Adafruit

AS7343 14-Channel Light and Colour Sensor Breakout

Name: AS7343 14-Channel Light and Colour Sensor Breakout
Brand: Adafruit
SKU: AF-6477
Price: 47.62 AUD
Availability: OutOfStock

· MPN: ADA6477

Breakouts Sensors Light & Colour Sensors & Modules Arduino Sensors SparkFun Qwiic Ecosystem

$47.62 |

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This breakout makes the AS7343 multi-channel spectrometer easy to add to your project. Instead of only measuring overall brightness, it can quantify how much...

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This breakout makes the AS7343 multi-channel spectrometer easy to add to your project. Instead of only measuring overall brightness, it can quantify how much light is present across different wavelengths, letting you detect and compare colours far more precisely than a simple RGB sensor.

Inside the tiny AS7343 package are 25 photodiodes covering 11 separate, overlapping bands of visible light, plus near infrared, clear and flicker sensing for 14 channels in total. A built-in 16-bit 6-channel ADC digitises the readings, while the onboard SMUX lets the chip route sensor signals to the ADC as needed.

Adafruit has mounted the sensor on a STEMMA QT form factor breakout with level shifting and STEMMA QT connectors compatible with SparkFun Qwiic, so it can be connected without soldering to 3.3V or 5V boards. Arduino and CircuitPython libraries are provided to handle the sensor setup and reading process, with example code to help you get started. This device uses a different driver to the AS7341, so it is not back-compatible with existing AS7341 firmware drivers.

Features:

Multi-channel spectrometer: Detects both overall light level and the amount of light at different wavelengths.
Multi-spectral measurement: Can quantify the specific make-up of emitted or reflected light.
14-channel sensing: Provides 13 light channels plus flicker detection.
SMUX routing: Allows the signal from any sensor to be routed to any ADC channel.
Digital interface: Readings are available over I2C.
Extra control pins: Includes GPIO and interrupt pins for communication with other sensors or a microcontroller.
STEMMA QT / Qwiic form factor: Uses STEMMA QT connectors compatible with SparkFun Qwiic.
Level shifting: Designed for use with 3.3V or 5V microcontrollers.
Library support: Arduino and CircuitPython libraries are available.
Example code: Includes example code to help you get started.
AS7341 compatibility note: Has 4 more light channels than the AS7341, but requires a new driver and is not back-compatible.

Specifications:

Sensor chip footprint: 3x2mm
Photodiodes: 25 photodiodes
Visible light bands: 11 separate, overlapping bands of visible light
Near infrared channels: one near infrared
Clear channels: one clear
Flicker channels: a flicker channel
Total channels: 14 channels total
Readable individual sensor elements: 14 readable individual sensor elements
Light channels: 13 light channels
Additional light channels vs AS7341: 4 more light channels
ADC resolution: 16-bit
ADC channels: 6-channel ADC
Interface: I2C
Microcontroller compatibility: 3.3V or 5V microcontroller

A QT cable is not included, so add one if you want a quick solderless connection to a compatible board. This breakout is a good fit for colour analysis, light source characterisation and reflective sensing projects.

Jargon buster

Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.

ADC: An analogue-to-digital converter reads a changing voltage and turns it into a number the microcontroller can use. It matters when connecting analogue sensors such as light, sound, or variable-resistor sensors.
AS7341: AS7341 is an earlier related light-sensor chip with different features and driver requirements. It matters here because code written for an AS7341 may not work with this AS7343 breakout without using the correct driver.
AS7343: AS7343 is the specific light-sensing chip used on this breakout. Knowing the chip model matters because software drivers, example code, channel count, and measurement features are tied to this exact sensor.
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.
CircuitPython: A beginner-friendly version of Python designed to run directly on microcontroller boards. If a product supports CircuitPython, you can often program it by copying code files onto the board rather than setting up a more complex toolchain.
flicker detection: Flicker detection measures rapid changes in light output, such as the pulsing from some LEDs or mains-powered lamps. This matters if you are characterising light sources or need to avoid lighting that may interfere with measurements or cameras.
GPIO: General-purpose input/output pins are microcontroller pins you can set in software to read signals, switch devices on and off, or connect to peripherals. The number of GPIO pins matters because it limits how many buttons, LEDs, sensors, and other parts you can wire directly to the board.
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.
microcontroller: A microcontroller is a small computer on a chip that runs your program and controls connected inputs and outputs. For this product, it is the part that reads buttons and sensors, drives the display and speaker, and communicates over Bluetooth.
near infrared: Near infrared is light just beyond the red end of what humans can see. A sensor with near-infrared detection can be useful for checking light sources, reflective materials, or projects where invisible IR light may affect readings.
Qwiic: Qwiic is a plug-in connector system for I2C devices that uses small 4-pin cables, so you can connect compatible sensors without soldering. It matters because your controller or adapter also needs Qwiic, or you will need a cable or breakout to wire it up.
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.
spectrometer: A spectrometer measures light across different wavelength bands instead of giving only one brightness value. This matters when you need to compare colours, identify light sources, or measure reflected light more precisely than with a basic colour sensor.
STEMMA: A plug-and-cable connection system used on some maker electronics boards to make wiring simpler. If a product uses STEMMA, you need the matching cable or connector type to plug it in without soldering.
STEMMA QT: A small plug-in connector system for I2C boards that lets you connect compatible sensors and controllers without soldering. It matters because it can make wiring faster and less error-prone, especially when adding several small modules to a project.