SparkFun
SparkFun Mini Tristimulus Color Sensor - OPT4048DTSR (Qwiic)
The SparkFun Qwiic Mini Tristimulus Colour Sensor features the OPT4048DTSR from Texas Instruments — a high-speed, high-precision four-channel colour sensor w...
The SparkFun Qwiic Mini Tristimulus Colour Sensor features the OPT4048DTSR from Texas Instruments — a high-speed, high-precision four-channel colour sensor with spectral responses closely matching the CIE 1931 tristimulus spectra. It measures light intensity (lux), colour in CIE XY and LUV coordinates, and correlated colour temperature (CCT).
This mini breakout (0.5" × 1") includes two Qwiic connectors for solderless I2C daisy-chaining, plus 0.1"-spaced header pins for breadboard use. An Arduino library is available for easy integration.
Key Features
- OPT4048DTSR Sensor – Four-channel tristimulus colour sensing with close CIE 1931 spectra matching and excellent IR rejection
- Wide Dynamic Range – 26 bits effective range from 2.15 mlux to 144 klux
- Configurable Conversion Times – 12 options from 600 µs to 800 ms per channel for speed vs precision trade-off
- Qwiic I2C Interface – Two horizontal Qwiic connectors for solderless hookup
- Selectable I2C Address – 0x44 (default), 0x45, or 0x46
- Low Power – 24 µA operating current, 2 µA standby
- Hardware Interrupt – External pin for synchronised triggers and interrupts
- Mini Form Factor – 0.5" × 1" with 0.1"-spaced breakout pins
Specifications
- Sensor – Texas Instruments OPT4048DTSR
- Supply Voltage – 1.71–3.6V
- Interface – I2C (Qwiic)
- Channels – 3× CIE tristimulus (XYZ) + 1× wide-band clear
- Operating Temperature – –40°C to +85°C
Ideal For
- Display brightness and colour temperature adjustment
- Camera colour temperature correction
- True colour object recognition
- Ambient light measurement
- Medical and scientific colour sensing applications
Resources
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.
- dynamic range
- Dynamic range describes how wide a span of values a sensor can measure, from very low to very high. For a light sensor, a wide dynamic range means it can work in dim indoor settings as well as bright sunlight without changing hardware.
- 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.
- I2C address
- An I2C address is the number a device uses so a microcontroller can tell it apart from other devices on the same I2C bus. It matters because two devices with the same fixed address may conflict if used together.
- lux
- Lux is the standard unit for measuring how much light falls on a surface, similar to how a light meter reports brightness. A sensor that outputs lux gives readings that are easier to compare between rooms, outdoor conditions, and different projects.
- 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.
Find this product in
Sensors & Input
Mini Tristimulus Color Sensor Schematic
Schematic · 95.7 KB · Click any page to view full size
OPT4048 Datasheet
Datasheet · 1.6 MB · Click any page to view full size
Supplier page — sparkfun.com
Supplier Description · 673.3 KB · Click any page to view full size
Resources & Downloads
Guides, code examples, and more
Related Tutorials
Free guides on learn.littlebird.com.au
