Tutorials

LED Light Bar Hookup

September 24, 2013
A quick overview of SparkFun's LED light bars, and some examples to show how to hook them up.

How to Solder: Through-Hole Soldering

September 19, 2013
This tutorial covers everything you need to know about through-hole soldering.

Hackers In Residence - The Tethered Quad

September 18, 2013
Our first-ever "Hackers in Residence" Tara Tiger Brown and Sean Bonner created a quadcopter that stays tethered to the ground. Here's how they did it!

Using the BlueSMiRF

September 16, 2013
How to get started using the BlueSMiRF and Bluetooth Mate Silvers.

Serial Terminal Basics

September 9, 2013
This tutorial will show you how to communicate with your serial devices using a variety of terminal emulator applications.

How to Install and Setup EAGLE

September 5, 2013
Not just how to download and install EAGLE, but how to install the SparkFun EAGLE Libraries and scripts.

Using EAGLE: Board Layout

September 5, 2013
Part 2 of the Using Eagle tutorials, this one covers how to lay out a board after designing a schematic.

Using EAGLE: Schematic

September 5, 2013
How to design a PCB in EAGLE using through-hole parts.

My Drunk Kitchen Apron

September 5, 2013
A fun project that uses the LilyPad MP3 trigger. This apron will dispense helpful kitchen advice and humor from the host of My Drunk Kitchen, Hannah Harto!

Using the Arduino Pro Mini 3.3V

September 5, 2013
This tutorial is your guide to all things Arduino Pro Mini. It explains what it is, what it's not, and how to get started using it.

ProtoSnap LilyPad Development Simple Hookup Guide

September 5, 2013
Interested in getting into LilyPad? Or maybe it's Arduino that tickles your fancy? Just want to add a little white-blinky-LED zest to your vest? All of the above? The ProtoSnap LilyPad Simple is a great tool to explore any of these subjects.

Alternating Current (AC) vs. Direct Current (DC)

September 5, 2013
Learn the differences between AC and DC, the history, different ways to generate AC and DC, and examples of applications.

RN-52 Bluetooth Hookup Guide

August 29, 2013
A hookup guide to get you started with the RN-52 Audio Bluetooth Module Breakout Board.

Bluetooth Basics

August 26, 2013
An overview of the Bluetooth wireless technology.

Shift Registers

August 23, 2013
An introduction to shift registers and potential uses.

Series and Parallel Circuits

August 20, 2013
An introduction into series and parallel circuits.

Using GitHub to Share with SparkFun

August 19, 2013
A simple step-by-step tutorial to help you download files from SparkFun's GitHub site, make changes, and share the changes with SparkFun.

Dungeons and Dragons Dice Gauntlet

August 13, 2013
A playful, geeky tutorial for a leather bracer that uses a LilyPad Arduino, LilyPad accelerometer, and seven segment display to roll virtual 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 20, and 100 side dice for gaming.

MetaWatch Teardown and Arduino Hookup

August 13, 2013
Tearing down the nifty Bluetooth-enabled MetaWatch. Then building an Arduino sketch to control it.

Using the Serial 7-Segment Display

August 13, 2013
How to quickly and easily set up the Serial 7-Segment Display and the Serial 7-Segment Display Shield.

Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs)

August 12, 2013
Learn the basics about LEDs as well as some more advanced topics to help you calculate requirements for projects containing many LEDs.

RedBoard vs. Uno

August 6, 2013
In this tutorial we discuss the differences and similarities between the RedBoard and the Arduino Uno (SMD and PTH). The development platforms

WS2812 Breakout Hookup Guide

July 24, 2013
How to create a pixel string with the WS2812 and WS2812B addressable LEDs!