Motion
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.
OpenLog Artemis Hookup Guide
August 20, 2020
How to use and re-program the OpenLog Artemis, an open source datalogger. The OLA comes preprogrammed to automatically log data. The OLA can also record serial data, analog voltages, or readings from external Qwiic-enabled I2C devices. Some of these Qwiic-enabled devices include GPS/GNSS modules, pressure, altitude, humidity, temperature, air quality, environment, distance, and weight sensors.
Qwiic 6DoF - ISM330DHCX Hookup Guide
July 15, 2022
Get started with the Qwiic 6DoF ISM330DHCX Breakout Board!
Getting Started with the micro:bit
September 2, 2021
The BBC micro:bit is a compact, powerful programming tool that requires no software installation. Read on to learn how to use it YOUR way!
SparkFun Inventor's Kit Experiment Guide - v4.1
August 8, 2019
The SparkFun Inventor's Kit (SIK) Experiment Guide contains all of the information needed to build all five projects, encompassing 16 circuits, in the latest version of the kit, v4.1.2 and v4.1.
Getting Started with MicroPython and the SparkFun Inventor's Kit for micro:bit
July 11, 2017
Learn MicroPython with the micro:bit.
SparkFun Thing Plus - NINA-B306 Hookup Guide
March 23, 2023
A quick guide to get started using the SparkFun Thing Plus - NINA-B306. This Thing Plus is loaded with the Arm Cortex-M4 processor in the NINA-B306 along with on-board motion and environmental sensors in the ISM330DHCX 6DoF and BME280 pressure and temperature sensor.
Qwiic VR IMU (BNO080) Hookup Guide
April 30, 2018
Figure out how things are oriented with the robust 9 degrees of freedom (DOF) BNO080 IMU. Maybe even make your own virtual reality (VR) applications if you're feeling savvy.
Accelerometer Basics
March 28, 2013
A quick introduction to accelerometers, how they work, and why they're used.
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.
SparkFun Inventor's Kit for micro:bit Experiment Guide
July 21, 2017
This guide contains all the information you will need to explore the twelve circuits of the SparkFun Inventors Kit for micro:bit.
micro:bot Kit Experiment Guide
February 20, 2020
Get started with the moto:bit, a carrier board for the micro:bit that allows you to control motors, and create your own robot using this experiment guide for the micro:bot kit.
Qwiic 9DoF - ISM330DHCX, MMC5983MA Hookup Guide
July 28, 2022
Find all your degrees of freedom with this little Qwiic breakout board combining the ISM330DHCX 6Dof and the MMC5983MA Magnetometer!
SparkFun Triple Axis Accelerometer Breakout - BMA400 (Qwiic) Hookup Guide
December 8, 2022
Add low power triple axis motion monitoring to your Qwiic project using the SparkFun Triple Axis Accelerometer Breakout - BMA400 (Qwiic).
Triple Axis Accelerometer Breakout - KX13x (Qwiic) Hookup Guide
May 6, 2021
Get started measuring acceleration and vibration using the Triple Axis Accelerometer Breakout - KX134 (Qwiic) & KX132 (Qwiic) following this Hookup Guide.
Qwiic Human Presence Sensor (AK9753) Hookup Guide
January 18, 2018
How to get started with your Qwiic enabled AK9753 Human Presence Sensor.
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.
The Uncertain 7-Cube
March 8, 2013
The Uncertain 7-Cube is a non-committal, less-than-helpful, but also entirely honest fortune teller. Simply ask it a yes or no question, give it a nudge, and the 7-Cube will dutifully inform you that it doesn’t have all the facts and doesn’t feel comfortable making a guess.
PIR Motion Sensor Hookup Guide
May 5, 2016
An overview of passive infrared (PIR) motion detecting sensors, and how to hook them up to an Arduino.
SparkFun PIR Breakout Hookup Guide
March 25, 2021
Get started with these Panasonic EKM-Series PIR breakouts following this Hookup Guide.
Qwiic PIR Hookup Guide
March 25, 2021
Get started passively monitoring motion using the Panasonic EKMC and EKMB sensors with the SparkFun Qwiic PIR.
