Communication
Embedded electronics is all about interlinking circuits (processors or other integrated circuits) to create a symbiotic system. In order for those individual circuits to swap their information, they must share a common communication protocol. Hundreds of communication protocols have been defined to achieve this data exchange, and, in general, each can be separated into one of two categories: parallel or serial. Serial UARTs, SPI, and I2C are used with many products in the SparkFun catalog to pass data. They can be used with a serial terminal to help troubleshoot issues or display data. However, there are other methods of communication some of which include IR, RS-232, RS-485, CAN, MIDI, and DMX. Check out the tutorials below to start relaying data between your devices!
SparkFun Satellite Transceiver Kit - Swarm M138 Hookup Guide
A hookup guide for the SparkFun Satellite Transceiver - Swarm M138 (KIT-21287)
Monitor Sensor Data from Anywhere
Using WiFi to send sensor data from an ESP32 to a WiFi network and be able to read it from an IoT Dashboard from anywhere in the world.
LoRaSerial Hookup Guide
Simple serial over LoRa!
Level Shifter - 8 Channel (TXS0108E) Hookup Guide
Get started with the SparkFun Level Shifter - 8 Channel (TXS0108E) Breakout to shift between 5V, 3.3V and 1.8V logic level systems.
MicroMod Single Pair Ethernet Function Board - ADIN1110 Hookup Guide
With the SparkFun MicroMod Single Pair Ethernet Function Board - ADIN1110 you can prototype and create 10BASE-T1L Ethernet connections that work in noisy environments and over exceptionally long distances of over 1 kilometer! Follow this guide to get started with this Function Board.
ARGOS ARTIC R2 Satellite Transceiver Shield Hookup Guide
A hookup guide for the ARGOS Satellite Transceiver Shield - ARTIC R2 (SPX-17236)
IOTA (ARTIC R2) Satellite Communication Module Hookup Guide
A hookup guide for the SparkFun IOTA - Satellite Communication Module (ARTIC R2) (SPX-17984)
ARGOS (ARTIC R2) Satellite Communication Guide
A guide describing the ARGOS satellite network - as used by our ARTIC R2 satellite communication products
1W LoRa MicroMod Function Board Hookup Guide
Everything you need to get started with the 1W LoRa MicroMod function board; a MicroMod function board that provides LoRa capabilities for your MicroMod project. Must be used in conjunction with a MicroMod main board and processor.
2D Barcode Scanner Breakout Hookup Guide
A quick Hookup Guide to get you started with the SparkFun 2D Barcode Scanner Breakout.
SparkFun QwiicBus Hookup Guide
Build a long-range, noise-isolated I2C bus with the SparkFun QwiicBus Kit featuring the QwiicBus EndPoint and MidPoint following this Hookup Guide.
SparkFun expLoRaBLE Hookup Guide
Check out our latest LoRaWAN development board with Bluetooth capabilities! With this guide, we'll get you passing data to The Things Network in no time.
Industrial Fiber Optics Hookup Guide
Learn how to get started with our fiber optics breakout boards
MicroMod ESP32 Processor Board Hookup Guide
A short hookup guide to get started with the SparkFun MicroMod ESP32 Processor Board.
Cryptographic Co-Processor ATECC508A (Qwiic) Hookup Guide
Learn how to use some of the standard features of the SparkFun Cryptographic Co-processor.
SparkFun gator:log Hookup Guide
The gator:log is a serial communication based data logger. This tutorial will get you started using the gator:log with the micro:bit platform.
Adding More SERCOM Ports for SAMD Boards
How to setup extra SPI, UART, and I2C serial ports on a SAMD-based boards.
Three Quick Tips About Using U.FL
Quick tips regarding how to connect, protect, and disconnect U.FL connectors.
SparkFun Serial Basic CH340C Hookup Guide
SparkFun Serial Basic Breakout takes advantage of USB-C and is an easy-to-use USB-to-Serial adapter based on the CH340C IC from WCH. With USB-C you can get up to three times the power delivery over the previous USB generation and has the convenient feature of being reversable.
Introduction to DMX
DMX512 is an industry standard in lighting and stage design, whether it be controlling lights, motors, or lasers, DMX512 has many uses. In this tutorial we’ll cover DMX512 (Digital Multiplex with 512 pieces of information).
Introduction to MQTT
An introduction to MQTT, one of the main communication protocols used with the Internet of Things (IoT).
