Add rotational sensing - without a mechanical connection - with the Adafruit AS5600 Magnetic Angle Sensor.
Featuring the classic ams AS5600, this board can sense a rotating N/S magnetic field up to 3mm away from the chip body. These sensors are often used to create 'frictionless' rotary encoders or potentiometers, without the risk of mechanical failure or noise. Magnetic angle sensors get the best of 'both worlds': like rotary encoders they can rotate freely 360 degrees around, and like potentiometers, they have absolute location detection.
All you need is a microcontroller or microcomputer with I2C - we have Arduino, Python and CircuitPython driver support. Then, identify the north and south of a magnet: we recommend a rare earth magnet. Note that many round magnets have the N/S on alternate 'coin face' sides, so you'll need to rotate it on the edge. Place the magnet near the middle of the chip and rotate it in place. The firmware will detect the magnetic field and report the angle from 0 to 359 with 0.1° precision and 0.4° accuracy.
To make usage plug-and-play, we added SparkFun qwiic-compatible STEMMA QT connectors for the I2C bus, so you don't even need to solder the I2C and power lines. Simply wire up to your favorite micro using a STEMMA QT adapter cable. The Stemma QT connectors also mean the AS5600 can be used with our various associated accessories. QT Cable is not included, but we have a variety in the shop.
Comes as a fully assembled breakout board a small bit of header. Some light soldering is required to attach the header for use in a breadboard.
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Rotational sensing without a mechanical connection
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