Projects

More than just numbers, more than just letters, with a little creative coding you can do teach your alphanumeric display lots of new tricks.

Sometimes we want to do more with our data than just watch the values roll by on a screen. In this tutorial, we'll take a look at one way we can translate that data to movement.

This tutorial demonstrates the SparkFun Qwiic Buzzer's ability to control multiple buzzers simultaneously by playing a 3-part arrangement of a segment of the Super Mario Bros Theme!

Follow along with an engineering student as he creates a distance-based game using the Artemis Global Tracker!

Connect your Thing Plus Matter board to a Google Nest Hub, as well as the Google Home app, and set up as a light device!

Get started with the SGP40, BME280, VCNL4040, and microOLED via I2C using the Qwiic system and Python on a Raspberry Pi! Measure VOC Index, light, temperature, humidity, and pressure from the environment. Then display them on the microOLED, serial terminal, or the cloud with Cayenne!

This tutorial will show you how setup a simple peer-to-peer connection to send and receive sensor data using LoRa.

Time for racing, let's make a wireless timing device using ESP32 wireless communication.

The MicroMod 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 MicroMod SAMD51 Processor Board.

Measure height using atmospheric pressure with your Qwiic MicroPressure breakout board!

Using WiFi to send sensor data from an ESP32 to a WiFi network and be able to read it from an IoT Dashboard from anywhere in the world.

A payphone turned into a bit of fun.

Make a Qwiic-enabled digital desk sign with a MicroMod SAMD51 Processor Board's USB Host and a USB keyboard!

This tutorial will show you how setup a simple peer-to-peer connection to send and receive sensor data between two ESP32 WiFi boards.

Learn how to affix a GNSS antenna, use PPP to get its ECEF coordinates and then broadcast your own RTCM data over the internet and cellular using NTRIP to increase rover reception to 10km!

Getting GNSS RTCM correction data from a base to a rover is easy with a serial telemetry radio! We'll show you how to get your high precision RTK GNSS system setup and running.

Tell the time with this fantastic Alchitry project using clocks to make a clock!

What time is it? Time for you to... Qwiic-ly build a GPS clock and output it to a display! This project provides you with the current date and time using GPS satellites. Read the date and time as a digital or analog clock. Or even configure the clock for military, your time zone, or automatically adjust the time for daylight savings time!

We took two of our biggest robotics partnerships from the previous year and shazamed them together into one robot to rule them all!

Qwiic-ly build a digital indoor thermometer to measure the ambient temperature of the room and display it using an OLED on an I2C bus!

Learn how to record and playback controller 'macros' for your Nintendo Switch using a Raspberry Pi, SparkFun Top pHAT, and Joycontrol.

Learn how to flash firmware Over-the-Air using a BLE React WebApp and ESP32

Need a great project for your Raspberry Pi 4 kit? Use it to create a command center to display the weather, clock, your calendar, or even a news feed!

Make a remote work logger using an RFID reader and a GPS module. Scan a card and get ID, location, and time. All the perfect data to punch in and punch out from the middle of Nowhere!

Monitor the weather without being exposed to it through wireless communication between two micro:bits using the radio blocks! This is useful if your weather station is installed in a location that is difficult to retrieve data from the OpenLog. We will also explore a few different ways to send and receive data.

We took two of our biggest robotics partnerships from the previous year and shazamed them together into one robot to rule them all!

Safely reboot or shutdown your Raspberry Pi to avoid corrupting the microSD card using the built-in general purpose button on the Qwiic pHAT v2.0!

A comparison of analog and digital temperature sensors. Which is better?

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.

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...

This tutorial will show you how to build a magnetic levitation circuit using common parts.

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.

In this tutorial, we will build an EL wire dance suit that can be controlled by a wireless glove controller!

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

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.

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.

In this tutorial, we will sew standard electroluminescent (EL) wire to a pair of pants.

In this tutorial, we will modify the 12V EL wire inverter to power the EL Sequencer/EL Escudo Dos off a single power supply.

An introduction to Home Assistant, an open source home automation hub.

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).

A simple project using the Qwiic Keypad and the RedBoard Turbo to create your own custom hotkey-pad.

Control the RedBot wirelessly based on the movement of your hand using an accelerometer, Arduino, and XBees!

