Input Devices

Adding a Timed Button to a Project

July 29, 2015

This tutorial will walk you through making a timed power controller for interactive projects. You will learn how to add an on button that will provide power to your project for an amount of time and then turn off again.

Bare Conductive Musical Painting

May 5, 2015

Learn how to make a musical painting using the Bare Conductive Touch Board and Conductive Paint.

Blynk Board Project Guide

March 25, 2016

A series of Blynk projects you can set up on the Blynk Board without ever re-programming it.

Build a Qwiic Jukebox that is Toddler Approved!

March 29, 2019

Follow this tutorial to build your own custom jukebox. Note, this is designed simple and tough for use primarily with toddlers. It's also a great introduction to SparkFun's Qwiic products!

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.

Button Pad Hookup Guide

January 7, 2016

An introduction to matrix scanning, using the SparkFun 4x4 Button Pad.

Capacitive Touch Slider (CAP1203) Hookup Guide

May 30, 2019

An easy and Qwiic way to add capacitive touch to any of your projects using the CAP1203! In this guide, we go over how to connect and set up your Capacitive Touch Slider so you can start playing with it right away.

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.

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.

Garmin LIDAR-Lite v4 (Qwiic) Hookup Guide

April 15, 2021

Connecting the Garmin LIDAR-Lite v4 to a microcontroller just got easier! Check out our hookup guide to get started.

Hacking Your Maker Faire Badge

September 18, 2014

How to hook-up, program, and modify your Maker Faire Badge for electronic fun.

Keyboard Shortcut, Qwiic Keypad

April 25, 2019

A simple project using the Qwiic Keypad and the RedBoard Turbo to create your own custom hotkey-pad.

MicroMod Qwiic Pro Kit Project Guide

September 29, 2022

The MicroMod Qwiic Pro Kit was designed to allow users to get started with Arduino without the need for soldering or a breadboard. We've included three inputs (a joystick, accelerometer, and proximity sensor) and one display that can be daisy chained to the MicroMod SAMD51 Processor Board.

Qwiic Digital Desk Sign with MicroMod

June 30, 2022

Make a Qwiic-enabled digital desk sign with a MicroMod SAMD51 Processor Board's USB Host and a USB keyboard!

Qwiic Joystick Hookup Guide

February 21, 2019

Looking for an easy way to implement a joystick to your next Arduino or Raspberry Pi project? This hookup guide will walk you through using the Qwiic Joystick with the Arduino IDE on a RedBoard Qwiic and in Python on a Raspberry Pi.

Qwiic Keypad Hookup Guide

April 25, 2019

If you are tired of taking up GPIO pins, wiring a bunch of pull up resistors, and using firmware that scans the keys taking up valuable processing time... check out the new Qwiic Keypad.

Qwiic Pro Kit Project Guide

November 7, 2019

The Qwiic Pro Kit was designed to allow users to get started with Arduino without the need for soldering or a breadboard. We've included three inputs (a joystick, accelerometer, and proximity sensor) and one display that can be daisy chained to the RedBoard Turbo (SAMD21) Development Board.

Qwiic Pro Micro USB-C (ATmega32U4) Hookup Guide

February 6, 2020

An overview of the ATmega32U4-based Qwiic Pro Micro USB-C, how to install it, and how to use it with Arduino.

Raspberry Pi Safe Reboot and Shutdown Button

April 20, 2020

Safely reboot or shutdown your Raspberry Pi to avoid corrupting the microSD card using the built-in general purpose button on the Qwiic pHAT v2.0!

Reaction Timer

January 16, 2014

Demonstrate mental chronometry with this simple reaction timer!

Rotary Switch Potentiometer Hookup Guide

April 30, 2015

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

SparkFun Qwiic 3-Axis Accelerometer (ADXL313) Hookup Guide

November 5, 2020

Let's get moving with the SparkFun Triple Axis Digital Accelerometer Breakout - ADXL313 (Qwiic), a low cost, low power, up to 13-bit resolution, 3-axis accelerometer with a 32-level FIFO stack capable of measuring up to ±4g. This hookup guide will get users started reading measurements from the ADXL313, by Analog Devices, with an Arduino microcontroller, Jetson Nano, or Raspberry Pi.
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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.