Concepts
These are the various concepts that people may need to know while learning a technology tutorial and could be required to complete a ‘hookup’ tutorial. Concepts are most often a general building block that may be built upon other concepts. Concepts can generally be learned without physical objects but are reinforced with a hookup tutorial.
Configuring the PATH System Variable
March 23, 2021
A simple guide for configuring the PATH variable on Win 10, Mac OSX, and Linux systems.
Light
February 7, 2013
Light is a useful tool for the electrical engineer. Understanding how light relates to electronics is a fundamental skill for many projects.
Raspberry Pi SPI and I2C Tutorial
October 29, 2015
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.
How to Use Remote Desktop on the Raspberry Pi with VNC
July 9, 2018
Use RealVNC to connect to your Raspberry Pi to control the graphical desktop remotely across the network.
AST-CAN485 Hookup Guide
March 1, 2018
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.
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.
LilyPad Basics: Powering Your Project
September 24, 2018
Learn the options for powering your LilyPad projects, LiPo battery safety and care, and how to calculate and consider power constraints on your projects.
RFID Basics
February 23, 2017
Dive into the basics of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology.
SparkFun Troubleshooting Tips
October 19, 2017
Not working as expected? In this tutorial, we will be exploring a few general troubleshooting tips and possible solutions that frequently come up with SparkFun's Technical Support.
Magnetic Levitation
November 20, 2019
This tutorial will show you how to build a magnetic levitation circuit using common parts.
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.
Voltage Dividers
February 8, 2013
Turn a large voltage into a smaller one with voltage dividers. This tutorial covers: what a voltage divider circuit looks like and how it is used in the real world.
Serial Communication
December 18, 2012
Asynchronous serial communication concepts: packets, signal levels, baud rates, UARTs and more!
Data Types in Arduino
November 6, 2013
Learn about the common data types and what they signify in the Arduino programming environment.
Basic LED Animations for Beginners (Arduino)
December 3, 2019
Let's have some fun with LEDs! We'll explore LEDs once again with the SparkFun RedBoard Qwiic, making cool effects, and putting those effects to work using a sensor.
Polarity
June 14, 2013
An introduction to polarity in electronic components. Discover what polarity is, which parts have it, and how to identify it.
What is Electricity?
June 13, 2013
We can see electricity in action on our computers, lighting our houses, as lightning strikes in thunderstorms, but what is it? This is not an easy question, but this tutorial will shed some light on it!
Getting Started with OBD-II
October 8, 2015
A general guide to the OBD-II protocols used for communication in automotive and industrial applications.
LogicBlocks & Digital Logic Introduction
March 31, 2014
Introducing fundamental digital logic concepts and LogicBlocks
Fuse Breakout Board Hookup Guide
October 3, 2019
Protect your project by adding a fuse in your circuit to save it from molten destruction.
Analog to Digital Conversion
February 7, 2013
The world is analog. Use analog to digital conversion to help digital devices interpret the world.
Electric Power
June 26, 2013
An overview of electric power, the rate of energy transfer. We'll talk definition of power, watts, equations, and power ratings. 1.21 gigawatts of tutorial fun!
Metric Prefixes and SI Units
July 11, 2013
This tutorial will explain how to use and convert between the standard metric prefixes.
Old Tutorials
Looking for the old, archived tutorials? Head on over to the
archived tutorials on the main
SparkFun site.
Please be aware that the tutorials you find there are no longer
actively maintained.