Sensors
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.
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.