Hacking gumball machines to make the world a happier, blinkier place.

Build a wireless glove controller with Arduinos to trigger an LED using XBees!

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!

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.

Use computer vision to detect faces and project images on top of them.

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!

Learn how to turn our 64x64 RGB LED Matrix Panel into a display for your current Spotify album art using an ESP32.

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!

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.

In this tutorial, we will make a custom EL Wire extension cable as an alternative to splicing wire.

In this tutorial, we will sew standard electroluminescent (EL) wire to a hoodie.

Tkinter is the standard graphical user interface package that comes with Python. This tutorial will show you how to create basic windowed applications as well as complete full-screen dashboard examples complete with live graph updates from matplotlib.

Use matplotlib to create a real-time plot of temperature data collected from a TMP102 sensor connected to a Raspberry Pi.

Having issues viewing your print in a dark lit room? In this tutorial, we will be using LED strips to light up a print bed's area on a LulzBot 3D printer!

Using the ESP32 to make a web-configured timed relay.

This tutorial will show you how to make a scale that logs your weight to a custom website on the Internet. The principles can be extrapolated to any type of data.

This tutorial will show you how to make a robot that streams a webcam to a custom website that can be remotely controlled.

This guide will show you how to configure a Raspberry Pi as an access point and connect it to your local Ethernet network to share Internet to other WiFi devices.

Configure a Raspberry Pi without a keyboard, mouse, or monitor.

In this tutorial, we will learn about how to create an interactive theatrical prop for a performance by 3D printing a translucent diamond prop using a non-addressable RGB LED strip and AT42QT1011 capacitive touch sensing.

In this tutorial, we'll find out how to use Resolume Arena, a popular video jockey software, to control custom-made ArtNet DMX fixtures.

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

Create an innocuous-looking USB stick with an Arduino Pro Micro and a 3D printed case that moves your mouse pointer randomly every few seconds. Sure to anger your coworkers and friends!

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!

Developing a bidirectional MIDI-BLE link with the nRF52832 Breakout.

A project tutorial to add an extra effect for dancers performing a choreographed piece. The harness can be added quickly under a costume.

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.

Build a custom wireless audio Bluetooth adapter using BlueCreation's BC127 and add it to your old speaker system!

Modify a simple desk lamp to respond to a double clap (or other sharp noise) using parts from the SparkFun Inventor's Kit v4.0.

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.

We attempt to emulate a car seat to ease a baby to sleep.

We make a simple side-scrolling endless runner game using parts from the SparkFun Inventor's Kit v4.0.

This scarf is embedded with a ribbon of LEDs that illuminate when it gets dark out, making yourself more visible to vehicle and other pedestrians.

Use Lumenati LED boards to add glow to your own alien garden.

Make a beautiful night sky costume using the LilyPad LEDs and the LilyTiny.

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

Follow this tutorial to make your own Crystal Goddess Crown with LEDs!

Create a quick and easy piece of e-textile art based on a Zodiac sign using a LilyTiny, LilyPad LEDs, battery holder, conductive thread, and coin cell battery.

Light up the world - and your wrist - with this quick and easy rechargeable firefly LED bracelet.

Follow this tutorial to make your own light up PomPom headband! Try the beginner version if you are new to electronics or the advanced version if you have some more experience!

This tutorial provides everything you need to know to make your own Marquee Party Bag!

A study in building an animated diorama (with sound!) using Spectacle electronics.

How to crack an unknown safe in under an hour.

Learn how to customize and program your Roshamglo badge.

Turn your Roshamglo board into a (nearly) universal TV power button.

Monitor and interact with pets through this dog bark detector project based on the Raspberry Pi!

Use LilyPad LEDs, a switched battery holder, and coin cell battery to make a fun light up mask for your next costume party.

Craft a light-up plush with LilyPad LEDs controlled by pressing a button and sliding a switch in the creature's hands.

Use the pre-programmed LilyMini ProtoSnap to make an interactive pennant that reacts to ambient light levels.

Create a quick and easy piece of e-textile art using a LilyPad LED, battery holder, conductive thread, and coin cell battery.

This project covers how to log data to Google Sheets two ways: using IFTTT with a web connection or a USB pen drive and "sneakernet" without.

