Sensors
SparkFun Arduino UNO R4 WiFi Qwiic Kit Hookup Guide
July 11, 2023
The SparkFun Arduino UNO R4 WiFi Qwiic Kit is a great way to get started with Arduino and the Qwiic-connect system - use this guide to get started!
Sending Sensor Data via Bluetooth
April 14, 2023
In this tutorial, we will show you how to get started on incorporating Bluetooth into your electronics projects. This project uses a SparkFun Thing Plus ESP32 Wroom USB-C to display data from a Triple Axis Accelerometer over Bluetooth.
Displaying Sensor Data with Bluetooth
March 28, 2023
In our previous Bluetooth tutorial called Sending Sensor Data Via Bluetooth, we showed how to display data from a triple axis accelerometer over the Arduino IDE’s serial monitor. Continuing off of the first tutorial, we are going to expand this project to include more capabilities for visualizing and interacting with your accelerometer data.
SparkFun Thing Plus - NINA-B306 Hookup Guide
March 23, 2023
A quick guide to get started using the SparkFun Thing Plus - NINA-B306. This Thing Plus is loaded with the Arm Cortex-M4 processor in the NINA-B306 along with on-board motion and environmental sensors in the ISM330DHCX 6DoF and BME280 pressure and temperature sensor.
Analog MEMS Microphone (VM2020) Hookup Guide
February 9, 2023
Get started with the SparkFun analog MEMS microphone breakout board! In this tutorial, we will be connecting the differential MEMS microphone to an Arduino using the WM8960 audio codec.
SparkFun Temperature Sensor - STTS22H (Qwiic) Hookup Guide
January 19, 2023
Get started with the ultralow-power, high-accuracy, qwiic-enabled SparkFun Temperature Sensor - STTS22H!
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!
SparkFun Triple Axis Accelerometer Breakout - BMA400 (Qwiic) Hookup Guide
December 8, 2022
Add low power triple axis motion monitoring to your Qwiic project using the SparkFun Triple Axis Accelerometer Breakout - BMA400 (Qwiic).
SparkFun Absolute Digital Barometer - LPS28DFW (Qwiic) Hookup Guide
December 8, 2022
Get started adding water-resistant pressure sensing using the SparkFun Absolute Digital Barometer - LPS28DFW (Qwiic) following this guide.
SparkFun Indoor Air Quality Sensor - ENS160 (Qwiic) Hookup Guide
November 11, 2022
Is your air safe? Check your eCO2, TVOC, and AQI levels with the new SparkFun Indoor Air Quality Sensor - ENS160!
Sending Sensor Data over LoRa
November 4, 2022
This tutorial will show you how setup a simple peer-to-peer connection to send and receive sensor data using LoRa.
Getting Started with Machinechat
October 7, 2022
Organize and display your data with SparkFun's Artemis OpenLog and MachineChat's JEDIOne!
Wireless Timing Project
September 29, 2022
Time for racing, let's make a wireless timing device using ESP32 wireless communication.
MicroMod Qwiic Pro Kit Project Guide
September 29, 2022
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.
Measuring Height with Atmospheric Pressure
September 29, 2022
Measure height using atmospheric pressure with your Qwiic MicroPressure breakout board!
Monitor Sensor Data from Anywhere
August 10, 2022
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.
Qwiic 9DoF - ISM330DHCX, MMC5983MA Hookup Guide
July 28, 2022
Find all your degrees of freedom with this little Qwiic breakout board combining the ISM330DHCX 6Dof and the MMC5983MA Magnetometer!
Qwiic Micro Magnetometer - MMC5983MA Hookup Guide
July 21, 2022
Let's figure out where we're going with the SparkFun Qwiic Micro Magnetometer - MMC5983MA!
Qwiic 6DoF - ISM330DHCX Hookup Guide
July 15, 2022
Get started with the Qwiic 6DoF ISM330DHCX Breakout Board!
Qwiic Pressure Sensor (BMP581) Hookup Guide
July 14, 2022
Get started with the SparkFun Pressure Sensor - BMP581 (Qwiic) following this Hookup Guide
Qwiic Digital Desk Sign with MicroMod
June 30, 2022
Make a Qwiic-enabled digital desk sign with a MicroMod SAMD51 Processor Board's USB Host and a USB keyboard!
Qwiic Pressure Sensor (BMP384) Hookup Guide
June 2, 2022
Get started with the SparkFun Pressure Sensor - BMP384 (Qwiic) following this guide.
Qwiic dToF Imager (TMF882X) Hookup Guide
April 14, 2022
Getting started with the AMS dToF imagers (TMF8820 and TMF8820).
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.
