Components

Audio Codec Breakout - WM8960 Hookup Guide

January 26, 2023

The SparkFun Audio Codec Breakout - WM8960 is a low power, high quality stereo codec chock full of features. In this tutorial, some of these features by using an Arduino microcontroller to configure the audio codec and pass audio to the headphone or speaker channels.

Battery Technologies

February 6, 2013

The basics behind the batteries used in portable electronic devices: LiPo, NiMH, coin cells, and alkaline.

Beginner Parts Kit Identification Guide

March 22, 2019

The essential parts for beginning (or even experienced) hobbyists that gives you all of the basic through-hole components you will need to get started playing with embedded projects. We'll identify a few parts in the kit and provide a few basic circuits to get started!

Bi-Directional Logic Level Converter Hookup Guide

October 25, 2013

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

Buck Regulator Hookup Guide

August 5, 2021

Get started with SparkFun's newest Buck Regulator Boards - the BabyBuck and the Buck!

Button and Switch Basics

May 7, 2013

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.

Capacitors

June 19, 2013

Learn about all things capacitors. How they're made. How they work. How they look. Types of capacitors. Series/parallel capacitors. Capacitor applications.

Cherry MX Switch Breakout Hookup Guide

April 21, 2016

How to assemble and use the Cherry MX Switch Breakout, allowing you to turn a matrix of mechanical switches into a full-size keyboard!

Connector Basics

January 18, 2013

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.

Customizing LilyPad LED Colors

May 19, 2014

A short guide to creating a rainbow of new LilyPad LED colors at home!

Diodes

May 9, 2013

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

Discrete Semiconductor Kit Identification Guide

November 19, 2015

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

FemtoBuck Constant Current LED Driver Hookup Guide v13

December 10, 2015

The FemtoBuck board is a high-efficiency, single-channel constant-current LED driver.

Flex Sensor Hookup Guide

May 5, 2016

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

Force Sensitive Resistor Hookup Guide

May 5, 2016

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

Fuse Breakout Board Hookup Guide

October 3, 2019

Protect your project by adding a fuse in your circuit to save it from molten destruction.

Hobby Servo Tutorial

May 26, 2016

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.

Integrated Circuits

July 15, 2013

An introduction to integrated circuits (ICs). Electronics' ubiquitous black chips. Includes a focus on the variety of IC packages.

Introduction to Operational Amplifiers with LTSpice

April 18, 2017

Picking up where we left off in "Getting Started with LTSpice," we delve a little deeper into LTSpice through an introduction of Operational Amplifiers (OpAmps).

Level Shifter - 8 Channel (TXS0108E) Hookup Guide

May 19, 2022

Get started with the SparkFun Level Shifter - 8 Channel (TXS0108E) Breakout to shift between 5V, 3.3V and 1.8V logic level systems.

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.

LiPo Fuel Gauge (MAX1704X) Hookup Guide

February 23, 2023

Monitor your LiPo battery with the LiPo fuel gauge! In this tutorial, we will be using the MAX17043 and MAX17048 to monitor a single cell, LiPo battery over the Arduino Serial Monitor. We will also connect a display to view the output without the need to connect the microcontroller to a computer.

MCP4725 Digital to Analog Converter Hookup Guide

September 11, 2014

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.

MiniGen Hookup Guide

May 22, 2014

Using the MiniGen, SparkFun's Arduino Pro Mini signal generator shield

Monitor Sensor Data from Anywhere

August 10, 2022

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.

Multiplexer Breakout Hookup Guide

August 18, 2016

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

Noisy Cricket Stereo Amplifier - 1.5W Hookup Guide

April 26, 2018

A hookup guide for the Noisy Cricket Stereo Amplifier - 1.5W.

PCA9306 Level Translator Hookup Guide

October 31, 2013

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

PCA9306 Logic Level Translator Hookup Guide (v2)

July 25, 2019

A quick primer to get you going with the PCA9306 Logic Level Converter - a dedicated I2C translator.

Photocell Hookup Guide

May 5, 2016

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

PicoBuck Hookup Guide v12

February 18, 2016

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

Piezo Vibration Sensor Hookup Guide

May 5, 2016

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

QRD1114 Optical Detector Hookup Guide

May 5, 2016

Use this IR LED/phototransistor fusion to sense objects in close proximity or even the color of a surface!

Qwiic 12-Bit ADC Hookup Guide

May 23, 2019

Need to add more analog inputs for your project? Check out the Qwiic 12-bit ADC.

Qwiic Differential I2C Bus Extender (PCA9615) Hookup Guide

May 31, 2018

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

Qwiic EEPROM Hookup Guide

July 29, 2021

Running out of memory? Don't forget to check out the Qwiic EEPROM!

Qwiic MultiPort Hookup Guide

April 1, 2021

The SparkFun Qwiic MultiPort adds additional ports to boards that have only one Qwiic port on their I2C bus. Once added, you can use it as a hub to add as many I2C devices to the bus as you need! You can also use the board as an alternative to a daisy chained configuration.

Qwiic MUX Hookup Guide

July 19, 2018

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!

Qwiic Speaker Amp (TPA2016D2) Hookup Guide

September 29, 2022

The SparkFun Qwiic Speaker Amp includes the Texas Instruments TPA2016D2 stereo, filter-free class-D audio power amplifier. This tutorial will help you get started and configure the amplifer settings using an Arduino microcontroller.

Reading and Writing Serial EEPROMs

August 11, 2017

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

Reed Switch Hookup Guide

May 5, 2016

Magnetically-actuated reed switches are the perfect component for non-contact proximity sensors. This tutorial provides a quick overview and example hook up.

Resistors

April 1, 2013

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.

Rotary Switch Potentiometer Hookup Guide

April 30, 2015

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

Sensor Kit Resource Hub

May 5, 2016

An overview of each component in the SparkFun Sensor Kit, plus links to tutorials and other resources you'll need to hook them up.

Shift Registers

August 23, 2013

An introduction to shift registers and potential uses.

Single Supply Logic Level Converter Hookup Guide

August 9, 2018

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.

SoftPot Hookup Guide

May 5, 2016

Equip your Arduino project with a sliding soft potentiometer to monitor position or adding linear control to your project.

SparkFun Arduino UNO R4 WiFi Qwiic Kit Hookup Guide

July 11, 2023

The SparkFun Arduino UNO R4 WiFi Qwiic Kit is a great way to get started with Arduino and the Qwiic-connect system - use this guide to get started!

SparkFun Clock Generator 5P49V60 (Qwiic) Hookup Guide

February 28, 2020

The SparkFun Clock Generator 5P49V60 (Qwiic) breakout board offers a wide range of customizable frequencies in a wide range of different signal types using a single reference clock. This hookup guide will go over all of the many available functions and gives the hardware rundown on what exactly is on this board.

SparkFun ProDriver Hookup Guide

September 3, 2020

The SparkFun ProDriver utilizes Toshiba's TC78H670FTG stepper motor driver and with the latch pin connections, this new board is easier to get started with than the "Easy" Drivers. To get started, follow this hookup guide and you will be spinning stepper motors, in no time.

SX1509 I/O Expander Breakout Hookup Guide

September 24, 2015

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

Transistors

July 1, 2014

A crash course in bi-polar junction transistors. Learn how transistors work and in which circuits we use them.

Uh-Oh Battery Level Indicator Hookup Guide

April 9, 2014

Learn how to assemble and use the TL431 in the Uh-Oh Battery Level Indicator Kit.

USB Type A Female Breakout Hookup Guide

February 13, 2014

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

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Please be aware that the tutorials you find there are no longer actively maintained.