Time

Time is of the essence. Keep track of the date or time using a GPS module, Real Time Clock (RTC), or even grabbing the current time from the Internet. Whatever your preference, start making your own clock, timers, generating a signal, or adding a timestamp with your sensor data. Check out the tutorials below for ideas!

Wireless Timing Project

September 29, 2022

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

Dialog ULP WiFi DA16200 R3 Shield Hookup Guide

October 7, 2021

Add WiFi to your project with this hookup guide for our Dialog's Ultra Low Power DA16200 R3 shield!

The ClockClock Project

October 8, 2020

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

Qwiic GPS Clock

September 14, 2020

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!

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.

How to Make a Magic Mirror with Raspberry Pi

June 17, 2020

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!

RFID Beginners Tutorial

June 15, 2020

In this tutorial we'll revisit some RFID basics and practice by making a remote work logger using an RFID reader and a GPS module. You'll scan a card and get ID, location, and time. All the perfect data to punch in and punch out from the middle of Nowhere!

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.

Real Time Clock Module - RV-8803 (Qwiic) Hookup Guide

April 2, 2020

A Hookup Guide for the SparkFun Real Time Clock Module - RV-8803 (Qwiic). Learn how to integrate the RV-8803 into your next time-keeping project.

SparkFun Clock Generator 5P49V60 (Qwiic) Hookup Guide

February 28, 2020

The SparkFun Clock Generator 5P49V60 (Qwiic) breakout board offers a wide range of customizable frequencies in a wide range of different signal types using a single reference clock. This hookup guide will go over all of the many available functions and gives the hardware rundown on what exactly is on this board.

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!

SparkFun gator:RTC Hookup Guide

September 5, 2019

The gator:RTC is an I2C based, real-time clock (RTC) for keeping time while your micro:bit isn't powered. This tutorial will get you started using the gator:RTC with the micro:bit platform.

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!

Getting Started with the SmartLED Shield for Teensy

November 9, 2018

In this tutorial, we will connect different RGB LED matrix panels to PixelMatix's SmartLED shield and Teensy.

Qwiic Real Time Clock Module (RV-1805) Hookup Guide

May 31, 2018

Find out what time it is, even after the power's been out on your project for a while with the Qwiic Real Time Clock (RTC) module.

IoT Power Relay

May 21, 2018

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

Sunrise Machine with the Tessel 2

October 13, 2016

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.

Real Time Clock Module Hookup Guide

October 6, 2016

A quick introduction to the DS1307 RTC module and a hookup guide for the SparkFun Breakout.

DeadOn RTC Breakout Hookup Guide

October 6, 2016

An introduction to the DS3234 real-time clock (RTC), example wiring diagrams, and an Arduino library!

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!

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.

SAMD21 Mini/Dev Breakout Hookup Guide

November 12, 2015

An introduction to the Atmel ATSAMD21G18 microprocessor and our Mini and Pro R3 breakout boards. Level up your Arduino-skills with the powerful ARM Cortex M0+ processor.

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.

Adding a Timed Button to a Project

July 29, 2015

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.

Teensy Arduino Shield Adapter Hookup Guide

June 18, 2015

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

Getting Started with the Teensy

June 18, 2015

Basic intro to the Teensy line of products, with soldering and programming suggestions.

Alphanumeric GPS Wall Clock

January 26, 2015

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.

Reaction Timer

January 16, 2014

Demonstrate mental chronometry with this simple reaction timer!

MetaWatch Teardown and Arduino Hookup

August 13, 2013

Tearing down the nifty Bluetooth-enabled MetaWatch. Then building an Arduino sketch to control it.
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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.