Analog MEMS Microphone Breakout - SPH8878LR5H-1 Hookup Guide
March 17, 2022
Get started with sound monitoring using the SparkFun analog MEMS microphone breakout board with Arduino!
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.
Qwiic ToF Imager - VL53L5CX Hookup Guide
January 27, 2022
Hookup Guide for the Qwiic ToF Imager - VL53L5CX
Sending Sensor Data Over WiFi
January 16, 2022
This tutorial will show you how setup a simple peer-to-peer connection to send and receive sensor data between two ESP32 WiFi boards.
SparkFun GPS-RTK Dead Reckoning ZED-F9K Hookup Guide
January 6, 2022
The u-blox ZED-F9K 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 so that you can start reading the output!
Artemis Global Tracker Hookup Guide
December 9, 2021
The SparkFun Artemis Global Tracker combines the Artemis processor with an Iridium 9603N satellite transceiver, ZOE-M8Q GNSS transceiver, and MS8607 PHT sensor. With a clear view of the sky, this board allows you to send and receive short data messages from anywhere in the world including remote locations far beyond the reach of WiFi and GSM networks. Follow this guide to get started with the Artemis Global Tracker.
MicroMod Environmental Function Board Hookup Guide
November 11, 2021
The SparkFun MicroMod Environmental Function Board adds additional sensing options to the MicroMod Processor Boards. This function board includes three sensors to monitor air quality (SGP40), humidity & temperature (SHTC3), and CO2 concentrations (STC31) in your indoor environment. To make it even easier to use, all communication is over the MicroMod's I2C bus! In this tutorial, we will go over how to connect the board and read the sensors.
Air Velocity Sensor Breakout - FS3000 Hookup Guide
September 23, 2021
Get started with the Air Velocity Sensor Breakout - FS3000!
Tinker Kit Circuit Guide
September 16, 2021
This guide takes you through the basics of building 11 different circuits with the SparkFun Tinker Kit and how to program them using the Arduino IDE.
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).
Getting Started with the micro:bit
September 2, 2021
The BBC micro:bit is a compact, powerful programming tool that requires no software installation. Read on to learn how to use it YOUR way!
QuickLogic Thing Plus (EOS S3) Hookup Guide
July 22, 2021
This guide provides users with functional descriptions, configuration options for the QuickLogic Thing Plus EOS S3. It also serves as a “Getting Started” and “How To” guide.
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.
SparkFun RTK Express Hookup Guide
June 21, 2021
Learn how to use the enclosed RTK Express product to achieve millimeter level geospatial coordinates.
Qwiic 6DoF (LSM6DSO) Breakout Hookup Guide
May 20, 2021
A hookup guide for the Qwiic 6DoF (LSM6DSO), which features a 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope, temperature sensor, and FIFO buffer.
Garmin LIDAR-Lite v4 (Qwiic) Hookup Guide
April 15, 2021
Connecting the Garmin LIDAR-Lite v4 to a microcontroller just got easier! Check out our hookup guide to get started.
Qwiic Ultrasonic Distance Sensor (HC-SR04) Hookup Guide
March 26, 2021
Get started with the Qwiic Ultrasonic Distance Sensor!
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.
MicroMod Asset Tracker Carrier Board Hookup Guide
February 25, 2021
Get started with the SparkFun MicroMod Asset Tracker Carrier Board following this Hookup Guide. The Asset Tracker uses the u-blox SARA-R510M8S LTE-M / NB-IoT module to provide a host of data communication options.
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.
Soil Moisture Sensor Hookup Guide
January 29, 2021
A quick hookup guide and project to get you started with the Soil Moisture Sensor from SparkFun.
MicroMod Weather Carrier Board Hookup Guide
January 14, 2021
A quick guide to help to create your own MicroMod weather station using the MicroMod Weather Carrier Board and Processor of your choice.
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.
Getting Started with the Artemis Development Kit
September 10, 2020
This guide covers the general design of the board, the installation of the recommended software used to program the Artemis DK, and some basic examples. For more advanced functionalities, we have separate software development guides for the AmbiqSDK, Arm® Mbed™ OS, and the Arduino IDE platforms that users can reference.
OpenLog Artemis Hookup Guide
August 20, 2020
How to use and re-program the OpenLog Artemis, an open source datalogger. The OLA comes preprogrammed to automatically log data. The OLA can also record serial data, analog voltages, or readings from external Qwiic-enabled I2C devices. Some of these Qwiic-enabled devices include GPS/GNSS modules, pressure, altitude, humidity, temperature, air quality, environment, distance, and weight sensors.
SparkFun Qwiic MicroPressure Hookup Guide
July 23, 2020
Get started using your Qwiic MicroPressure breakout board with this hookup guide.
