Contributors:
Elias The Sparkiest
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Introduction
Note: This tutorial was written for v20 of the AS3935 lightning detector. For information on the previous version of the hookup guide, you will need to
head over to the older tutorial.
The SparkFun AS3935 Lightning Detector adds lightning detection to your next weather station or to your next bike ride. Are you worried about the looming clouds in the distance, how far away is that storm exactly? The lightning detector can tell you the distance to the front of the storm 40 km away with an accuracy of 1km. It has false positive rejection and comes with many configurable features. To get at those features we have written a library that gives you access to settings such as storm sensing sensitivity, when detecting indoors vs outdoors, or the number of lightning strikes needed to trigger an interrupt! Revision 2.0 of the board is SPI only*, with the caveat that if you wanted to use I²C, all the parts are there but it is NOT supported by SparkFun.
In stock
SEN-15441
The SparkFun Lightning Detector adds lightning detection to your next weather station to make sure you are aware of any bad w…
3
Required Materials
To follow along with the example code used in this tutorial, you will also need the following materials. You may not need everything though depending on what you have. Add it to your cart, read through the guide, and adjust the cart as necessary.
In stock
DEV-15123
The SparkFun RedBoard Qwiic is an Arduino-compatible development board with a built in Qwiic connector, eliminating the need …
20
In stock
PRT-12794
These are 6" long jumper wires terminated as male to female. Use these to jumper from any male or female header on any board.…
1
In stock
PRT-00116
A row of headers - break to fit. 40 pins that can be cut to any size. Used with custom PCBs or general custom headers.
20
In stock
CAB-10215
USB 2.0 type A to Micro-B 5-pin. This is a new, smaller connector for USB devices. Micro-B connectors are about half the heig…
15
Tools
Depending on your setup, you will may need a soldering iron, solder, and general soldering accessories.
In stock
TOL-14456
This adjustable-temperature soldering iron is a great tool for when you don't want to break the bank but need a reliable iron…
16
In stock
TOL-09163
This is your basic tube of unleaded (Pb-free) solder with a no clean, water soluble resin core. 0.031" gauge and 15 grams
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Suggested Reading
We would also recommend taking a look at the following tutorials if you aren't familiar with them.
I2C
An introduction to I2C, one of the main embedded communications protocols in use today.
How to Work with Jumper Pads and PCB Traces
Handling PCB jumper pads and traces is an essential skill. Learn how to cut a PCB trace, add a solder jumper between pads to reroute connections, and repair a trace with the green wire method if a trace is damaged.
RedBoard Qwiic Hookup Guide
This tutorial covers the basic functionality of the RedBoard Qwiic. This tutorial also covers how to get started blinking an LED and using the Qwiic system.