The Arduino’s ADC is not suitable for many sensors like thermocouples or bridge sensing for pressure, strain, and force. Also it has fairly low dynamic impedance since it has no buffer amplifier. I have been looking for a simple solution to this problem for about a year. I have found a part that is accurate and very simple to use. The part is a Delta-Sigma ADC system from Microchip. I have used it on an Adafruit Proto Shield and have connected it directly to a GPS Shield to log sensor data. See below for directions for using it. I have compared the accuracy of several of these parts with a Fluke (0.09% DC V) meter. The results agree to about 1 part in a 1000 with no calibration of the ADC for measurements in the one to two volt range.
Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.