Qwiic Digital Indoor Thermometer
July 15, 2020
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!
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.
SparkFun Air Quality Sensor - SGP30 (Qwiic) Hookup Guide
June 5, 2020
A hookup guide to get started with the SparkFun Air Quality Sensor - SGP30 (Qwiic).
SparkFun Environmental Sensor Breakout - BME68x (Qwiic) Hookup Guide
May 14, 2020
A hookup guide to get started with the BME68x Environmental Sensor from Bosch. Monitor the air quality, temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure with this Qwiic sensor!
Wireless Remote Weather Station with micro:bit
May 11, 2020
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.
SparkFun Humidity Sensor Breakout - SHTC3 (Qwiic) Hookup Guide
May 7, 2020
A Hookup Guide to get started using the SHTC3 breakout.
SparkFun GPS Dead Reckoning NEO-M8U Hookup Guide
April 30, 2020
The u-blox NEO-M8U is a powerful GPS units that takes advantage of untethered dead reckoning (UDR) technology for navigation. The module provides continuous positioning for vehicles in urban environments and during complete signal loss (e.g. short tunnels and parking garages). We will quickly get you set up using the Qwiic ecosystem and Arduino so that you can start reading the output!
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.
SparkFun Qwiic Digital Temperature Sensor - TMP102 Hookup Guide
March 26, 2020
Get started using your SparkFun Digital Temperature Sensor - TMP102 (Qwiic) with this Hookup Guide!
Temperature Sensor Comparison
March 18, 2020
A comparison of analog and digital temperature sensors. Which is better?
SparkFun Qwiic Thermocouple Hookup Guide
March 12, 2020
Learn how to hook up your Qwiic Thermocouple Amplifier.
micro:bot Kit Experiment Guide
February 20, 2020
Get started with the moto:bit, a carrier board for the micro:bit that allows you to control motors, and create your own robot using this experiment guide for the micro:bot kit.
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...
Advanced Autonomous Kit for Sphero RVR Assembly Guide
December 12, 2019
Get your Advanced Autonomous Kit for the Sphero RVR built up with this hookup guide!
Basic Autonomous Kit for Sphero RVR Assembly Guide
December 12, 2019
Get your Basic Autonomous Kit for Sphero RVR all hooked up with this guide!
Programming the SparkFun Edge with Arduino
December 9, 2019
Running low-power machine learning examples on the SparkFun Edge can now be done using the familiar Arduino IDE. In this follow-up to the initial Edge tutorial, we'll look at how to get three examples up and running without the need to learn an entirely new SDK.
Basic LED Animations for Beginners (Arduino)
December 3, 2019
Let's have some fun with LEDs! We'll explore LEDs once again with the SparkFun RedBoard Qwiic, making cool effects, and putting those effects to work using a sensor.
Magnetic Levitation
November 20, 2019
This tutorial will show you how to build a magnetic levitation circuit using common parts.
Qwiic TMP117 High Precision Digital Temperature Sensor Hookup Guide
November 14, 2019
Add a high precision, digital temperature sensor to your projects using the TMP117 over the I2C!
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.
Getting Started with the A111 Pulsed Radar Sensor
September 26, 2019
Get started with the Acconeer A111 SDK with a Raspberry Pi! The tiny A111 pulsed coherent radar (PCR) adds high-precision, cutting-edge distance measurement for speed-, material-, motion-, or gesture-sensing projects! We’re not talking about simple ultrasonic, or even infrared sensors here, but 60GHz radar!
SparkFun Pulse Oximeter and Heart Rate Monitor Hookup Guide
September 12, 2019
Find out your oxygen saturation level or check out your heart rate using the MAX30101 biometric sensor and MAX32664 Biometric Hub via I2C!
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.
SparkFun gator:UV Hookup Guide
September 5, 2019
The gator:UV is an I2C based UV sensor. This tutorial will get you started using the gator:UV with the micro:bit platform.
Qwiic Atmospheric Sensor (BME280) Hookup Guide
August 21, 2019
Measure temperature, humidity, barometric pressure with the SparkFun Atmospheric Sensor Breakout BME280 (Qwiic).
SparkFun Inventor's Kit Experiment Guide - v4.1
August 8, 2019
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, v4.1.2 and v4.1.
SparkFun AS3935 Lightning Detector Hookup Guide (v20)
July 25, 2019
Are you worried about the looming clouds in the distance, how far away is that storm exactly? Add lightning detection with the AS3935 to your next weather station or your next bike ride!
Qwiic Ambient Light Sensor (VEML6030) Hookup Guide
July 18, 2019
The VEML6030 is a high accuracy ambient light sensor with 16-bit resolution. This I2C sensor can detect light similar to the human eye response. Start detecting light levels in your environment!
