Adafruit
Adafruit APDS9960 Proximity, Light, RGB, and Gesture Sensor
The Adafruit APDS9960 is a multi-function sensor that combines proximity detection, ambient light sensing, RGB colour sensing and gesture recognition in a si...
The Adafruit APDS9960 is a multi-function sensor that combines proximity detection, ambient light sensing, RGB colour sensing and gesture recognition in a single I2C breakout. It uses an integrated IR LED and four directional photodiodes to detect reflected IR energy, enabling both distance measurement and directional gesture recognition.
The breakout includes a 3.3V regulator and level shifting for use with 3.3V or 5V microcontrollers. A configurable interrupt pin can fire when proximity or colour thresholds are exceeded.
Key Features
- Gesture Recognition – Detects left, right, up and down gestures (more complex gestures possible with additional code)
- Proximity Detection – 8-bit resolution distance measurement up to a few centimetres
- RGB Colour Sensing – Measures red, green, blue and clear light levels
- Ambient Light Sensing – General light intensity measurement
- Integrated IR LED – Built-in IR emitter and driver for proximity and gesture sensing
- Configurable Interrupt – Fires on proximity or colour threshold events
- I2C Interface – Simple two-wire communication
- Wide Voltage Range – 3–5V with on-board regulator and level shifting
Ideal For
- Touchless gesture control interfaces
- Proximity-activated displays or lights
- Colour detection and sorting
- Ambient light-responsive projects
Package Contents
- 1× Adafruit APDS9960 Proximity, Light, RGB and Gesture Sensor Breakout
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- 3.3V regulator
- A 3.3V regulator is a power circuit that provides a steady 3.3 volts for parts that need that supply voltage. On a breakout board, it can let the sensor run safely even when the connected microcontroller or power source uses a higher voltage.
- breakout
- A breakout is a small circuit board that makes a tiny or hard-to-solder component easier to connect to with standard pins. It matters because this OLED module can be wired into a microcontroller project without needing to solder directly to the display’s fine contacts.
- I2C
- I2C is a two-wire communication bus used by many sensors and small modules. It matters because several I2C devices can share the same two wires, but each device needs a compatible address and your controller must support I2C.
- LED
- A light-emitting diode is a small electronic component that lights up when current flows through it in the correct direction. In this kit, LEDs create the flashing effect, so polarity and correct soldering matter for the project to work.
- RGB
- Short for red, green and blue, usually referring to an LED that can mix those three colours. It matters because controlling an RGB LED teaches how separate outputs combine to create different colours.
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