Python

Python is a programming language that lets you write code quickly and effectively. With a design philosophy that focuses on code readability, Python is easy to learn and use. Thanks to the advances in single board computers and powerful microcontrollers, Python can now be used to control hardware. Check out some of the tutorials below to get started graphing, charting and GUI design in Python.

Qwiic Kit for Raspberry Pi V2 Hookup Guide

December 29, 2022

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!

RP2040 mikroBUS™ Development Board Hookup Guide

March 4, 2022

The RP2040 is the first microcontroller from the Raspberry Pi Foundation. Updated with the new mikroBUS™ socket, the RP2040 development board expands its horizons with a growing ecosystem of +1100 drop-in Click boards™. Click to learn more.

Qwiic Distance Sensor (VL53L1X, VL53L4CD) Hookup Guide

February 10, 2022

The Qwiic Distance Sensor - VL53L1X is a time of flight sensor that is capable of several modes, as well as having a range of 4M. It's cousin VL53L4CD is also a time of flight sensor with similar characteristics but it has a range of about 1.3M. Let's hook it up and find out just how far away that thing over there is.

Digital Temperature Sensor Breakout - AS6212 (Qwiic) Hookup Guide

September 9, 2021

Get started measuring highly accurate temperatures at extremely low power with the AS6212 temperature sensor on the SparkFun Digital Temperature Sensor Breakout - AS6212 (Qwiic).

Qwiic EEPROM Hookup Guide

July 29, 2021

Running out of memory? Don't forget to check out the Qwiic EEPROM!

Machine Learning @ Home Kit Hookup Guide

July 16, 2021

A living hookup guide with three different machine learning applications that will help you around the home as well as teach the basics of taking the examples of machine learning you find in the DLI Course and working towards deploying those projects beyond an example in Jupyter Notebooks!

Air Quality Sensor - SGP40 (Qwiic) Hookup Guide

June 24, 2021

Get started measuring indoor air quality with the SparkFun Air Quality Sensor - SGP40 (Qwiic) Hookup Guide.

2D Barcode Scanner Breakout Hookup Guide

May 27, 2021

A quick Hookup Guide to get you started with the SparkFun 2D Barcode Scanner Breakout.

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 PIR Hookup Guide

March 25, 2021

Get started passively monitoring motion using the Panasonic EKMC and EKMB sensors with the SparkFun Qwiic PIR.

SparkFun PIR Breakout Hookup Guide

March 25, 2021

Get started with these Panasonic EKM-Series PIR breakouts following this Hookup Guide.

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.

Pro Micro RP2040 Hookup Guide

January 21, 2021

This tutorial covers the basic functionality of the Pro Micro RP2040 and highlights the features of the dual-core ARM Cortex-M0+ processors development board. Get started with the first microcontroller from the Raspberry Pi Foundation!

MicroMod RP2040 Processor Board Hookup Guide

January 21, 2021

This tutorial covers the basic functionality of the MicroMod RP2040 Processor Board and highlights the features of the dual-core ARM Cortex-M0+ processors development board. Get started with the first microcontroller from the Raspberry Pi Foundation!

Introduction to the Raspberry Pi GPIO and Physical Computing

January 20, 2021

This tutorial will teach you how to set up your Raspberry Pi as a full desktop computer and read in sensor data through the GPIO using SparkFun hardware.

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.

SparkFun Qwiic GPIO Hookup Guide

October 8, 2020

Add up to 8 extra I/O pins to your microcontroller with the SparkFun Qwiic GPIO. Get started with the Qwiic GPIO in this Hookup Guide.

SparkFun Qwiic Dual Solid State Relay Hookup Guide

September 24, 2020

A Hookup Guide to get you started with the SparkFun Qwiic Dual Solid State Relay.

Jetson Nano + Sphero RVR Mash-up (PART 2)

July 29, 2020

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

SparkFun Qwiic Quad Solid State Relay Kit Hookup Guide

July 16, 2020

A Hookup Guide to get you started with the SparkFun Qwiic Quad Solid State Relay Kit (say that five times fast!).

SparkFun GPS-RTK Dead Reckoning ZED-F9R Hookup Guide

July 9, 2020

The u-blox ZED-F9R is a powerful GPS-RTK unit that uses a fusion of IMU, wheel ticks, a vehicle dynamics model, correction data, and GNSS measurements to provide highly accurate and continuous position for navigation in the difficult conditions. We will quickly get you set up using the Qwiic ecosystem through Arduino and Python so that you can start reading the output!

SparkFun Photodetector (MAX30101) Hookup Guide

June 25, 2020

The SparkFun Photodetector - MAX30101 (Qwiic) is the successor to the MAX30105 particle sensor, a highly sensitive optical sensor. This tutorial will get you started on retrieving the raw data from the MAX30101 sensor.

Working with Qwiic on a Jetson Nano through Jupyter Notebooks

April 23, 2020

We created a few Jupyter Notebooks to make using our Qwiic boards with your Jetson Nano even easier!

Jetson Nano + Sphero RVR Mash-up (PART 1)

April 23, 2020

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

Raspberry Pi Safe Reboot and Shutdown Button

April 20, 2020

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!

SparkFun Top pHAT Hookup Guide

April 16, 2020

The pHAT to sit above your other HATs. Does that make it the "king" of the pHATs? This guide will help you get started using the Top pHAT with the Raspberry Pi.

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.

Assembly Guide for SparkFun JetBot AI Kit V2.0

March 27, 2020

Assembly Guide for the SparkFun JetBot AI Kit v2.0. This tutorial includes photos & comments to assemble the two-layer chassis & additional components unique to the JetBot kit.

