Shields

Shields are PCBs you can easily stack on development boards. The application circuits populated on shields add extra functionality to easily prototype a project. In general, these are called "daughter boards." The terminology and layout depends on the environment platform and form factor. Shields for Arduino typically use the Arduino Uno R3 footprint. However, shields can have a different layout depending on the architecture. Stackable PCBs for the Raspberry Pi are referred to as HATs or pHATs while the BeagleBone refers to them as Capes. Check out our tutorial about shields for more information.

Photon OLED Shield Hookup Guide

July 2, 2015

The Photon OLED Shield has everything you need to add a small yet crisp OLED screen to your Photon projects. This hookup guide will show you how to get started.

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.

Teensy Arduino Shield Adapter Hookup Guide

June 18, 2015

A basic introduction and assembly guide for the SparkFun Teensy Arduino Shield Adapter.

MP3 Player Shield Hookup Guide V15

April 6, 2015

How to get your Arduino groovin' using the MP3 Player Shield.

MicroSD Shield and SD Breakout Hookup Guide

March 25, 2015

Adding external storage in the form of an SD or microSD card can be a great addition to any project. Learn how in this hookup guide for the microSD shield and SD breakout boards.

GPS Shield Hookup Guide

March 9, 2015

This tutorial shows how to get started with the SparkFun GPS Shield and read and parse NMEA data with a common GPS receiver.

XBee Shield Hookup Guide

June 5, 2014

How to get started with an XBee Shield and Explorer. Create a remote-control Arduino!

BeagleBone Black Proto Cape Hookup Guide

May 22, 2014

Learn how to get started making your own capes for the BeaglBone Black using the BeagleBone Proto Cape.

MiniGen Hookup Guide

May 22, 2014

Using the MiniGen, SparkFun's Arduino Pro Mini signal generator shield

WiFly Shield Hookup Guide

February 4, 2014

How to get the WiFly Shield up and running.

What is an Arduino?

February 26, 2013

What is this 'Arduino' thing anyway? This tutorials dives into what an Arduino is and along with Arduino projects and widgets.

MP3 Player Shield Music Box

January 21, 2013

Music Box Project based on the Dr. Who TARDIS.
Viewing 37 Shields Tutorials. View All Tutorials.

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.