detector updated for iPad Mini
General improvements and bug fixes

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## More apps by Adafruit Industries

- [Bluefruit Connect](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bluefruit-connect/id830125974)
- [Adafruit TV](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/adafruit-tv/id1052963124)
- [Adafruit Stickers](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/adafruit-stickers/id1291627278)
- [Adafruit AR](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/adafruit-ar/id1375722584)
- [Bluefruit Playground](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bluefruit-playground/id1489549571)

All apps by Adafruit Industries: https://appshunter.io/developer/492487674

## Related topics

[circuit playground](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/circuit-playground) · [adafruit industries](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/adafruit-industries) · [adafruit](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/adafruit)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-03.*