{"title":"Adafruit PDM MEMS Microphone Breakout","handle":"adafruit-pdm-mems-microphone-breakout","url":"/products/adafruit-pdm-mems-microphone-breakout","description":"The Adafruit PDM MEMS Microphone Breakout provides a digital audio input using Pulse Density Modulation (PDM) — a common interface in commercial products that's distinct from both analogue and I2S microphones. It's ideal for microcontrollers without analogue inputs, and most modern 32-bit processors include a hardware PDM peripheral.\n\nPDM works by clocking the microphone at 1–3 MHz and reading a 1-bit digital output whose pulse density represents the analogue audio signal. When filtered and decimated, this produces clean audio samples. Many platforms (nRF52, RP2040, SAMD51) handle this in hardware with library support, while others may require manual filtering.\n\nKey Features\n\n\nPDM Digital Output – 1-bit pulse density modulation, not analogue or I2S\n\nMEMS Microphone – Compact, high-quality digital microphone element\n\n1–3 MHz Clock Rate – Standard PDM clocking compatible with most 32-bit MCUs\n\nNo Analogue Input Required – Fully digital interface, no ADC needed\n\nBreadboard Friendly – Includes header strip for easy prototyping\n\n\nIntegration Approaches\n\n\nHardware PDM Peripheral – Best option: the MCU handles clocking, filtering, and decimation automatically (nRF52, RP2040, SAMD51, etc.)\n\nHardware Peripheral + Manual Filtering – The MCU provides raw PDM data; you apply decimation and filtering in software\n\nAnalogue Filter Hack – Generate the clock externally, apply an analogue low-pass filter on the data line, and read the result as an analogue value\n\n\n\nTip: Check your platform's PDM support before purchasing. Most 32-bit ARM processors include hardware PDM peripherals, but 8-bit chips like AVR typically do not.\n\n\nIdeal For\n\nVoice and audio capture on digital-only microcontrollers\nSound-reactive projects and audio level detection\nAdding microphone input to boards without analogue pins\n\n\nPackage Contents\n\n1× PDM MEMS Microphone Breakout (assembled and tested)\n1× Header strip for breadboard use\n\n\nResources\n\n\nPDM Microphone Learn Guide (wiring, schematics, example code, datasheet)\n","vendor":"Adafruit","product_type":"physical","in_stock":true,"options":[],"variants":[{"id":8337,"title":"Default Title","sku":"AF-3492","price":10.05,"on_sale":false,"in_stock":true,"available_quantity":100,"option1":"Default Title"}]}