Documenting a six-month project to race autonomous Power Wheels at the SparkFun Autonomous Vehicle Competition (AVC) in 2016.

Add some flair to your Imperial uniform by changing your voice using a Teensy 3.2 and Prop Shield.

Build a portable digital compass using the SparkFun MicroView and the MAG3110 Magnetometer Breakout.

Are you to sleepy to enjoy a sunrise on a brisk morning? Yeah...us too! No worries, with a Webcam, a Tessel 2 and a bit of code you can sleep in and catch the sunrise at your leisure with the Sunrise Machine.

Build a robot with the Tessel 2 that you can control from a browser on your phone or laptop.

Build an air-conditioner monitoring device to collect environment information and store it in the cloud.

What does a baby elephant weigh? How much impact force does a jump have? Answer these questions and more by building your very own IoT industrial scale using the SparkFun OpenScale.

Basic hookup guide for the TB6612FNG H-bridge motor driver to get your robot to start moving!

Building a pedal around the Teensy 3.2 and Teensy Audio shield. Changing the effect in the pedal is as easy as uploading a new sketch!

Building a gyrator-based analog equalizer using the Proto Pedal.

Add a cloth stencil over EL panels to create glowing logos and designs.

OpenScale allows you to have a permanent scale for industrial and biological applications. Learn how to use the OpenScale board to read and configure load cells.

An introduction to working with the Electret Mic Breakout Board.

Build a portable gas monitor to check for dangerous levels of hazardous gases.

Learn how to build a remote water level sensor for a water storage tank and how to automate a pump based off the readings!

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.

Use an Arduino and the SparkFun Sound Detector to create visualizations on Addressable RGB LED strips.

Learn how to build a wireless controller to kill power when things go... sentient.

Turn the Intel® Edison into an access point that serves a simple browser-based game. High scores from the game are displayed on a character LCD.

Classroom STEM activity that has students build a battery from a lemon, measure the open and closed circuit voltages, and determine the battery's internal resistance.

We can use the parts and concepts in the SparkFun Invetor's Kit to make a primitive keyboard instrument.

This quick craft project shows you how to create a circuit using copper tape instead of wire to light up an LED and make a wearable piece of e-craft art.

How to configure the Blynk Board and app to notify you when your washer or dryer is done shaking.

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

A series of Blynk projects you can set up on the Blynk Board without ever re-programming it.

A Blynk project that demonstrates how to use the Bridge widget to get two (or more) Blynk Boards to communicate.

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

Learn how to build your own Internet-connect, solar-powered temperature collection station using the Photon from Particle.

Make an RGB colored cloud light! You can also control it from your phone, or hook up to the weather!

Turn your Badger or Redstick into a temperature and soil moisture sensing display with the BadgerHack Sensor Add-On Kit

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

Make a tiny synth with BadgerStick.

How to connect an LCD controlled by an ILI9341 driver to the Intel® Edison.

Build a smart mirror that displays weather data using the Intel® Edison.

A guest tutorial on an Electronic Terrarium from the Performative Sculpture class of Parsons DT.

Learn how to make your EL wire costumes sound reactive in this project tutorial.

A step-by-step guide to cutting and engraving a coaster with the Shapeoko.

Learn how to create a light-up dog harness using EL wire for when you need to take your four-legged friend for a walk in the dark.

Show your school spirit, geek pride, or fandom with a light up pennant using the LilyTwinkle or LilyPad Arduino.

Craft an illuminated butterfly pop up card with copper tape, two LEDs, and a battery.

Craft a paper circuit pop up card with a cycling RGB LED, battery, and copper tape.

Create a synth keyboard with the FreeSoC2 from SparkFun.

Tips and tricks for brainstorming and creating a wearables project.

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.

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

Getting started guide for the Large Digit display driver board. This tutorial explains how to solder the module (backpack) onto the back of the large 7-segment LED display and run example code from an Arduino.

A quick tutorial to get you started in the world of light up origami flowers.

How to use the Lilypad MP3 Player and some Bare Conductive Paint to make a fandom silhouette sound trigger page.

An addition to a previous project, this time using a PC and a custom Java app to create your own music visualizer using a RGB LED matrix.

Learn how to make a musical painting using the Bare Conductive Touch Board and Conductive Paint.

Combine a silk flower with a built-in RGB LED and some LilyPad Switches to create a customizable accessory.