SparkFun 9DoF IMU (ICM-20948) Breakout Hookup Guide
June 27, 2019
How to use the SparkFun 9DoF ICM-20948 breakout board for your motion sensing projects. This breakout is ideal for wearable sensors and IoT applications.
SparkFun gator:microphone Hookup Guide
June 13, 2019
The gator:microphone is an I2C sensor for detecting sound with an electret microphone. This tutorial will get you started using the gator:microphone with the micro:bit platform.
SparkFun gator:soil Hookup Guide
June 13, 2019
The gator:soil is analog soil moisture sensor. This tutorial will get you started using the gator:soil with the micro:bit platform.
SparkFun gator:particle Hookup Guide
June 13, 2019
The gator:particle is an I2C heart-rate monitor and pulse oximeter that can be used as a particle sensor. This tutorial will get you started using the gator:particle with the micro:bit platform.
SparkFun gator:environment Hookup Guide
June 13, 2019
The gator:environment combines two I2C sensors for temperature, humidity, pressure, eCO2, and eTVOC values. This tutorial will get you started using the gator:environment with the micro:bit platform.
Capacitive Touch Slider (CAP1203) Hookup Guide
May 30, 2019
An easy and Qwiic way to add capacitive touch to any of your projects using the CAP1203! In this guide, we go over how to connect and set up your Capacitive Touch Slider so you can start playing with it right away.
Wireless Gesture Controlled Robot
April 25, 2019
Control the RedBot wirelessly based on the movement of your hand using an accelerometer, Arduino, and XBees!
Qwiic Scale Hookup Guide
April 11, 2019
Create your own digital scale quickly and easily using the Qwiic Scale!
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!
RHT03 (DHT22) Humidity and Temperature Sensor Hookup Guide
March 12, 2019
Measure relative humidity and temperature or your environment with the RHT03 (a.k.a DHT22) low cost sensor on a single wire digital interface connected to an Arduino!
Qwiic Proximity Sensor (VCNL4040) Hookup Guide
February 28, 2019
The SparkFun Qwiic Proximity Sensor is a great, qualitative proximity (up to 20 cm) and light sensor. This hookup guide covers a few examples to retrieve basic sensor readings.
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!
Qwiic UV Sensor (VEML6075) Hookup Guide
December 20, 2018
Learn how to connect your VEML6075 UV Sensor and figure out just when you should put some sunscreen on.
SparkFun WiFi IR Blaster Hookup Guide
December 6, 2018
How to assemble the WiFi IR Blaster and program it using Arduino. You'll be controlling IR devices from the web in no time!
Spectral Triad (AS7265x) Hookup Guide
November 8, 2018
Learn how to wield the power of 18 channels of UV to NIR spectroscopy with AS72651 (UV), AS72652 (VIS), and AS72653 (NIR) sensors!
TFMini - Micro LiDAR Module (Qwiic) Hookup Guide
November 8, 2018
The TFMini is a ToF (Time of Flight) LiDAR sensor capable of measuring the distance to an object as close as 30 cm and as far as 12 meters! The TFMini allows you to easily integrate LiDAR into applications traditionally reserved for smaller sensors such as the SHARP GP-series infrared rangefinders. With the added Qwiic feature, you can quickly connect to the sensor via I2C!
Gator:starter ProtoSnap Hookup Guide
October 18, 2018
Get started clipping sensors and lights to the micro:bit with the gator:starter gator:board from SparkFun!
Qwiic IR Array (MLX90640) Hookup Guide
September 20, 2018
The Melexis MLX90640 contains a 32x24 array of thermopile sensors creating, in essence, a low resolution thermal imaging camera. In this guide, we’ll go over how to connect your Qwiic Infrared Array with MLX90640 and get it communicating with Processing to produce a nice thermal image.
Single Supply Logic Level Converter Hookup Guide
August 9, 2018
The Single Supply Logic Converter allows you to bi-directionally translate signals from a 5V or 3.3V microcontroller without the need for a second power supply! The board provides an output for both 5V and 3.3V to power your sensors. It is equipped with a PTH resistor footprint for the option to adjust the voltage regulator on the low side of the TXB0104 for 2.5V or 1.8V devices.
Qwiic Flex Glove Controller Hookup Guide
July 19, 2018
Is your finger bent? Is your finger straight? The Qwiic Flex Glove controller board will answer this age old question for you with the flex sensor!
Rotary Dial Kit Assembly Guide
June 22, 2018
Put together your Rotary Dial Kit and light it up with our Arduino example code!
Current Sensor Breakout (ACS723) Hookup Guide
June 21, 2018
Learn how to measure the current consumption of your project using the ACS723 Current Sensor.