Basic Servo Control for Beginners

February 25, 2020

An introductory tutorial demonstrating several ways to use and interact with servo motors!

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 for Raspberry Pi Hookup Guide

December 5, 2019

Ever wanted to prototype I2C components on a Pi? Now you can!

SparkFun Qwiic Micro (SAMD21E) Hookup Guide

October 24, 2019

An introduction to the Qwiic Micro SAMD21E. Level up your Arduino-skills with the powerful SAMD21 ARM Cortex M0+ processor!

Qwiic Atmospheric Sensor (BME280) Hookup Guide

August 21, 2019

Measure temperature, humidity, barometric pressure with the SparkFun Atmospheric Sensor Breakout BME280 (Qwiic).

Assembly Guide for SparkFun JetBot AI Kit

August 13, 2019

Assembly Guide for the SparkFun JetBot AI Kit. This tutorial includes photos & comments to assemble the two-layer chassis & additional components unique to the JetBot kit.

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.

TPL5110 Nano Power Timer Hookup Guide

June 6, 2019

The TPL5110 Nano Power Timer is ideal for applications that require low power, and especially those projects that are running off of a LiPo battery. The Nano Power Timer will turn on your project after the set amount of time, continuously.

SAMD51 Thing Plus Hookup Guide

May 24, 2019

This tutorial covers the basic functionality of the SAMD51 Thing Plus and highlights the features of the new ARM Cortex-M4F development board.

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.

Transparent Graphical OLED Breakout Hookup Guide

March 7, 2019

The future is here! Our Qwiic Transparent Graphical OLED Breakout allows you to display custom images on a transparent screen using either I2C or SPI connections.

Qwiic Joystick Hookup Guide

February 21, 2019

Looking for an easy way to implement a joystick to your next Arduino or Raspberry Pi project? This hookup guide will walk you through using the Qwiic Joystick with the Arduino IDE on a RedBoard Qwiic and in Python on a Raspberry Pi.

Computer Vision and Projection Mapping in Python

February 6, 2019

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

RedBoard Turbo Hookup Guide

January 24, 2019

An introduction to the RedBoard Turbo. Level up your Arduino-skills with the powerful SAMD21 ARM Cortex M0+ processor!

LumiDrive Hookup Guide

January 17, 2019

The LumiDrive LED Driver is SparkFun’s foray into all things Python on micro-controllers. With the SparkFun LumiDrive you will be able to control and personalize a whole strand of APA102s directly from the board itself.

nRF52840 Development with Arduino and CircuitPython

November 29, 2018

How to use Arduino or CircuitPython to develop applications for the nRF52840 Cortex-M4 Bluetooth SoC.

SparkFun Pro nRF52840 Mini Hookup Guide

November 29, 2018

A hardware overview and hookup guide for the SparkFun Pro nRF52840 Mini -- a breakout for Nordic's impossibly cool Bluetooth/ARM Cortex M4 SoC.

How to Run a Raspberry Pi Program on Startup

September 18, 2018

In this tutorial, we look at various methods for running a script or program automatically whenever your Raspberry Pi (or other Linux computer) boots up.

How to Load MicroPython on a Microcontroller Board

September 4, 2018

This tutorial will show you how to load the MicroPython interpreter onto a variety of development boards.

Python GUI Guide: Introduction to Tkinter

August 13, 2018

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.

Pi AVR Programmer HAT Hookup Guide

July 26, 2018

In this tutorial, we will use a Raspberry Pi 3 and the Pi AVR Programmer HAT to program an ATMega328P target. We are going to first program the Arduino bootloader over SPI, and then upload an Arduino sketch over a USB serial COM port.

Graph Sensor Data with Python and Matplotlib

July 23, 2018

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

Qwiic MUX Hookup Guide

July 19, 2018

Have a bunch of sensors with the same I2C address? Put them on the Qwiic MUX (TCA9548A) to get them all talking on the same bus!

Python Programming Tutorial: Getting Started with the Raspberry Pi

June 27, 2018

This guide will show you how to write programs on your Raspberry Pi using Python to control hardware.

Flexible Grayscale OLED Hookup Guide

May 31, 2018

Figure out how to get images displaying on your new flexible OLED screen.

IoT Weight Logging Scale

May 9, 2018

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.

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!

Raspberry Pi Stand-Alone Programmer

March 8, 2018

This tutorial will show you how to use a headless Raspberry Pi to flash hex files onto AVR microcontrollers as a stand-alone programmer. It also tells the story about production programming challenges, how SparkFun came to this solution, and all the lessons learned along the way.

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.

Using Flask to Send Data to a Raspberry Pi

November 9, 2017

In this tutorial, we'll show you how to use the Flask framework for Python to send data from ESP8266 WiFi nodes to a Raspberry Pi over an internal WiFi network.

Lumenati Hookup Guide

October 12, 2017

Lumenati is our line of APA102c-based addressable LED boards. We'll show you how to bring the sparkle to your projects!

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.

Bark Back Interactive Pet Monitor

March 8, 2017

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

Raspberry Pi SPI and I2C Tutorial

October 29, 2015

Learn how to use serial I2C and SPI buses on your Raspberry Pi using the wiringPi I/O library for C/C++ and spidev/smbus for Python.

Raspberry gPIo

October 29, 2015

How to use either Python or C++ to drive the I/O lines on a Raspberry Pi.

Building Large LED Installations

July 16, 2015

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

Raspberry Pi Twitter Monitor

November 19, 2013

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