Motors
Motors provide a way for our devices to interact with us and the environment. They can provide haptic feedback for notification, add movement to your robot, help 3D print a model, or CNC mill a material. Some basic motors types include DC brush, servos, brushless, stepper, linear motors. Not sure what motor to select? Check out Motors and Selecting the Right One and the hobby servo tutorial for more information to start.
Light-Seeking Robot
November 28, 2017
We use parts from the SparkFun Inventor's Kit v4.0 to create a light-seeking robot that mimics the behavior of single-celled organisms.
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.
SparkFun 5V/1A LiPo Charger/Booster Hookup Guide
September 28, 2017
This tutorial shows you how to hook up and use the SparkFun 5V/1A LiPo Charger/Booster circuit.
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.
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.
Wireless Motor Driver Shield Hookup Guide
August 17, 2017
Get started with the SparkFun Wireless Motor Driver Shield!
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.
Getting Started with MicroPython and the SparkFun Inventor's Kit for micro:bit
July 11, 2017
Learn MicroPython with the micro:bit.
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.
Spectacle Example: Super Mario Bros. Diorama
May 4, 2017
A study in building an animated diorama (with sound!) using Spectacle electronics.
Ardumoto Kit Hookup Guide
April 14, 2017
Learn how to assemble and drive DC motors using the v2.0 Ardumoto Shield.
Haptic Motor Driver Hook-Up Guide
January 19, 2017
Good vibes only. Getting started with the Haptic Motor Driver.
Building an Autonomous Vehicle: The Batmobile
December 6, 2016
Documenting a six-month project to race autonomous Power Wheels at the SparkFun Autonomous Vehicle Competition (AVC) in 2016.
Red Box Robot Hookup Guide
November 23, 2016
Turn an iconic SparkFun red box into an obstacle-avoiding robot.
Serial Controlled Motor Driver Hookup Guide
November 17, 2016
Hookup guide for the Serial Controlled Motor Driver
ReconBot with the Tessel 2
October 13, 2016
Build a robot with the Tessel 2 that you can control from a browser on your phone or laptop.
TB6612FNG Hookup Guide
September 29, 2016
Basic hookup guide for the TB6612FNG H-bridge motor driver to get your robot to start moving!
Getting Started with the AutoDriver - v13
September 15, 2016
SparkFun's AutoDriver is a powerful tool for controlling stepper motors. Here's how to use it.
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!
Electret Mic Breakout Board Hookup Guide
June 23, 2016
An introduction to working with the Electret Mic Breakout Board.
How to Build a Remote Kill Switch
May 31, 2016
Learn how to build a wireless controller to kill power when things go... sentient.
GPS Differential Vector Pointer
May 31, 2016
Use GPS to have two objects, a base and a target, point towards one another. This can be used to aim a directional antenna (or in the case of this project, a laser) from one object to the other object at a distance that is only limited by your ability to provide the base station with the target's GPS location.
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.
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.