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Adafruit QT 3V to 5V Level Booster Breakout - STEMMA QT / Qwiic
The Adafruit QT 3V to 5V Level Booster Breakout lets you connect 3.3 V STEMMA QT / Qwiic devices to sensors and peripherals that require 5 V power or logic. ...
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The Adafruit QT 3V to 5V Level Booster Breakout lets you connect 3.3 V STEMMA QT / Qwiic devices to sensors and peripherals that require 5 V power or logic. Most modern microcontrollers (ESP32, RP2040, SAMD, micro:bit) run at 3.3 V, but some sensors and modules still need 5 V — this board bridges the gap with a charge-pump boost regulator and I2C level shifting.
On the input side, connect your 3.3 V STEMMA QT / Qwiic cable. In the middle, the AP3602A charge-pump regulator boosts power to 5 V (100 mA continuous, 250 mA peak) while level-shifting circuitry translates I2C signals. The output side provides 5 V power and 5 V I2C logic to your device. A solder jumper on the back lets you keep I2C logic at 3.3 V if only the power needs boosting.
Key Features
- 3.3 V to 5 V Boost – AP3602A charge-pump regulator provides 100 mA continuous (250 mA peak) at 5 V
- I2C Level Shifting – Safely translates 3.3 V I2C signals to 5 V logic
- STEMMA QT / Qwiic Connectors – Plug-and-play I2C on both sides; no soldering required
- Configurable Logic Level – Solder jumper to set output I2C to 3.3 V when only power boosting is needed
- Breadboard Friendly – Breakout pins for prototyping; doubles as a QT-to-perfboard adapter
Ideal For
- Connecting 5 V sensors to 3.3 V microcontrollers via I2C
- Powering 5 V I2C devices from 3.3 V STEMMA QT / Qwiic systems
- Bridging legacy 5 V modules into modern 3.3 V projects
- Breadboard prototyping with STEMMA QT breakout
Resources
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.
- ESP32
- ESP32 is a family of low-cost microcontroller chips and modules from Espressif with built-in WiFi and Bluetooth. They support programmable firmware and over-the-air updates, and are commonly programmed with toolchains such as the Arduino core and ESP-IDF.
- 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.
- 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.
- RP2040
- The RP2040 is a dual-core Arm Cortex-M0+ microcontroller chip from Raspberry Pi, used on many maker boards and offering programmable I/O, multiple GPIO pins and reasonable processing speed. Code and accessories built for that chip should work where RP2040 compatibility is listed, though demanding tasks such as reading a camera can require careful pin allocation and timing.
- solder jumper
- A solder jumper is a small pair or group of pads on a circuit board that can be bridged or cut with solder to change a hardware setting. It matters because changing modes may require careful soldering rather than just changing software.
- 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.
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introducing adafruit stemma qt
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