Adafruit
Adafruit ENS160 MOX Gas Sensor - Sciosense CCS811 Upgrade
The Adafruit ENS160 is a fully integrated metal-oxide (MOX) gas sensor from ScioSense, designed as a drop-in upgrade for the now-discontinued CCS811. It comb...
The Adafruit ENS160 is a fully integrated metal-oxide (MOX) gas sensor from ScioSense, designed as a drop-in upgrade for the now-discontinued CCS811. It combines multiple MOX sensing and heating elements on a single chip to provide detailed air quality readings including TVOC (Total Volatile Organic Compounds) and eCO2 (equivalent CO2) over I2C.
The ENS160 includes an on-chip microcontroller that manages the MOX heater plate and analogue-to-digital conversion, delivering processed air quality data directly over I2C. It also supports temperature and humidity compensation — feed in readings from an external humidity sensor for improved accuracy in varying environmental conditions.
Key Features
- Multi-Element MOX Sensor – Multiple metal-oxide sensing elements for detailed air quality analysis
- TVOC and eCO2 Output – Processed volatile organic compound and equivalent CO2 readings
- Raw Resistance Values – Access to four raw resistance readings for custom analysis
- Temperature/Humidity Compensation – External RH% input for improved accuracy
- CCS811 Upgrade – Replacement for the discontinued ScioSense CCS811 (new driver code required)
- I2C Interface – Simple digital communication with on-chip signal processing
- STEMMA QT / Qwiic – Dual I2C connectors for solderless daisy-chaining
- 3.3V and 5V Compatible – On-board voltage regulator and level shifting
Ideal For
- Indoor air quality monitoring
- HVAC and ventilation control systems
- Environmental sensing and data logging
- Upgrading existing CCS811-based designs
Package Contents
- 1× Adafruit ENS160 MOX Gas Sensor Breakout – STEMMA QT
Jargon buster
Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- VOC
- Volatile organic compounds are gases released from things like paints, cleaners, smoke, and some plastics. A VOC reading helps indicate indoor air quality, but it is usually an index or estimate rather than a direct identification of each chemical.
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