Vishay has a lot of light sensors out there, and this is a nice simple lux sensor that's easy to add to any microcontoller.
Most light sensors just give you a number for brighter/darker ambient lighting. The VEML7700 makes your life easier by calculating the lux, which is an SI unit for light. You'll get more consistent readings between multiple sensors because you aren't dealing with some unit-less values.
The sensor has 16-bit dynamic range for ambient light detection from 0 lux to about 120 klux with resolution down to 0.0036 lx/ct, with software-adjustable gain and integration times.
Interfacing is easy - this sensor uses plain, universal I2C. Adafruit put this sensor on a breakout board with a 3.3V regulator and logic level shifter so you can use it with 3.3V or 5V power/logic microcontrollers. They have written libraries for Arduino (C/C++) as well as CircuitPython (Python 3) so you can use this sensor with just about any kind of device, even a Raspberry Pi!
As if that weren't enough, Adafruit also added SparkFun qwiic compatible STEMMA QT connectors for the I2C bus so you don't even need to solder. Just wire up to your favorite micro with a plug-and-play cable to get lux data ASAP. For a no-solder experience, just wire up to your favorite micro, like the ESP32 V2 Feather using a STEMMA QT adapter cable. The Stemma QT connectors also mean the VEML can be used with our various associated accessories. QT Cable is not included, but we have a variety in the shop
This is Kattni's first PCB design for Adafruit, it's even signed on the back!
Technical Details
Revision History:
- As of April 11, 2022, this board now comes in STEMMA QT format. Functionality and schematic remain the same. Physical shape has changed to make it plug-and-play, much easier to use with no soldering required!
- As of Dec 18th, 2019 - now comes with 4.7K pullups on I2C instead of 10K, solving some flaky behavior