The first blink

/*
  Infrared Transmitter - first blink                     TK63 / /p/tk63

  Wiring. Count from the square pad on the TinkerBlock board, parts
  up, header at the bottom:

    GND    -> GND
    VCC    -> 5V (VBUS on a Pico) for full range; 3V3 works, shorter.
              VCC only feeds the two LEDs, so 5V is safe on any board.
    NC     -> nothing   (unconnected on the board)
    SIGNAL -> GPIO 6 on an ESP32-S3, GPIO 22 on an ESP32,
              D3 on an Uno, GP17 on a Raspberry Pi Pico

  Arduino IDE
    Tools > Board                 your board, e.g. ESP32S3 Dev Module
    Tools > Port                  the one that appears when you plug in
    Tools > USB CDC On Boot       Enabled   (ESP32-S3 only)
    No library needed.
    Serial Monitor                115200
*/

// The pin SIGNAL is wired to.
// Uno: 3. ESP32: 22. ESP32-S3: 6. Pico: 17.
const int IR_PIN = 6;

void setup() {
  // LOW first: nothing on the board holds the transistor off.
  pinMode(IR_PIN, OUTPUT);
  digitalWrite(IR_PIN, LOW);
  Serial.begin(115200);
}

void loop() {
  // HIGH turns the transistor on: both LEDs light.
  digitalWrite(IR_PIN, HIGH);
  Serial.println("on: the red LED is lit; look through a camera");
  delay(1000);

  digitalWrite(IR_PIN, LOW);
  Serial.println("off");
  delay(1000);
}

"""
  Infrared Transmitter - first blink, MicroPython       TK63 / /p/tk63

  Wiring. Count from the square pad on the TinkerBlock board, parts
  up, header at the bottom:

    GND    -> GND
    VCC    -> 5V (VBUS on a Pico) for full range; 3V3 works, shorter
    NC     -> nothing   (unconnected on the board)
    SIGNAL -> GPIO 6 on an ESP32-S3, GPIO 22 on an ESP32,
              GP17 on a Raspberry Pi Pico

  Thonny
    Run > Configure interpreter   MicroPython (ESP32) or
                                  MicroPython (Raspberry Pi Pico)
"""

import time
from machine import Pin

# The GPIO number SIGNAL is wired to. ESP32: 22. ESP32-S3: 6. Pico: 17.
IR_PIN = 6

ir = Pin(IR_PIN, Pin.OUT, value=0)   # LOW: both LEDs off

while True:
    ir.value(1)                      # transistor on: both LEDs light
    print("on: the red LED is lit; look through a camera")
    time.sleep(1)
    ir.value(0)
    print("off")
    time.sleep(1)