LilyPad Light Sensor V2 Hookup Guide
June 7, 2018
How to hook up the LilyPad Light Sensor as well as some project ideas and example code.
LIDAR-Lite v3 Hookup Guide
May 16, 2018
A tutorial for connecting the Garmin LIDAR-Lite v3 or the LIDAR-Lite v3HP to an Arduino to measure distance.
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.
micro:bit Educator Lab Pack Experiment Guide
May 8, 2018
A quickstart guide for the micro:bit educator lab pack.
Qwiic Magnetometer (MLX90393) Hookup Guide
May 3, 2018
Figure out how magnetic fields are oriented, all without having to solder a thing.
Qwiic GRID-Eye Infrared Array (AMG88xx) Hookup Guide
May 3, 2018
The Panasonic GRID-Eye (AMG88xx) 8x8 thermopile array serves as a functional low-resolution infrared camera. This means you have a square array of 64 pixels each capable of independent temperature detection. It’s like having thermal camera (or Predator’s vision), just in really low resolution.
Qwiic VR IMU (BNO080) Hookup Guide
April 30, 2018
Figure out how things are oriented with the robust 9 degrees of freedom (DOF) BNO080 IMU. Maybe even make your own virtual reality (VR) applications if you're feeling savvy.
Interactive 3D Printed LED Diamond Prop
April 19, 2018
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.
TFMini - Micro LiDAR Module Hookup Guide
April 13, 2018
The TFMini is a ToF (Time of Flight) LiDAR sensor capable of measuring the distance to an object as close as 30 cm and as far as 12 meters! The TFMini allows you to integrate LiDAR into applications traditionally reserved for smaller sensors such as the SHARP GP-series infrared rangefinders.
Qwiic Distance Sensor (RFD77402) Hookup Guide
April 5, 2018
The RFD77402 uses an infrared VCSEL (Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser) TOF (Time of Flight) module capable of millimeter precision distance readings up to 2 meters. It’s also part of SparkFun’s Qwiic system, so you won’t have to do any soldering to figure out how far away things are.
Qwiic Accelerometer (MMA8452Q) Hookup Guide
April 5, 2018
Freescale’s MMA8452Q is a smart, low-power, three-axis, capacitive micro-machined accelerometer with 12-bits of resolution. It’s perfect for any project that needs to sense orientation or motion. We’ve taken that accelerometer and stuck it on a Qwiic-Enabled breakout board to make interfacing with the tiny, QFN package a bit easier.
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!
Fingerprint Scanner (GT-521Fxx) Hookup Guide
March 1, 2018
This tutorial provides information about how to connect to ADH-Tech's fingerprint scanner (GT-521F32) and how to use it with Hawley's FPS_GT511C3 library for Arduino.
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.
AT42QT101X Capacitive Touch Breakout Hookup Guide
January 25, 2018
Learn how to use the simple SparkFun AT42QT1010 and AT42QT1011 capacitive touch breakout boards.
LilyPad Temperature Sensor Hookup Guide
January 23, 2018
How to hook up the LilyPad Temperature Sensor as well as some project ideas and example code.
Qwiic Human Presence Sensor (AK9753) Hookup Guide
January 18, 2018
How to get started with your Qwiic enabled AK9753 Human Presence Sensor.
H3LIS331DL Accelerometer Breakout Hookup Guide
December 21, 2017
Hookup guide and library usage details for the triple axis accelerometer H3LIS331DL high-g accelerometer.
LilyPad Safety Scarf
November 21, 2017
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.
ESP32 Thing Motion Shield Hookup Guide
November 16, 2017
Getting started with the ESP32 Thing Motion Shield to detect movements using the on-board LSM9DS1 IMU and adding a GPS receiver. Data can be easily logged by adding an microSD card to the slot.
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.
AS726X NIR/VIS Spectral Sensor Hookup Guide
October 19, 2017
It's now easier than ever to measure and characterize how different materials absorb and reflect different wavelengths of light. The AS726X spectral sensors allow you to detect wavelengths in the visible range (VIS) and near infrared range (NIR)!
SparkFun GPS Breakout - XA1110 (Qwiic) Hookup Guide
October 19, 2017
Figure out where in the world you are with the Qwiic SparkFun GPS Breakout - XA1110.
APDS-9301 Sensor Hookup Guide
September 14, 2017
The APDS-9301 sensor is an I2C connected luminosity sensor which returns measurements in lux.
CCS811/BME280 (Qwiic) Environmental Combo Breakout Hookup Guide
September 8, 2017
Sense various environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, eCO2 and tVOCs with the CCS811 and BME280 combo breakout board.