Qwiic Micro Magnetometer - MMC5983MA Hookup Guide
July 21, 2022
Let's figure out where we're going with the SparkFun Qwiic Micro Magnetometer - MMC5983MA!
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 6DoF (LSM6DSO) Breakout Hookup Guide
May 20, 2021
A hookup guide for the Qwiic 6DoF (LSM6DSO), which features a 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope, temperature sensor, and FIFO buffer.
Pi Servo pHAT (v2) Hookup Guide
July 11, 2019
This hookup guide will get you started with connecting and using the Pi Servo pHAT on a Raspberry Pi.
Advanced Autonomous Kit for Sphero RVR Assembly Guide
December 12, 2019
Get your Advanced Autonomous Kit for the Sphero RVR built up with this hookup guide!
Basic Autonomous Kit for Sphero RVR Assembly Guide
December 12, 2019
Get your Basic Autonomous Kit for Sphero RVR all hooked up with this guide!
SparkFun Auto pHAT Hookup Guide
April 16, 2020
The pHAT to get your projects moving. This guide will help you get started using the Auto pHAT.
Getting Started with the A111 Pulsed Radar Sensor
September 26, 2019
Get started with the Acconeer A111 SDK with a Raspberry Pi! The tiny A111 pulsed coherent radar (PCR) adds high-precision, cutting-edge distance measurement for speed-, material-, motion-, or gesture-sensing projects! We’re not talking about simple ultrasonic, or even infrared sensors here, but 60GHz radar!
SparkFun ESP32 DMX to LED Shield
March 28, 2019
Learn how to utilize your DMX to LED Shield in a variety of different ways.
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.
Getting Started with the Autonomous Kit for the Sphero RVR
December 13, 2019
Want to get started in robotics? Look no further than the SparkFun autonomous kit for the Sphero RVR! Whether you purchased the Basic or Advanced kit, this tutorial will get you rolling...
Qwiic SHIM Kit for Raspberry Pi Hookup Guide
February 16, 2021
Get started with the Serial LCD with RGB backlight and 9DoF IMU (ICM-20948) via I2C using the Qwiic system and Python on a Raspberry Pi! Take sensor readings and display them in the serial terminal or SerLCD.
Qwiic Proximity Sensor (VCNL4040) Hookup Guide
February 28, 2019
The SparkFun Qwiic Proximity Sensor is a great, qualitative proximity (up to 20 cm) and light sensor. This hookup guide covers a few examples to retrieve basic sensor readings.
SparkFun 9DoF IMU (ICM-20948) Breakout Hookup Guide
June 27, 2019
How to use the SparkFun 9DoF ICM-20948 breakout board for your motion sensing projects. This breakout is ideal for wearable sensors and IoT applications.
MMA8452Q Accelerometer Breakout Hookup Guide
June 11, 2014
How to get started using the MMA8452Q 3-axis accelerometer -- a solid, digital, easy-to-use acceleration sensor.
Qwiic Accelerometer (MMA8452Q) Hookup Guide
April 5, 2018
Freescale’s MMA8452Q is a smart, low-power, three-axis, capacitive micro-machined accelerometer with 12-bits of resolution. It’s perfect for any project that needs to sense orientation or motion. We’ve taken that accelerometer and stuck it on a Qwiic-Enabled breakout board to make interfacing with the tiny, QFN package a bit easier.
Haptic Motor Driver Hook-Up Guide
January 19, 2017
Good vibes only. Getting started with the Haptic Motor Driver.
Electret Mic Breakout Board Hookup Guide
June 23, 2016
An introduction to working with the Electret Mic Breakout Board.
Experiment Guide for RedBot with Shadow Chassis
May 28, 2015
This Experiment Guide offers nine experiments to get you started with the SparkFun RedBot. This guide is designed for those who are familiar with our SparkFun Inventor's Kit and want to take their robotics knowledge to the next level.
Hookup Guide for the Qwiic Motor Driver
September 19, 2019
Drive things "qwiic"-ly with the SparkFun Qwiic Motor Driver!
