Projects
Need inspiration? Find it here! These tutorials feature special projects broken down into steps to illustrate how you can use various concepts, skills, and technologies to build awesome stuff.
Secure DIY Garage Door Opener
January 16, 2020
Did you know that most garage doors are at risk of a roll jam attack? Here we make a DIY garage door remote-control system that is much more secure than most commercial-ready products using the latest in ECC cryptography.
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...
Magnetic Levitation
November 20, 2019
This tutorial will show you how to build a magnetic levitation circuit using common parts.
Qwiic Pro Kit Project Guide
November 7, 2019
The Qwiic Pro Kit was designed to allow users to get started with Arduino without the need for soldering or a breadboard. We've included three inputs (a joystick, accelerometer, and proximity sensor) and one display that can be daisy chained to the RedBoard Turbo (SAMD21) Development Board.
Wireless Controlled Wearable EL Wire Dance Suit
October 31, 2019
In this tutorial, we will build an EL wire dance suit that can be controlled by a wireless glove controller!
Fuse Breakout Board Hookup Guide
October 3, 2019
Protect your project by adding a fuse in your circuit to save it from molten destruction.
GPS Geo-Mapping at the Push of a Button
September 27, 2019
Let's ramp up our GPS tracking skills with KML files and Google Earth. We'll make a tracker that logs location and allows us to visualize our steps with Google Earth.
ESP32 Relay Web Server
September 10, 2019
The goal of this project is to have a website hosted on an ESP32 that controls any relay controlled device connected to a local network and keeps a dynamically updated state of those devices.
Modifying Your EL Wire Inverter
July 18, 2019
In this tutorial, we will modify the 12V EL wire inverter to power the EL Sequencer/EL Escudo Dos off a single power supply.
EL Wire Pants
July 18, 2019
In this tutorial, we will sew standard electroluminescent (EL) wire to a pair of pants.
Using Home Assistant to Expand Your Home Automations
May 9, 2019
An introduction to Home Assistant, an open source home automation hub.
Displaying Your Coordinates with a GPS Module
April 30, 2019
This Arduino tutorial will teach you how to pinpoint and display your GPS coordinates with a press of a button using hardware from our Qwiic Connect System (I2C).
Wireless Gesture Controlled Robot
April 25, 2019
Control the RedBot wirelessly based on the movement of your hand using an accelerometer, Arduino, and XBees!
Keyboard Shortcut, Qwiic Keypad
April 25, 2019
A simple project using the Qwiic Keypad and the RedBoard Turbo to create your own custom hotkey-pad.
Wireless Glove Controller
April 24, 2019
Build a wireless glove controller with Arduinos to trigger an LED using XBees!
LED Gumball Machine
April 24, 2019
Hacking gumball machines to make the world a happier, blinkier place.
Build a Qwiic Jukebox that is Toddler Approved!
March 29, 2019
Follow this tutorial to build your own custom jukebox. Note, this is designed simple and tough for use primarily with toddlers. It's also a great introduction to SparkFun's Qwiic products!
Wireless RC Robot with Arduino and XBees
March 12, 2019
In this tutorial, we will expand on the SIK for RedBot to control the robot wirelessly with XBee radios! We'll explore a different microcontroller and wirelessly control the RedBot at a distance.
Computer Vision and Projection Mapping in Python
February 6, 2019
Use computer vision to detect faces and project images on top of them.
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!
Live Spotify Album Art Display
January 23, 2019
Learn how to turn our 64x64 RGB LED Matrix Panel into a display for your current Spotify album art using an ESP32.
Wireless Remote Control with micro:bit
January 21, 2019
In this tutorial, we will utilize the MakeCode radio blocks to have the one micro:bit transmit a signal to a receiving micro:bit on the same channel. Eventually, we will control a micro:bot wirelessly using parts from the arcade:kit!
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.
How to Make a Custom EL Wire Extension Cable
October 24, 2018
In this tutorial, we will make a custom EL Wire extension cable as an alternative to splicing wire.
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.