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.
micro:climate Kit Experiment Guide
July 21, 2017
A weather station kit that is built on top of the inexpensive, easy-to-use micro:bit and Microsoft MakeCode.
Getting Started with MicroPython and the SparkFun Inventor's Kit for micro:bit
July 11, 2017
Learn MicroPython with the micro:bit.
ESP32 Environment Sensor Shield Hookup Guide
July 6, 2017
SparkFun's ESP32 Environment Sensor Shield provides sensors and hookups for monitoring environmental conditions. This tutorial will show you how to connect your sensor suite to the Internet and post weather data online.
ZX Distance and Gesture Sensor SMD Hookup Guide
June 1, 2017
How to connect and use the SparkFun ZX Distance and Gesture Sensor with an Arduino.
CCS811 Air Quality Breakout Hookup Guide
April 27, 2017
This tutorial shows you how to get data from a CCS811 breakout board with the I2C interface.
Bark Back Interactive Pet Monitor
March 8, 2017
Monitor and interact with pets through this dog bark detector project based on the Raspberry Pi!
Arduino Weather Shield Hookup Guide V12
March 2, 2017
Read humidity, pressure and luminosity quickly and easily. Add wind speed, direction and rain gauge for full weather station capabilities.
Simultaneous RFID Tag Reader Hookup Guide
February 23, 2017
A basic guide to getting started with the RFID Tag Reader breakout and how to read and write multiple RFID tags over multiple feet!
TMP102 Digital Temperature Sensor Hookup Guide
February 2, 2017
How to connect and use the SparkFun Digital Temperature Sensor Breakout - TMP102 with an Arduino.
MEMS Microphone Hookup Guide
January 27, 2017
Get started with the SparkFun analog MEMS microphone breakout board with Arduino! Create a volume unit meter with the ADMP401 or ICS-40180 to react to sound before building your sound visualizer!
LIS3DH Hookup Guide
December 29, 2016
A guide to connecting the LIS3DH to a microcontroller and using the Arduino library.
HIH-4030 Humidity Sensor Hookup Guide
December 6, 2016
Measure relative humidity with SparkFun's HIH-4030 Humidity Sensor Breakout.
MAX30105 Particle and Pulse Ox Sensor Hookup Guide
December 1, 2016
The SparkFun MAX30105 Particle Sensor is a flexible and powerful sensor enabling sensing of distance, heart rate, particle detection, even the blinking of an eye. Get ready. Set. Shine!
9DoF Razor IMU M0 Hookup Guide
December 1, 2016
How to use and re-program the 9DoF Razor IMU M0, a combination of ATSAMD21 ARM Cortex-M0 microprocessor and MPU-9250 9DoF-in-a-chip.
Internet of Things Experiment Guide
November 23, 2016
The SparkFun ESP8266 Thing Dev Board is a powerful development platform that lets you connect your hardware projects to the Internet. In this guide, we show you how to combine some simple components to remotely log temperature data, send yourself texts and control lights from afar.
TEMT6000 Ambient Light Sensor Hookup Guide
October 26, 2016
Bring the ability to detect light levels to any project with the SparkFun TEMT6000 Ambient Light Sensor Breakout.
MicroView Digital Compass
October 24, 2016
Build a portable digital compass using the SparkFun MicroView and the MAG3110 Magnetometer Breakout.
MAG3110 Magnetometer Hookup Guide
October 24, 2016
Get started with the MAG3110 3-Axis Magnetometer and learn how to make your own digital compass that senses the Earth's magnetic fields.
IoT Industrial Scale
October 10, 2016
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.
9DoF Sensor Stick Hookup Guide
August 25, 2016
How to connect and use the SparkFun 9 Degrees of Freedom Sensor Stick with an Arduino
Load Cell Amplifier HX711 Breakout Hookup Guide
July 22, 2016
A hookup guide for the HX711 load cell amplifier breakout board
OpenScale Applications and Hookup Guide
July 22, 2016
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.
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.
Hazardous Gas Monitor
June 17, 2016
Build a portable gas monitor to check for dangerous levels of hazardous gases.
Photon Remote Water Level Sensor
June 2, 2016
Learn how to build a remote water level sensor for a water storage tank and how to automate a pump based off the readings!
Interactive LED Music Visualizer
May 31, 2016
Use an Arduino and the SparkFun Sound Detector to create visualizations on Addressable RGB LED strips.
Piezo Vibration Sensor Hookup Guide
May 5, 2016
How to combine a piezo sensor, high-value resistor, and an Arduino to create a vibration sensor.
Photocell Hookup Guide
May 5, 2016
Hook a light-sensing photocell up to an Arduino to create an ambient light monitor.
PIR Motion Sensor Hookup Guide
May 5, 2016
An overview of passive infrared (PIR) motion detecting sensors, and how to hook them up to an Arduino.