Serial Controlled Motor Driver Hookup Guide
November 17, 2016
Hookup guide for the Serial Controlled Motor Driver
Hacker in Residence: The Harmonic Skew Zoetrope
January 27, 2015
Check out Hacker in Residence, Jesse's awesome Harmonic Skew Zoetrope in this project tutorial.
RedBoard Santa Trap
December 25, 2014
A fun holiday project to try for anyone looking to catch Santa on Christmas!
Pi Servo Hat Hookup Guide
September 14, 2017
This hookup guide will show you how to connect and use the Pi Servo Hat in a project.
Motion Controlled Wearable LED Dance Harness
January 30, 2019
Control LEDs based on your movement using an accelerometer! Make your LEDs breathe by fading in and out when laying on the floor, turn off the LEDs when moving to your side, or make the LEDs blink in a headstand!
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.
ESP32 Thing Motion Shield Hookup Guide
November 16, 2017
Getting started with the ESP32 Thing Motion Shield to detect movements using the on-board LSM9DS1 IMU and adding a GPS receiver. Data can be easily logged by adding an microSD card to the slot.
TB6612FNG Hookup Guide
September 29, 2016
Basic hookup guide for the TB6612FNG H-bridge motor driver to get your robot to start moving!
SparkFun Inventor's Kit Experiment Guide - v4.0
November 15, 2017
The SparkFun Inventor's Kit (SIK) Experiment Guide contains all of the information needed to build all five projects, encompassing 16 circuits, in the latest version of the kit, v4.0a.
9DoF Razor IMU M0 Hookup Guide
December 1, 2016
How to use and re-program the 9DoF Razor IMU M0, a combination of ATSAMD21 ARM Cortex-M0 microprocessor and MPU-9250 9DoF-in-a-chip.
Setting Up the Pi Zero Wireless Pan-Tilt Camera
September 14, 2017
This tutorial will show you how to assemble, program, and access the Raspberry Pi Zero as a headless wireless pan-tilt camera.
LSM303C 6DoF Hookup Guide
October 8, 2015
A basic guide to get started with the LSM303C 6 Degrees of Freedom Breakout.
APDS-9960 RGB and Gesture Sensor Hookup Guide
November 6, 2014
Getting started guide for the Avago APDS-9960 color, proximity, and gesture sensor.
LSM9DS0 Hookup Guide
February 27, 2014
How to assemble, connect to, and use the LSM9DS0 -- an accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer all-in-one.
Teardown: Misfit Shine Activity Tracker
April 3, 2014
A quick tear down of the popular fitness tracking device, the Misfit Shine.
Simon Tilts Assembly Guide
December 3, 2013
This tutorial will guide you through assembling your Simon Tilts PTH Kit.
Wake-on-Shake Hookup Guide
March 13, 2015
A basic hookup guide for getting started with the SparkFun Wake-on-Shake. The board gives you the ability to put your project into hibernation until bumped or shaken awake using the ADXL362 accelerometer. This means you can design projects meant to stay inert for long periods of time, possibly even several years, depending on the battery type used to power the project.
TFMini - Micro LiDAR Module (Qwiic) Hookup Guide
November 8, 2018
The TFMini is a ToF (Time of Flight) LiDAR sensor capable of measuring the distance to an object as close as 30 cm and as far as 12 meters! The TFMini allows you to easily integrate LiDAR into applications traditionally reserved for smaller sensors such as the SHARP GP-series infrared rangefinders. With the added Qwiic feature, you can quickly connect to the sensor via I2C!
Raspberry Pi Zero Helmet Impact Force Monitor
March 8, 2018
How much impact can the human body handle? This tutorial will teach you how to build your very own impact force monitor using a helmet, Raspberry Pi Zero, and accelerometer!
Getting Started with Walabot
February 15, 2018
See through walls, track objects, monitor breathing patterns, and more using the power of radio frequency with the Walabot! In this tutorial, we will explore Walabot’s features using the Software Demo Kit (SDK) on Windows and the Application Programming Interface (API) on Linux-based distributions for embedded projects.
