---
title: "W6100 - YouTube Subscriber Counter on Arduino Uno"
url: "https://maker.wiznet.io/Lihan__/projects/w6100-youtube-subscriber-counter-on-arduino-uno/"
markdown_url: "https://maker.wiznet.io/Lihan__/projects/w6100-youtube-subscriber-counter-on-arduino-uno/md"
type: "UCC: User Created Content"
author: "Clemens Valens"
author_url: "https://www.hackster.io/clemens-valens/youtube-subscriber-counter-on-arduino-uno-bac897?f=1#"
editor: "WIZnet"
editor_url: "https://maker.wiznet.io/"
original_author: "Clemens Valens"
original_url: "https://www.hackster.io/clemens-valens/youtube-subscriber-counter-on-arduino-uno-bac897?f=1#"
published: "2025-11-23"
language: "en"
likes: 0
views: 410
comments: 0
source: "WIZnet Makers (https://maker.wiznet.io/)"
---

# W6100 - YouTube Subscriber Counter on Arduino Uno

> Arduino UNO + W6100 drives an IPv6-enabled wired counter; heavy SSL/HTML parsing is off-loaded to a Python proxy, letting the 8-bit MCU update the LCD

Original author: Clemens Valens (source: https://www.hackster.io/clemens-valens/youtube-subscriber-counter-on-arduino-uno-bac897?f=1#)

## Article

## Project Overview

A desktop counter that shows a YouTube channel’s subscriber count **every 30 seconds in real time**.

**Arduino UNO** – 8-bit MCU that drives the LCD and runs a lightweight HTTP server.

**WIZnet WIZ610io** – delivers a full TCP/IP stack and wired Ethernet over just four SPI lines.

**Python Proxy** (PC or Raspberry Pi) – fetches the YouTube page via HTTPS, extracts the subscriber count, and sends a simple HTTP GET request to the UNO.

**16 × 2 LCD Keypad Shield** – physically displays the channel name and subscriber count; the buttons let you switch between channels.

Design philosophy: **“Heavy lifting on the proxy, light logic on the UNO.”**
TLS termination and HTML scraping—both resource-hungry—are off-loaded to the proxy, sparing the UNO’s limited RAM and timing budget.

## Architecture

![](https://maker.wiznet.io/upload/ckeditor5/1071065610%5F1764293373%2Epng)

**Flow explanationYouTube** supplies the raw HTML that contains the channel name and subscriber count.

The **Python Proxy** terminates TLS, scrapes the subscriber number, and calls the UNO with a clean URL like `/ChannelName+123456`.

**UNO + WIZ610io** parses that URI, updates the LCD, and optionally logs the data.

The **LCD** provides an always-on, glanceable read-out; logs can be stored for later analysis.

### Hardware hookups

SPI MOSI/MISO/SCK → UNO pins 11/12/13.

Chip-select moved to **pin 3** so it doesn’t clash with the LCD shield.

WIZ610io runs at 3.3 V and is 5 V-tolerant, so no level-shifter is needed.

### What the UNO does

Boots, assigns a MAC and fixed IP, then starts an HTTP server on port 80.

On each request it reads the URI `/Channel+Subs`, splits the two pieces, and prints them—channel on line 1, subscriber count on line 2.

Sends a minimal 200 OK response and closes the socket to keep resources free.

### What the Python proxy does

Every 30 s it grabs the channel’s page over HTTPS.

Pulls out the `subscriber-count` element, converts it to a readable number.

Calls the UNO with a single `GET /Channel+Subs`.

Keeps looping even if a fetch fails, logging errors for later troubleshooting.

**Performance** – Wired Ethernet keeps jitter to ±1 s, and a 24-hour burn-in run showed zero packet loss or missed LCD updates. The only hard limit is that extremely long channel names (or many channels in a single URI) must fit the UNO’s small receive buffer.

### Significance and Implications of This Project

**Overcoming 8-bit MCU Limitations**
Tasks such as SSL termination and HTML parsing are far beyond the memory and processing capacity of an 8-bit MCU. This project tackles the problem in two steps:

A **Python proxy** fetches the web page, handles SSL decryption, and performs the scraping—then passes the UNO a single, sanitized text line.

The **UNO simply parses this lightweight string and updates the LCD**, so everything runs comfortably within its 8 KB of SRAM.
In other words, even legacy 8-bit devices can indirectly perform high-level SSL and HTML processing through off-loading. Meanwhile, the W6100’s hardware TCP/IP stack takes care of buffering and retransmission, keeping the wired connection rock-solid.

**Practical IPv6 on the W6100**
Because the W6100 contains full IPv4 **and** IPv6 stacks internally, an Arduino UNO can join modern IPv6 networks with virtually no extra coding effort. The MCU doesn’t have to manage addresses, headers, or ICMPv6 details—only the application-layer logic.

## Possible Extensions

**Port to WIZnet W7500P** (MCU + Ethernet in one chip) to shrink the hardware footprint.

Add a **REST API** so you can change channels from a phone or web UI.

Replace the LCD with an **LED matrix or e-ink panel** for larger or ultra-low-power displays.

Package the proxy as a **Docker container** for easy multi-channel deployment.

Provide a **Wi-Fi fail-over** path (ESP32 + W6100) so the counter keeps working if the cable is unplugged.

Stream data into **InfluxDB or TimescaleDB** for long-term trend graphs.

Implement a **multi-channel rotation mode** to cycle through several channels automatically, perfect for booths or storefronts.

---

Source: https://maker.wiznet.io/Lihan__/projects/w6100-youtube-subscriber-counter-on-arduino-uno/