Si7021 Humidity and Temperature Sensor Hookup Guide
May 5, 2016
The Si7021 humidity and temperature sensor is an easy to use, digital, low-cost sensor to aid you in all your environment sensing needs.
SoftPot Hookup Guide
May 5, 2016
Equip your Arduino project with a sliding soft potentiometer to monitor position or adding linear control to your project.
Sensor Kit Resource Hub
May 5, 2016
An overview of each component in the SparkFun Sensor Kit, plus links to tutorials and other resources you'll need to hook them up.
Force Sensitive Resistor Hookup Guide
May 5, 2016
How to hook a force-sensitive resistor up to an Arduino to measure pressure variances.
Reed Switch Hookup Guide
May 5, 2016
Magnetically-actuated reed switches are the perfect component for non-contact proximity sensors. This tutorial provides a quick overview and example hook up.
QRD1114 Optical Detector Hookup Guide
May 5, 2016
Use this IR LED/phototransistor fusion to sense objects in close proximity or even the color of a surface!
Flex Sensor Hookup Guide
May 5, 2016
An overview of the flex sensor - a bendable variable resistor. Plus, example circuits and Arduino code to get you started!
SIK Keyboard Instrument
April 15, 2016
We can use the parts and concepts in the SparkFun Invetor's Kit to make a primitive keyboard instrument.
Blynk Board Washer/Dryer Alarm
March 31, 2016
How to configure the Blynk Board and app to notify you when your washer or dryer is done shaking.
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.
MyoWare Muscle Sensor Kit
March 17, 2016
Line of products to work with the MyoWare muscle sensor from Advancer Technologies.
BadgerHack: Sensor Add-On Kit
February 16, 2016
Turn your Badger or Redstick into a temperature and soil moisture sensing display with the BadgerHack Sensor Add-On Kit
SparkFun Inventor's Kit for Edison Experiment Guide
December 17, 2015
Learn how to harness the power of the Intel® Edison using JavaScript to post data to the cloud, control electronics from smartphones, and host web pages that interact with circuits.
LilyPad Light Sensor Hookup Guide
November 19, 2015
How to hook up the LilyPad Light Sensor as well as some project ideas and example code.
MAX31855K Thermocouple Breakout Hookup Guide
November 5, 2015
Learn how to take readings with a k-type thermocouple using the MAX31855K cold-junction-compensated k-type thermocouple-to-digital converter.
MLX90614 IR Thermometer Hookup Guide
October 29, 2015
How to use the MLX90614 or our SparkFun IR Thermometer Evaluation Board to take temperatures remotely, over short distances.
SparkFun BME280 Breakout Hookup Guide
October 22, 2015
A guide for connecting the BME280 sensor to a microcontroller, and for using the SparkFun Arduino library.
Touch Potentiometer Hookup Guide
October 22, 2015
Learn how to use the SparkFun Touch Potentiometer to control lighting, volume or other inputs in your daily life.
SparkFun Line Follower Array Hookup Guide
October 15, 2015
Learn how to connect the RedBot Line-Following Sensor Bar to an Arduino-type microcontroller. Use the example sketches to read data from the bar, and try out a simple line-following algorithm.
LSM303C 6DoF Hookup Guide
October 8, 2015
A basic guide to get started with the LSM303C 6 Degrees of Freedom Breakout.
SparkFun Inventor's Kit for Photon Experiment Guide
September 3, 2015
Dive into the world of the Internet of Things with the SparkFun Inventor's Kit for Photon.
LSM9DS1 Breakout Hookup Guide
August 13, 2015
A hookup guide for the LSM9DS1, which features a 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope, and 3-axis magnetometer. It's an IMU-in-a-chip!
LSM6DS3 Breakout Hookup Guide
August 13, 2015
A hookup guide for the LSM6DS3, which features a 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope, and FIFO buffer.
MPU-9150 Hookup Guide
August 13, 2015
A basic guide to get started with the MPU-9150 9 Degrees of Freedom Breakout.
Photon IMU Shield Hookup Guide
July 2, 2015
Learn how to use the SparkFun Photon IMU Shield for your Photon device which houses an on-board LSM9DS1 system-in-a-chip that houses a 3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope, and 3-axis magnetometer.
Getting Started with Load Cells
June 11, 2015
A tutorial defining what a load cell is and how to use one.
Experiment Guide for RedBot with Shadow Chassis
May 28, 2015
This Experiment Guide offers nine experiments to get you started with the SparkFun RedBot. This guide is designed for those who are familiar with our SparkFun Inventor's Kit and want to take their robotics knowledge to the next level.