A fun project that uses a Raspberry Pi and a custom Java app to create your own sound visualizer using a RGB LED matrix.

Craft a stuffed monster while exploring the LilyTiny preprogrammed microcontroller. This is a project based on the Plush Monster Activity created at MIT's High-Low Tech Lab by Emily Lovell, Jie Qi, and Natalie Freed.

Light up your love with paper circuits - no soldering required!

Check out Hacker in Residence, Jesse's awesome Harmonic Skew Zoetrope in this project tutorial.

This is a GPS controlled clock - a clock you truly never have to set! Using GPS and some formulas, we figure out what day of the week and if we are in or out of daylight savings time.

A fun holiday project to try for anyone looking to catch Santa on Christmas!

Get started with Actobotics with this simple vehicle. Then expand and customize it for your own evil robot empire.

Learn how to use a blower and thin sheet plastic to create designs that change shape and volume!

Craft a glowing card for friends and family this holiday season with paper circuits - no soldering required!

Diana Eng walks you through a magically appearing design made with an thermochromatic pigment.

Make your own cackling apple head witch to scare all of the trick or treaters this Halloween!

How about that humidity? This tutorial shows how to add sensing capability to the 21st Century Fashion Kit's RGB flower project.

How to consciously wear light-up and and sound reactive clothing.

Make a light up goodie bag with conductive thread, LEDs, and the LilyTwinkle!

How to hook-up, program, and modify your Maker Faire Badge for electronic fun.

Learn how to detect cosmic rays with this simple and cheap detector, built by Hacker in Residence Pete Marchetto.

This tutorial will show you how to combine a webcam, a 32x32 RGB LED panel, and a Teensy 3.1 to stream video from the webcam, pixelate it, and display it on the LED panel - LIVE.

Drum machines and keyboards have been the standard for making digital music, but how do you make electronic music if you're trained to play the trombone? One of our Hackers in Residence, Carlos Mello, took it upon himself to find a solution to that very question.

How to take a solar powered pathway light from a hardware store and make it into a crude soil moisture sensor.

Light up your dad's day with this electronic pop-up card!

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.

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

Fear the dark no longer with this ELastoLite nightlight.

Learn how we converted 72 lightbulbs into an interactive LED array for our conference room.

How to communicate between an Electric Imp and Arduino using serial.

Create your own Linking Book from the classic computer game, MYST

Learn how to move a slider on a webpage and make a motor spin. We connect HTML and HID to read sensors and interface with the physical world.

Make a Step Sequencer using an Arduino, the Auduino firmware, and a handful of hardware.

Review, teardown, and hacking tutorial for the MindWave Mobile, a $99 commercial grade EEG sensor.

Reprogram your Arduino from anywhere in the world using the Tomatoless Boots wireless bootloader with the Electric Imp.

This is a tutorial demonstrating one of many techniques to "hack" the Simon Says. We will highlight the technique to take your Simon Says Wireless.

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

Demonstrate mental chronometry with this simple reaction timer!

100-in-1? 500-in-1? It's up to you when you build your own Science Fair style experiment board!

Getting People to do your job for you (badly) with some chocolate and a pcDuino!

Vernier Photogate Timer -- using the Serial Enabled LCD Kit.

A quick tutorial to show you how to add LEDs to gift or holiday bags or boxes.

How to use a Raspberry Pi to monitor Twitter for hashtags and blink an LED.

Our first-ever "Hackers in Residence" Tara Tiger Brown and Sean Bonner created a quadcopter that stays tethered to the ground. Here's how they did it!

A fun project that uses the LilyPad MP3 trigger. This apron will dispense helpful kitchen advice and humor from the host of My Drunk Kitchen, Hannah Harto!

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.

A guest tutorial from the astonishingly talented Mario the Magician showing how to put together your own servo-controlled lapel flower.

Because some of our boards need to be re-humidified after reflow, we decided to make our own humidor. This tutorial will focus on how to model a project in 3D and then fabricate it using a CNC routing machine.

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.

Here we will learn how to say how you feel with pizza. Electric pizza.

Music Box Project based on the Dr. Who TARDIS.

DIY Project Idea: Create a custom hand warmer blanket using heating pads.

An EL project that displays one person's heartbeat on another person's costume.