Adafruit TCS3430 / TCS34303 Ambient Tri-Stimulus Color Sensor

Overview

Adafruit TCS3430 / TCS34303 Ambient Tri-Stimulus Color Sensor is a breakout for ams OSRAM's ambient light and color sensing IC, designed for projects that need XYZ + IR raw measurement data rather than a simple RGB output. Instead of conventional RGB filters, this sensor uses CIE tristimulus-style channels plus infrared sensing, making it a better fit for applications that need custom colour-space mapping or further calibration in software.

The sensor measures channels centred around 437nm (X1), 574nm (X2), 537nm (Y) and 434nm (Z), and communicates over a simple I2C interface. Adafruit's breakout adds the required support circuitry so it can be used with both 3.3V and 5V logic systems, including boards such as Raspberry Pi, Feather, Arduino and Metro.

This board is especially useful for engineers and makers who want to work with raw counts and perform their own calibration against a known reference. It does not behave like a plug-and-play RGB colour sensor; for best results, you should calibrate it for your optical setup and target colour space. If you want a sensor that directly provides more complete CIE and lux data with less calibration effort, the supplier notes that the OPT4048 may be a better choice.

Specification

Technical details for Adafruit TCS3430 / TCS34303 Ambient Tri-Stimulus Color Sensor.

Key features

• XYZ + IR raw colour sensing approach instead of basic RGB output
• Useful for custom calibration and colour-space matching workflows
• Works over standard I2C with just power, ground, SDA and SCL
• Breakout includes regulator and support circuitry for easier integration
• STEMMA QT connectors simplify solderless prototyping

Pinout

Main connections and power pins available on the breakout.

Usage notes

For a 5V microcontroller such as an Arduino Uno or Metro, connect 5V to VIN, plus GND, SCL and SDA. For a 3.3V board such as a Feather or Raspberry Pi setup, connect the board's 3V pin to VIN instead.

QT cable is not included. The breakout includes STEMMA QT / Qwiic-compatible connectors for fast plug-and-play I2C wiring.

The supplier documentation and calibration note both emphasise that this family of sensors is intended to be calibrated against a known analyser or reference setup if you need accurate colour-space results in a finished application.