LEDs
Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are small, powerful lights that are used in many different applications. Blinking an LED is the classic starting point for learning how to program embedded electronics. It's the "Hello, World!" of microcontrollers. We recommend looking at the LED tutorial and SIK experiment guide to get started.
Addressable LED Strip Hookup Guide
November 23, 2016
Add blinking lights to any holiday decoration with our Holiday Lights Kit using WS2812-based addressable LEDs!
LP55231 Breakout Board Hookup Guide
November 3, 2016
Get to know the LP55231 9-channel LED driver., and learn how to configure and program this surprisingly flexible IC.
TEMT6000 Ambient Light Sensor Hookup Guide
October 26, 2016
Bring the ability to detect light levels to any project with the SparkFun TEMT6000 Ambient Light Sensor Breakout.
Experiment Guide for the Johnny-Five Inventor's Kit
June 28, 2016
Use the Tessel 2 and the Johnny Five Inventors kit to explore the world of JavaScript enabled hardware through 14 awesome experiments!
Interactive LED Music Visualizer
May 31, 2016
Use an Arduino and the SparkFun Sound Detector to create visualizations on Addressable RGB LED strips.
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!
Boss Alarm
March 30, 2016
Build a Boss Alarm that alerts you of anyone walking into your office and automatically changes your computer screen.
SparkFun LED Array (8x7) Hookup Guide
March 10, 2016
Getting started with the Charlieplexed 8x7 LED array.
LED Cloud-Connected Cloud
February 22, 2016
Make an RGB colored cloud light! You can also control it from your phone, or hook up to the weather!
PicoBuck Hookup Guide v12
February 18, 2016
The PicoBuck board is a high-efficiency three-channel constant-current LED driver.
BadgerHack: Gaming Add-On Kit
February 16, 2016
Make a Breakout clone with the BadgerHack Gaming Add-On Kit.
Button Pad Hookup Guide
January 7, 2016
An introduction to matrix scanning, using the SparkFun 4x4 Button Pad.
FemtoBuck Constant Current LED Driver Hookup Guide v13
December 10, 2015
The FemtoBuck board is a high-efficiency, single-channel constant-current LED driver.
Touch Potentiometer Hookup Guide
October 22, 2015
Learn how to use the SparkFun Touch Potentiometer to control lighting, volume or other inputs in your daily life.
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.
LilyPad Pixel Board Hookup Guide
September 16, 2015
Add changing colors to your wearable projects using LilyPad Pixel Boards.
LED Robot Pop Up Card
August 19, 2015
Craft a paper circuit pop up card with a cycling RGB LED, battery, and copper tape.
LED Butterfly Pop Up Card
August 19, 2015
Craft an illuminated butterfly pop up card with copper tape, two LEDs, and a battery.
Building Large LED Installations
July 16, 2015
Learn what it takes to build large LED installations from planning to power requirements to execution.
Large Digit Driver Hookup Guide
June 25, 2015
Getting started guide for the Large Digit display driver board. This tutorial explains how to solder the module (backpack) onto the back of the large 7-segment LED display and run example code from an Arduino.
Getting Started with the Teensy
June 18, 2015
Basic intro to the Teensy line of products, with soldering and programming suggestions.
Origami Paper Circuits
May 26, 2015
A quick tutorial to get you started in the world of light up origami flowers.
The Great Big Guide to Paper Circuits
May 22, 2015
Let's take a look at different materials we can use to combine paper crafting and electronics.
Hackers in Residence: The Sound Visualizer Pt. 2
May 7, 2015
An addition to a previous project, this time using a PC and a custom Java app to create your own music visualizer using a RGB LED matrix.
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.