SKU: TH2031
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Adafruit TSL2591 High Dynamic Range Digital Light Sensor is a very high sensitivity ambient light sensor designed for projects that need reliable readings across dramatically changing lighting conditions. It is a strong upgrade over simple LDRs or CdS cells, offering digital output, better precision, and support for calculated lux readings.
The sensor uses both a full-spectrum photodiode and an infrared photodiode, allowing you to measure infrared, full-spectrum, and approximate human-visible light separately. This helps produce more realistic ambient light data, since human eyes do not respond to infrared the way many basic light sensors do.
With configurable gain and integration time, the TSL2591 can detect from 188 uLux up to 88,000 Lux and offers an impressive 600,000,000:1 dynamic range. A built-in ADC and I2C interface make it easy to use with modern microcontrollers, while STEMMA QT / Qwiic-compatible connectors simplify wiring for rapid prototyping.
Note: QT / STEMMA QT cable is not included.
| Brand | Adafruit |
|---|---|
| Model | TSL2591 |
| Interface | I2C |
| I2C Address | 0x29 (not user-changeable) |
| Supply Voltage | 3 to 5V input on breakout board |
| Sensor Operating Voltage | 2.7V to 3.6V |
| Light Range | 188 uLux to 88,000 Lux |
| Dynamic Range | 600,000,000:1 |
| Active Current | About 0.4mA when sensing |
| Power-Down Current | Less than 5 uA |
The breakout communicates over I2C and is suitable for soldered headers or no-solder STEMMA QT wiring.
| Pin | Name | Function |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | VIN | Power input for the breakout board |
| 2 | GND | Ground reference |
| 3 | SCL | I2C clock line |
| 4 | SDA | I2C data line |
| 5 | INT | Interrupt output from the sensor |
| 6 | 3Vo | 3.3V regulator output on the breakout |
This sensor is especially useful for environmental sensing, adaptive display brightness, sunlight monitoring, photography projects, and low-power data logging. Because the I2C address cannot be changed, multiple TSL2591 sensors cannot share the same I2C bus without additional hardware.
For a typical STEMMA QT connection: connect board 3V to VIN, GND to GND, SCL to SCL, and SDA to SDA. The built-in digital conversion means it works even with microcontrollers that do not have analog input pins.
It uses an I2C interface and this STEMMA QT version includes qwiic-compatible STEMMA QT connectors for plug-and-play I2C wiring. It can also be connected through the standard SDA and SCL pins.
The sensor has both infrared and full-spectrum photodiodes, so it can separately measure infrared, full-spectrum, and human-visible light. This helps it better approximate what the human eye sees than simpler light sensors.
According to the supplier brief, it can detect light from about 188 uLux up to 88,000 Lux. It also offers a very wide 600,000,000:1 dynamic range for handling both very dim and very bright conditions.
Yes, as long as your board supports I2C communication. The built-in ADC means you do not need an analog input to read the sensor.
This board uses a fixed I2C address and the address cannot be changed. Because of that, using more than one TSL2591 on the same I2C bus requires extra planning to avoid address conflicts.
No, the supplier brief specifically says the QT cable is not included. The board has STEMMA QT connectors, but the cable must be obtained separately if needed.
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