Spectacle Example: Super Mario Bros. Diorama
May 4, 2017
A study in building an animated diorama (with sound!) using Spectacle electronics.
Dungeons and Dragons Dice Gauntlet
August 13, 2013
A playful, geeky tutorial for a leather bracer that uses a LilyPad Arduino, LilyPad accelerometer, and seven segment display to roll virtual 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 20, and 100 side dice for gaming.
Das Blinken Top Hat
January 22, 2014
A top hat decked out with LED strips makes for a heck of a wedding gift.
TFMini - Micro LiDAR Module Hookup Guide
April 13, 2018
The TFMini is a ToF (Time of Flight) LiDAR sensor capable of measuring the distance to an object as close as 30 cm and as far as 12 meters! The TFMini allows you to integrate LiDAR into applications traditionally reserved for smaller sensors such as the SHARP GP-series infrared rangefinders.
Photon IMU Shield Hookup Guide
July 2, 2015
Learn how to use the SparkFun Photon IMU Shield for your Photon device which houses an on-board LSM9DS1 system-in-a-chip that houses a 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope, and 3-axis magnetometer.
LSM9DS1 Breakout Hookup Guide
August 13, 2015
A hookup guide for the LSM9DS1, which features a 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope, and 3-axis magnetometer. It's an IMU-in-a-chip!
VL6180 Hookup Guide
February 12, 2015
Get started with your VL6180 based sensor or the VL6180 breakout board.
Continuous Rotation Servo Trigger Hookup Guide
May 26, 2016
How to use the SparkFun Continuous Rotation Servo Trigger with continuous rotation servos, without any programming!
9DoF Sensor Stick Hookup Guide
August 25, 2016
How to connect and use the SparkFun 9 Degrees of Freedom Sensor Stick with an Arduino
ZX Distance and Gesture Sensor SMD Hookup Guide
June 1, 2017
How to connect and use the SparkFun ZX Distance and Gesture Sensor with an Arduino.
Are You Okay? Widget
May 23, 2014
Use an Electric Imp and accelerometer to create an "Are You OK" widget. A cozy piece of technology your friend or loved one can nudge to let you know they're OK from half-a-world away.
Hackers in Residence - Sound and Motion Reactivity for Wearables
October 3, 2014
How to consciously wear light-up and and sound reactive clothing.
MicroView Digital Compass
October 24, 2016
Build a portable digital compass using the SparkFun MicroView and the MAG3110 Magnetometer Breakout.
H3LIS331DL Accelerometer Breakout Hookup Guide
December 21, 2017
Hookup guide and library usage details for the triple axis accelerometer H3LIS331DL high-g accelerometer.
LSM6DS3 Breakout Hookup Guide
August 13, 2015
A hookup guide for the LSM6DS3, which features a 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope, and FIFO buffer.
LIS3DH Hookup Guide
December 29, 2016
A guide to connecting the LIS3DH to a microcontroller and using the Arduino library.
Spectacle Motion Board Hookup Guide
May 4, 2017
All the information you need to use the Spectacle Motion Kit in one place.
Spectacle Motion Kit Hookup Guide
May 4, 2017
All the information you need to use the Spectacle Motion Kit in one place.
Spectacle Inertia Board Hookup Guide
May 4, 2017
Everything you need to know about using the Spectacle Inertia Board in one place.
Lessons in Algorithms
December 21, 2016
Learn techniques on how to use Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filters and other data-processing tools to turn data into information.
Servo Trigger Programming Guide
May 26, 2016
Looking under the hood of the Servo Trigger -- using the development environment and some finer details of the firmware.
MPU-9150 Hookup Guide
August 13, 2015
A basic guide to get started with the MPU-9150 9 Degrees of Freedom Breakout.
ADXL337 and ADXL377 Accelerometer Hookup Guide
July 17, 2014
How to get started using both the ADXL337 and ADXL377 3-axis accelerometers with analog outputs.
ITG-3200 Hookup Guide
October 22, 2013
Learn how to interact with the ITG-3200 Triple Axis Gyroscope.
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.