FLIR Lepton Hookup Guide
March 26, 2015
See the invisible world of infrared radiation using the FLIR Dev Kit and Raspberry Pi.
Wake-on-Shake Hookup Guide
March 13, 2015
A basic hookup guide for getting started with the SparkFun Wake-on-Shake. The board gives you the ability to put your project into hibernation until bumped or shaken awake using the ADXL362 accelerometer. This means you can design projects meant to stay inert for long periods of time, possibly even several years, depending on the battery type used to power the project.
VL6180 Hookup Guide
February 12, 2015
Get started with your VL6180 based sensor or the VL6180 breakout board.
RedBoard Santa Trap
December 25, 2014
A fun holiday project to try for anyone looking to catch Santa on Christmas!
Using the SparkFun PicoBoard and Scratch
November 11, 2014
Here are a few tips in using the PicoBoard with Scratch v1.4. The PicoBoard allows us to write Scratch programs that interact with a variety of sensors on the PicoBoard. These sensors include: sound, light, a slider, a push button, and 4 external sensors (A, B, C, and D).
APDS-9960 RGB and Gesture Sensor Hookup Guide
November 6, 2014
Getting started guide for the Avago APDS-9960 color, proximity, and gesture sensor.
Humidity-sensing LED Flower
October 28, 2014
How about that humidity? This tutorial shows how to add sensing capability to the 21st Century Fashion Kit's RGB flower project.
Hackers in Residence - Cosmic Ray Detector
August 11, 2014
Learn how to detect cosmic rays with this simple and cheap detector, built by Hacker in Residence Pete Marchetto.
HMC6343 3-axis Compass Hookup Guide
August 7, 2014
How to hook the HMC6343 -- a high-end, tilt-compensated compass module -- up to an Arduino. Never get lost again!
MS5803-14BA Pressure Sensor Hookup Guide
July 24, 2014
Breakout of MS5803-14BA Pressure Sensor to measure the absolute pressure of the fluid around them to determine altitude, water depth, or any other tasks that require an accurate pressure reading. This includes air, water, and anything else that acts like a viscous fluid.
ADXL337 and ADXL377 Accelerometer Hookup Guide
July 17, 2014
How to get started using both the ADXL337 and ADXL377 3-axis accelerometers with analog outputs.
AD8232 Heart Rate Monitor Hookup Guide
July 17, 2014
Learn how to create your very own heart rate monitor.
Hackers in Residence - The ElectricBone
June 25, 2014
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.
Soil moisture-sensing by hacking a solar light
June 19, 2014
How to take a solar powered pathway light from a hardware store and make it into a crude soil moisture sensor.
ISL29125 RGB Light Sensor Hookup Guide
June 12, 2014
A guide to help you integrate the ISL29125 RGB light sensor breakout board into your electronic projects.
MMA8452Q Accelerometer Breakout Hookup Guide
June 11, 2014
How to get started using the MMA8452Q 3-axis accelerometer -- a solid, digital, easy-to-use acceleration sensor.
Logomatic Hookup Guide
May 29, 2014
Basic introduction and hook-up guide for the SparkFun Logomatic.
Are You Okay? Widget
May 23, 2014
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.
Interactive Hanging LED Array
April 10, 2014
Learn how we converted 72 lightbulbs into an interactive LED array for our conference room.
ML8511 UV Sensor Hookup Guide
March 13, 2014
Get up and running quickly with this simple to use UV sensor.
T5403 Barometric Pressure Sensor Hookup Guide
March 6, 2014
T5403 Barometric Pressure Sensor Hookup Guide
LSM9DS0 Hookup Guide
February 27, 2014
How to assemble, connect to, and use the LSM9DS0 -- an accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer all-in-one.
Hackers in Residence - Hacking MindWave Mobile
February 26, 2014
Review, teardown, and hacking tutorial for the MindWave Mobile, a $99 commercial grade EEG sensor.
Das Blinken Top Hat
January 22, 2014
A top hat decked out with LED strips makes for a heck of a wedding gift.
MPL3115A2 Pressure Sensor Hookup Guide
December 5, 2013
Getting started with the MPL3115A2 Pressure Sensor.
INA169 Breakout Board Hookup Guide
November 20, 2013
How to interface with the INA169 Breakout Board to measure current.
ITG-3200 Hookup Guide
October 22, 2013
Learn how to interact with the ITG-3200 Triple Axis Gyroscope.
Accelerometer Basics
March 28, 2013
A quick introduction to accelerometers, how they work, and why they're used.
Creating a Humidor Control Box
March 13, 2013
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
March 8, 2013
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.
Gyroscope
February 1, 2013
Gyroscopes measure the speed of rotation around an axis and are an essential part in determines ones orientation in space.
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.