The SparkFun Inventor's Kit (SIK) is a great way to get started with programming and hardware interaction with the Arduino programming language. The SIK includes everything you need to complete five overarching projects consisting of 16 interconnected circuits that teach everything from blinking an LED to reading sensors. The culminating project is your very own autonomous robot! No previous programming or electronics experience is required to use this kit.

The full-color, spiral-bound SIK guidebook (included) contains step-by-step instructions with circuit diagrams and hookup tables for building each project and circuit with the included parts. Full example code is provided, new concepts and components are explained at point of use, and troubleshooting tips offer assistance if something goes wrong.

The kit does not require any soldering and is recommended for beginners ages 10 and up who are looking for an Arduino starter kit. For SIK version 4.1 we took an entirely different approach to teaching embedded electronics. In previous versions of the SIK, each circuit focused on introducing a new piece of technology. With SIK v4.1, components are introduced in the context of the circuit you are building, and each circuit builds upon the last, leading up to a project that incorporates all of the components and concepts introduced throughout the guide. With new parts and a completely new strategy, even if you've used the SIK before, you're in for a brand-new experience!

The SIK V4.1 includes the Redboard Qwiic which allows you to expand into the SparkFun Qwiic ecosystem after you have become proficient with the SIK circuits. The SparkFun Qwiic Connect System is an ecosystem of I2C sensors, actuators, shields and cables that make prototyping faster and less prone to error. All Qwiic-enabled boards use a common 1mm pitch, 4-pin JST connector. This reduces the amount of required PCB space, and polarized connections mean you can’t hook it up wrong. With the addition of the SparkFun RedBoard Qwiic, you will need to download a new driver install that is different from the original SparkFun RedBoard.

This SparkFun Distance Sensor Breakout utilizes the VL53L1X next generation ToF (Time of Flight) sensor module to give you the highly accurate measurements at long ranges for its size. The VL53L1X uses a VCSEL (Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser) to emit an Infrared laser to time the reflection to the target. That means that you will be able to measure the distance to an object from 40mm to 4m away with millimeter resolution! To make it even easier to get your readings, all communication is enacted exclusively via I2C, utilizing our handy Qwiic system so no soldering is required to connect it to the rest of your system. However, we still have broken out 0.1”-spaced pins in case you prefer to use a breadboard.

Each VL53L1X sensor features a precision to be 1mm with an accuracy around +/-5mm and a minimum read distance of this sensor is 4cm. The field of view for this little breakout is fairly narrow at 15°-27° with a read rate of up to 50Hz. Make sure to power this board appropriately since it will need 2.6V-3.5V to operate. Lastly, please be sure to remove the protective sticker on the VL53L1X before use otherwise it will, most assuredly, throw off your readings.

Note: CLASS 1 LASER PRODUCT CLASSIFIED IEC 60825-1 2014.

The SparkFun Qwiic connect system is an ecosystem of I2C sensors, actuators, shields and cables that make prototyping faster and less prone to error. All Qwiic-enabled boards use a common 1mm pitch, 4-pin JST connector. This reduces the amount of required PCB space, and polarized connections mean you can’t hook it up wrong.

The VL53L1X Distance Sensor Breakout can also be automatically detected, scanned, configured, and logged using the OpenLog Artemis datalogger system. No programming, soldering, or setup required!