EmbeddedRelated.com
    Parts   Development Boards  Adafruit & SparkFun    1411
Adafruit 16-Channel PWM/Servo Shield for Arduino

Adafruit 16-Channel PWM/Servo Shield for Arduino

MPN: 1411
Adafruit Industries LLC
PCA9685 Servo (PWM) Power Management Arduino Platform Evaluation Expansion Board
Active32 in stock
Datasheet Digi-Key Compare Prices

Overview

The Adafruit 1411 is a 16-channel, 12-bit PWM and servo shield designed for the Arduino ecosystem. It uses the PCA9685 controller over I2C to drive up to 16 servos or PWM outputs with only two pins, offloading the timing-intensive tasks from the main microcontroller.

Why Choose This Part

This shield features a dedicated PWM clock and an I2C interface, allowing for daisy-chaining up to 62 shields for a total of 992 outputs. It includes a power terminal block for external servo power and 220 ohm series resistors on all output lines to protect the driver and servos.

Applications

Robotic Actuation
Driving multiple standard and micro servos for hexapods, robotic arms, or bipedal walkers.
LED Dimming
Providing 12-bit resolution PWM for precise brightness control of large LED arrays.
Complex Mechatronics
Controlling multiple degrees of freedom in interactive art installations or animatronics.

Getting Started

Plug the shield into an Arduino Uno or Mega and connect an external 5V to 6V power supply to the terminal block for the servos. Use the Adafruit PWM Servo Driver library in the Arduino IDE to begin addressing the 16 channels via the default I2C address 0x40.

Also Consider

PCA9685PW NXP Semiconductors - The raw IC for custom PCB designs requiring 16-channel PWM control without the shield form factor.

Categories

Development Boards > Adafruit & SparkFun