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.

3D Printed Illuminated Wand Prop

November 29, 2018

In this tutorial, we will learn about how to create a theatrical prop for a performance by 3D printing a wand and adding an LED.

Addressable LED Neon Flex Rope Hookup Guide

April 19, 2018

The addressable (UCS1903) LED neon flex rope adds cool lighting effects for outdoor and indoor uses including in hallways and stairs, holiday lighting, and more! In this hookup guide, you will learn how to connect, power, and control the LED segments with an Arduino and the FastLED library.

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!

APA102 Addressable LED Hookup Guide

October 8, 2019

Connect, power, and control your APA102 addressable LED strip!

AVR-Based Serial Enabled LCDs Hookup Guide

August 2, 2018

The AVR-based Qwiic Serial Enabled LCDs are a simple and cost effective solution to include in your project. These screens are based on the HD44780 controller, and include ATmega328P with an Arduino compatible bootloader. They accept control commands via Serial, SPI and I2C (via PTH headers or Qwiic connector). In this tutorial, we will show examples of a simple setup and go through each communication option.

BadgerHack: Gaming Add-On Kit

February 16, 2016

Make a Breakout clone with the BadgerHack Gaming Add-On Kit.

Basic Character LCD Hookup Guide

May 28, 2019

Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are a great way to output a string of words or sensor data to a display for visual feedback. In this tutorial, we'll learn about LCDs, how to print a string of words to a 16x2 basic character LCD and create custom characters.

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.

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!

Boss Alarm

March 30, 2016

Build a Boss Alarm that alerts you of anyone walking into your office and automatically changes your computer screen.

Building a Safe Cracking Robot

March 29, 2017

How to crack an unknown safe in under an hour.

Building Large LED Installations

July 16, 2015

Learn what it takes to build large LED installations from planning to power requirements to execution.

Button Pad Hookup Guide

January 7, 2016

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

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!

Craft a Holiday Greeting with Love to Code

March 23, 2018

Craft your own paper circuit holiday greeting using the LEDs, a Chibi Chip, Love to Code!

Customizing LilyPad LED Colors

May 19, 2014

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

Das Blinken Top Hat

January 22, 2014

A top hat decked out with LED strips makes for a heck of a wedding gift.

DIY Heated Earmuffs

January 31, 2018

Embedded with heating pads and four Neopixel rings, these earmuffs do more than your average winter accessory to keep you warm while still looking good.

DIY Light Sculpture

August 23, 2018

In this digital fabrication project featuring 3D printing, laser cutting, and DIY electronics, you will build a beautiful design object for your desktop or night stand.

DIY Light-Up Shoes

September 28, 2017

This tutorial provides everything you need to know to make your own light up high top sneakers!

Dot/Bar Display Driver Hookup Guide

January 16, 2014

How to hook up the LM3914 or LM3916 to drive a 10-LED display with a lone analog signal.

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!

ESP32 Thing Power Control Shield Hookup Guide

June 9, 2017

This tutorial shows you how to get started with the ESP32 Thing Power Control Shield.

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!
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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.