Adafruit CAN Bus BFF Add-On for QT Py

Jargon buster

Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.

breakout

A breakout board carries a small or fine-pitched component and brings its connections out to standard, breadboard- and header-friendly pins. Describing a part as a breakout means it can be wired into a project without soldering directly to the component's tiny contacts.

CAN bus

CAN bus is a reliable two-wire communication network originally designed for vehicles and now common in machinery and robotics. It matters when you need multiple controllers or devices to share status and control messages in a noisy electrical environment.

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.

CS

CS stands for chip select, a control pin used by SPI devices to tell which connected device should listen. It matters when you connect more than one SPI module to the same microcontroller, because each device usually needs its own CS pin.

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.

IRQ

IRQ (interrupt request) is a signal line a device uses to alert a microcontroller that something needs attention, so the microcontroller does not have to poll continuously. Wiring an IRQ pin to a free input lets code respond promptly to events such as new data being ready.

JST PH

A small keyed plug-and-socket connector with 2 mm pin spacing, often used for low-power electronics connections. You need the correct JST PH cable, and its current rating limits how much power should be passed through it.

pH

A measure of how acidic or alkaline a liquid is, on a scale where 7 is neutral. For a water monitoring kit, pH tells you about water chemistry and whether the included probe matches the range and accuracy your project needs.

SPI

A fast serial communication bus often used for displays, memory cards, and sensors. It matters because SPI devices need specific pins for clock and data, plus a separate chip-select line for each device.