Adafruit
Adafruit INA260 High or Low Side Voltage, Current, Power Sensor
The Adafruit INA260 is a precision DC power sensor that measures current, voltage, and power on either the high or low side of your circuit. With an integrat...
The Adafruit INA260 is a precision DC power sensor that measures current, voltage, and power on either the high or low side of your circuit. With an integrated 2 mΩ (0.002Ω) 0.1% shunt resistor and 16-bit ADC, it handles up to +36V DC at 15A continuous — delivering better than 1% accuracy over I2C.
Unlike low-side-only sensors that shift ground references, or high-side sensors that need swappable shunt resistors, the INA260 works on either side with no external shunt required. It's compatible with 3.3V or 5V logic and works with Arduino, CircuitPython, and Raspberry Pi.
Key Features
- Up to +36V DC, 15A Continuous – Wide measurement range for high or low-side sensing
- Integrated 2 mΩ Shunt Resistor – 0.1% precision, no external shunt needed
- 16-bit ADC – 1.5 mA current resolution with automatic power calculation
- High or Low-Side Measurement – Flexible wiring topology for any circuit configuration
- I2C Interface – Simple two-wire connection; up to 4 sensors per bus via address jumpers
- 3.3V & 5V Compatible – Works with Arduino, CircuitPython, Raspberry Pi, and more
- Bus Voltage Reporting – Monitors the supply voltage alongside current for complete power analysis
Ideal For
- Battery and solar panel power monitoring
- High-current DC system profiling (up to 15A)
- Embedded power consumption analysis
- Projects requiring both current and voltage measurement without external shunt resistors
Package Contents
- 1× Adafruit INA260 Power Sensor Breakout (assembled)
- 1× 5.08 mm Terminal Block
- 1× Header Strip
Resources
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.
- Address jumpers
- Address jumpers are small solder pads or links used to change a device’s bus address. They matter when you want to connect multiple identical displays to the same controller without their addresses conflicting.
- 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.
- 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.
- low-side measurement
- Measuring current on the ground side of a load, after the power has passed through the device being measured. It can be simpler to wire, but it slightly lifts the load’s ground voltage, which may matter in sensitive circuits.
- shunt resistor
- A very low-value resistor placed in the current path so the board can measure the tiny voltage drop across it and calculate current. Its resistance and tolerance affect the maximum current range, heat produced and accuracy of the readings.
- Terminal block
- A connector used to join wires together in a neat, removable, or serviceable way. For this product, it helps split one power input into several outputs without soldering.
- VBUS
- A label often used for the main bus or supply voltage being measured or distributed on a board. Knowing what VBUS refers to helps you wire the monitor to the correct point in the circuit, especially for high-side measurements.
Find this product in
Brands
Sensors & Input
Related Tutorials
Free guides on learn.littlebird.com.au
