Lockitron Hardware Hookup Guide
This Tutorial is Retired!
This tutorial covers concepts or technologies that are no longer current. It's still here for you to read and enjoy, but may not be as useful as our newest tutorials.
Shawn Hymel 
Lock It up
The Lockitron Mechanical Assembly from SparkFun is a perfect solution for the DIY home automation or Internet of Things (IoT) enthusiast, whether you want to make your life easier by not awkwardly fumbling with keys or add some extra security in your home with three-factor authentication.
Lockitron, the company, offers a complete solution that includes the mechanical assembly, embedded electronics that can connect to the Internet via Wifi or your phone over Bluetooth, and apps to control your deadbolt. That is definitely the easy, done solution to your automated locking needs.
But, you're not here for easy, are you? What we have is the mechanical assembly, including motor and battery pack, to help you complete the automated security in your evil lair. An off-the-shelf solution just won't cut it.
Covered in This Tutorial
In this guide, we will go over the guts of the Lockitron assembly and show you how to connect it to an Arduino Pro Mini. The Pro Mini, by itself, has no wireless capabilities. How you ultimately control your Lockitron will be up to you, whether it's a tap sensor or through a WiFi connection.
Materials Used
In addition to the Lockitron Mechanical Assembly, you will need a few additional components:
Recommended Reading
Before getting started with the Lockitron, there are a few concepts that you should be familiar with. Consider reading some of these tutorials before continuing:
- Installing Arduino IDE
- Using the Arduino Pro Mini 3.3V
- Motors and Selecting the Right One
- Pulse-width Modulation