Qwiic Differential I2C Bus Extender (PCA9615) Hookup Guide
Learn how to extend the range of your I2C communication bus with the Qwiic differential I2C bus extender (PCA9615 ) breakout board.
AST-CAN485 Hookup Guide
The AST CAN485 is a miniature Arduino in the compact form factor of the ProMini. In addition to all the usual features it has on-board CAN and RS485 ports enabling quick and easy interfacing to a multitude of industrial devices.
Roshamglo Hookup Guide
This tutorial provides everything you need to know to get started with the Roshamglo badge.
Roshamglo Project: TV-B-Gone
Turn your Roshamglo board into a (nearly) universal TV power button.
Hack Your Roshamglo Badge
Learn how to customize and program your Roshamglo badge.
Simultaneous RFID Tag Reader Hookup Guide
A basic guide to getting started with the RFID Tag Reader breakout and how to read and write multiple RFID tags over multiple feet!
Serial Basic Hookup Guide
Get connected quickly with this Serial to USB adapter.
SparkFun USB UART Breakout (CY7C65213) Hookup Guide
How to use SparkFun's advanced USB UART breakout, based on the Cypress CY7C65213.
ASCII
A brief history of how ASCII came to be, how it's useful to computers, and some helpful tables to convert numbers to characters.
RFM69HCW Hookup Guide
The RFM69HCW is an inexpensive transceiver that you can use to create all kinds of wireless projects. This tutorial will help you get started.
Boss Alarm
Build a Boss Alarm that alerts you of anyone walking into your office and automatically changes your computer screen.
Bus Pirate v3.6a Hookup Guide
A quick overview of the Bus Pirate v3.6a
SparkFun USB to Serial UART Boards Hookup Guide
How to use the SparkFun FTDI based boards to program an Arduino and access another serial device over the hardware serial port, without unplugging anything!
Raspberry Pi SPI and I2C Tutorial
Learn how to use serial I2C and SPI buses on your Raspberry Pi using the wiringPi I/O library for C/C++ and spidev/smbus for Python.
Getting Started with OBD-II
A general guide to the OBD-II protocols used for communication in automotive and industrial applications.
MIDI Shield Hookup Guide
How to assemble the SparkFun MIDI Shield, plus several example projects.
MIDI Tutorial
Understanding the Musical Instrument Digital Interface.
CAN-BUS Shield Hookup Guide
A basic introduction to working with the CAN-Bus shield.
Si4703 FM Radio Receiver Hookup Guide
Add some tunes to your project with the Si4703 FM Radio Receiver Breakout.
nRF24L01+ Transceiver Hookup Guide
A basic getting started guided to the SparkFun Transceiver Breakout - nRF24L01+
BC118 BLE Mate 2 Hookup Guide
Hooking up and using the BLE Mate 2, which uses the BC118 BLE module from BlueCreations.
CP2102 USB to Serial Converter Hook-Up Guide
A basic hook-up guide for the CP2102 Breakout Board.
Arduino Wireless Communication via the Electric Imp
How to communicate between an Electric Imp and Arduino using serial.
Hexadecimal
How to interpret hex numbers, and how to convert them to/from decimal and binary.
OBD II UART Hookup Guide
How to start working with the OBD-II Uart board.
USB Type A Female Breakout Hookup Guide
An above-and-beyond example using the USB Type A Female Breakout board.
Bi-Directional Logic Level Converter Hookup Guide
An overview of the Bi-Directional Logic Level Converter, and some example circuits to show how it works.
IR Control Kit Hookup Guide
How to get the most out of the infrared receivers and transmitters included in the IR Control Kit.
Serial Terminal Basics
This tutorial will show you how to communicate with your serial devices using a variety of terminal emulator applications.
I2C
An introduction to I2C, one of the main embedded communications protocols in use today.
IR Communication
This tutorial explains how common infrared (IR) communication works, as well as shows you how to set up a simple IR transmitter and receiver with an Arduino.
Binary
Binary is the numeral system of electronics and programming...so it must be important to learn. But, what is binary? How does it translate to other numeral systems like decimal?
Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI)
SPI is commonly used to connect microcontrollers to peripherals such as sensors, shift registers, and SD cards.
Serial Communication
Asynchronous serial communication concepts: packets, signal levels, baud rates, UARTs and more!