Power

Power is one of the more fundamental concepts in electronics. Check out the following tutorials to reduce current consumption, toggle high power applications, monitor your battery, or charge your LiPo battery safely! Not sure the power requirements of your project? Try checking out the tutorial on how to power your project for some considerations.

12V/5V Power Supply Hookup Guide

May 10, 2018

In this tutorial, we will replace the 12V/5V (2A) power supply's molex connector with two male barrel jacks adapters.

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.

Adjustable LiPo Charger Hookup Guide

September 28, 2017

The SparkFun Adjustable LiPo Charger is a single-cell lithium polymer (LiPo) and lithium ion battery charger. Because it’s adjustable, this charger will be able to safely charge all of our singe-cell batteries.

Alternating Current (AC) vs. Direct Current (DC)

September 5, 2013

Learn the differences between AC and DC, the history, different ways to generate AC and DC, and examples of applications.

ATX Power Connector (4-Pin) Breakout Hookup Guide

October 10, 2019

Do you need to power a project with 12V and 5V from one wall adapter? The ATX power connector breaks out the standard 4-pin computer peripheral port for your 12V and 5V devices!

Battery Babysitter Hookup Guide

June 23, 2016

An introduction and getting started guide for the Battery Babysitter - a flexible LiPo battery charger and monitor.

Battery Technologies

February 6, 2013

The basics behind the batteries used in portable electronic devices: LiPo, NiMH, coin cells, and alkaline.

Beefcake Relay Control Hookup Guide

June 2, 2016

This is a guide for assembling and basic use of the Beefcake Relay Control board

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!

Benchtop Power Board Kit Hookup Guide

November 3, 2014

Need more power? This Benchtop ATX Power Supply Kit should help give you the boost you need to power those energy hungry projects.

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.

Buck-Boost Hookup Guide

May 10, 2019

This tutorial shows you how to hook up and use the SparkFun Buck-Boost board.

Buck Regulator Hookup Guide

August 5, 2021

Get started with SparkFun's newest Buck Regulator Boards - the BabyBuck and the Buck!

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.

Current Sensor Breakout (ACS723) Hookup Guide

June 21, 2018

Learn how to measure the current consumption of your project using the ACS723 Current Sensor.

Dialog ULP WiFi DA16200 R3 Shield Hookup Guide

October 7, 2021

Add WiFi to your project with this hookup guide for our Dialog's Ultra Low Power DA16200 R3 shield!

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.

ESP8266 Powered Propane Poofer

March 15, 2016

Learn how Nick Poole built a WiFi controlled fire-cannon using the ESP8266 Thing Dev Board!

FemtoBuck Constant Current LED Driver Hookup Guide v13

December 10, 2015

The FemtoBuck board is a high-efficiency, single-channel constant-current LED driver.

Fuse Breakout Board Hookup Guide

October 3, 2019

Protect your project by adding a fuse in your circuit to save it from molten destruction.

Getting Started with the MyoWare® 2.0 Muscle Sensor Ecosystem

April 1, 2022

The MyoWare® 2.0 Muscle Sensor, an Arduino-compatible, all-in-one electromyography (EMG) sensor from Advancer Technologies. In this tutorial, we will go over the features and related shields to connect the sensor to a muscle group.

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.

Hookup Guide for the SparkFun RedBoard Artemis

August 28, 2019

Get started with the RedBoard Artemis - all the functionality of the SparkFun Artemis module wrapped in the familiar Uno R3 footprint
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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.