Components

Learn how you can use the SX1509 to control 16 LEDs or up to 64 buttons with just two pins.

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

How to use the 74HC4051 multiplexer breakout to drive eight LEDs, read eight button inputs, or monitor eight potentiometers.

Connectors are a major source of confusion for people just beginning electronics. The number of different options, terms, and names of connectors can make selecting one, or finding the one you need, daunting. This article will help you get a jump on the world of connectors.

The Single Supply Logic Converter allows you to bi-directionally translate signals from a 5V or 3.3V microcontroller without the need for a second power supply! The board provides an output for both 5V and 3.3V to power your sensors. It is equipped with a PTH resistor footprint for the option to adjust the voltage regulator on the low side of the TXB0104 for 2.5V or 1.8V devices.

This is a quick hookup to help you get started with the MCP4725 DAC breakout board. This device allows you to send analog signal from a digital source, like the I2C interface on the Arduino microcontroller.

An overview of the Bi-Directional Logic Level Converter, and some example circuits to show how it works.

An overview of the flex sensor - a bendable variable resistor. Plus, example circuits and Arduino code to get you started!

Have a bunch of sensors with the same I2C address? Put them on the Qwiic MUX (TCA9548A) to get them all talking on the same bus!

EEPROM is a great way to add extra memory to your microcontroller project. Wait 'til you see how easy it is to use!

An above-and-beyond example using the USB Type A Female Breakout board.

How to use the Rotary Switch Potentiometer breakout board, with some sample applications.

Learn how to extend the range of your I2C communication bus with the Qwiic differential I2C bus extender (PCA9615 ) breakout board.

Servos are motors that allow you to accurately control the rotation of the output shaft, opening up all kinds of possibilities for robotics and other projects.

Hook a light-sensing photocell up to an Arduino to create an ambient light monitor.

How to hook a force-sensitive resistor up to an Arduino to measure pressure variances.

An introduction to shift registers and potential uses.

A tutorial on all things resistors. What is a resistor, how do they behave in parallel/series, decoding the resistor color codes, and resistor applications.

The PicoBuck board is a high-efficiency three-channel constant-current LED driver.

A diode primer! Diode properties, types of diodes, and diode applications.

How to combine a piezo sensor, high-value resistor, and an Arduino to create a vibration sensor.

A quick primer to get you going with the PCA9306 Logic Level Converter.

A tutorial on electronics' most overlooked and underappreciated component: the switch! Here we explain the difference between momentary and maintained switches and what all those acronyms (NO, NC, SPDT, SPST, ...) stand for.

Get to know the contents of the SparkFun Discrete Semiconductor Kit.