What is an Arduino?
Contributors:
b_e_n
b_e_n Resources and Going Further
Now that you know all about the Arduino family, which board you might want to use for your project, and that there are tons of sensors and shields to help take your projects to the next level. Here are some further readings that may help you along in learning more about the world of electronics.
Looking for the right Arduino?
Check out our Arduino Comparison Guide! We've compiled every Arduino development board we carry, so you can quickly compare them to find the perfect one for your needs.
SparkFun Tutorials
Installing an Arduino Library
How do I install a custom Arduino library? It's easy! This tutorial will go over how to install an Arduino library using the Arduino Library Manager. For libraries not linked with the Arduino IDE, we will also go over manually installing an Arduino library.
Installing Arduino IDE
A step-by-step guide to installing and testing the Arduino software on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Installing Board Definitions in the Arduino IDE
How do I install a custom Arduino board/core? It's easy! This tutorial will go over how to install an Arduino board definition using the Arduino Board Manager. We will also go over manually installing third-party cores, such as the board definitions required for many of the SparkFun development boards.
Arduino Tutorials
Arduino Board Comparison Guides
Choosing an Arduino for Your Project
Examining the diverse world of Arduino boards and understanding the differences between them before choosing one for a project.
Standard Arduino Comparison Guide
Arduino Comparison Guide Uno or Pro Mini? Bluetooth or wireless? When it comes to Arduinos, there are a lot of choices. We've compiled every Arduino development…
RedBoard vs. Uno
In this tutorial we discuss the differences and similarities between the RedBoard and the Arduino Uno (SMD and PTH). The development platforms
Getting Started with Arduino Shields
Arduino Shields v2
An update to our classic Arduino Shields Tutorial! All things Arduino shields. What they are and how to assemble them.
Other Arduino Shield Related Tutorials
Photon IMU Shield Hookup Guide
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.
Qwiic Shield for Arduino & Photon Hookup Guide
Get started with our Qwiic ecosystem with the Qwiic shield for Arduino or Photon.
Wireless Motor Driver Shield Hookup Guide
Get started with the SparkFun Wireless Motor Driver Shield!
Arduino Shields v2
An update to our classic Arduino Shields Tutorial! All things Arduino shields. What they are and how to assemble them.
Click the buttons above for tutorials relating to the board functionality based on topic difficulty.
Beginner
Serial Communication
Asynchronous serial communication concepts: packets, signal levels, baud rates, UARTs and more!
Analog to Digital Conversion
The world is analog. Use analog to digital conversion to help digital devices interpret the world.
Analog vs. Digital
This tutorial covers the concept of analog and digital signals, as they relate to electronics.
Data Types in Arduino
Learn about the common data types and what they signify in the Arduino programming environment.
How to Work with Jumper Pads and PCB Traces
Handling PCB jumper pads and traces is an essential skill. Learn how to cut a PCB trace, add a solder jumper between pads to reroute connections, and repair a trace with the green wire method if a trace is damaged.
Intermediate
Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI)
SPI is commonly used to connect microcontrollers to peripherals such as sensors, shift registers, and SD cards.
Processor Interrupts with Arduino
What is an interrupt? In a nutshell, there is a method by which a processor can execute its normal program while continuously monitoring for some kind of event, or interrupt. There are two types of interrupts: hardware and software interrupts. For the purposes of this tutorial, we will focus on hardware interrupts.
Advanced
Installing an Arduino Bootloader
This tutorial will teach you what a bootloader is and why you would need to install or reinstall it. We will also go over the process of burning a bootloader by flashing a hex file to an Arduino microcontroller.
Integrated Circuits
An introduction to integrated circuits (ICs). Electronics' ubiquitous black chips. Includes a focus on the variety of IC packages.
Reading and Writing Serial EEPROMs
EEPROM is a great way to add extra memory to your microcontroller project. Wait 'til you see how easy it is to use!
What is a Circuit?
Every electrical project starts with a circuit. Don't know what a circuit is? We're here to help.
Voltage, Current, Resistance, and Ohm's Law
Learn about Ohm's Law, one of the most fundamental equations in all electrical engineering.
How to Use a Breadboard
Welcome to the wonderful world of breadboards. Here we will learn what a breadboard is and how to use one to build your very first circuit.
What is Electricity?
We can see electricity in action on our computers, lighting our houses, as lightning strikes in thunderstorms, but what is it? This is not an easy question, but this tutorial will shed some light on it!
Electric Power
An overview of electric power, the rate of energy transfer. We'll talk definition of power, watts, equations, and power ratings. 1.21 gigawatts of tutorial fun!
Polarity
An introduction to polarity in electronic components. Discover what polarity is, which parts have it, and how to identify it.
How to Use a Multimeter
Learn the basics of using a multimeter to measure continuity, voltage, resistance and current.
Guides for our Beginner Kits
Digital Sandbox Arduino Companion
Let's take the same examples from the ArduBlock-based Digital Sandbox guide, and implement them using Arduino code.
Assembly Guide for RedBot with Shadow Chassis
Assembly Guide for the RedBot Kit. This tutorial includes extra parts to follow to go along with the RedBot Inventor's Kit tutorial.
SparkFun Inventor's Kit Experiment Guide - v4.0
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.
Other Arduino Related Tutorials
LilyPad ProtoSnap Plus Activity Guide
Learn how to program in Arduino with the LilyPad ProtoSnap Plus. This guide includes 10 example activities that use the pre-wired LilyPad boards on the LilyPad ProtoSnap Plus.
Atto84 Hookup Guide
A bare minimum Arduino compatible breakout using a ATtiny84 for integration into your small projects!
ESP32 OTA Updates over BLE from a React Web Application
Learn how to flash firmware Over-the-Air using a BLE React WebApp and ESP32