Qwiic Directional Pad (PRT-26851)

Jargon buster

Plain-language definitions for the technical terms used above.

active LOW

Active LOW means an input is considered switched on when it is connected to a low voltage or ground. This matters when wiring buttons, switches, or other trigger signals so the board responds in the expected way.

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.

GPIO

General-purpose input/output pins are microcontroller pins you can set in software to read signals, switch devices on and off, or connect to peripherals. The number of GPIO pins matters because it limits how many buttons, LEDs, sensors, and other parts you can wire directly to the board.

I/O expander

An I/O expander is a chip that provides extra input and output pins controlled through a bus such as I2C. It matters when a board has many display signals, because it helps manage buttons, resets, or control lines without using up scarce microcontroller pins.

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.

LED

A light-emitting diode is a small electronic component that lights up when current flows through it in the correct direction. In this kit, LEDs create the flashing effect, so polarity and correct soldering matter for the project to work.

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.

PCA9554

The PCA9554 is an I/O expander chip that adds extra digital input and output pins over an I2C bus. On a display driver board, it can handle support signals such as reset, buttons, or backlight control while leaving the main microcontroller pins free.

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.

RGB

Short for red, green and blue, usually referring to an LED that can mix those three colours. It matters because controlling an RGB LED teaches how separate outputs combine to create different colours.