Overview
Measuring voltage and current accurately in live circuits is often harder than it should be. Most low-cost current sensors rely on low-side sensing, which shifts the ground reference and can introduce instability—especially in sensitive electronics. The Adafruit INA219 High-Side Current Sensor Breakout eliminates this problem by allowing you to measure current and voltage on the high side of the load, without disturbing system ground.
This breakout is built around the INA219, a precision current and power monitor that communicates over I2C. It measures the voltage drop across an onboard 0.1 Ω, 1% precision shunt resistor, placed between the power source and the load. Because the measurement happens on the high side, your circuit ground remains fixed and reliable, even as current draw changes.
Despite being powered from just 3–5 V, the INA219 can monitor bus voltages as high as +26 V, making it ideal for tracking battery systems, solar panels, motor drivers, and embedded power consumption. In addition to current, the chip also reports the high-side voltage, allowing you to calculate power usage and monitor supply health in real time.
A built-in precision amplifier measures differential voltages up to ±320 mV, which translates to a maximum measurable current of ±3.2 A with the onboard shunt resistor. The internal 12-bit ADC provides a current resolution of 0.8 mA at the full ±3.2 A range. By configuring the internal gain, you can reduce the measurement range to increase resolution—for example, measuring up to ±400 mA with 0.1 mA resolution. Advanced users can further customize the range by replacing the shunt resistor to suit higher current applications.
Specification
Technical details for Adafruit INA219 High-Side 26V ±3.2A DC Current Sensor Breakout.
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Sensor IC | INA219 (may ship as INA219A or INA219B depending on availability) |
| Accuracy (Current Measurement) | INA219A: ±1% total max over full temperature range (±0.5% max at 25°C); INA219B: ±0.5% total max over full temperature range (±0.3% max at 25°C) |
| Bus Voltage Range | 0 to +26V DC (high-side voltage measurement) |
| Supply / Logic Voltage | 3V to 5V DC |
| Interface | I2C |
| Shunt Resistor (Onboard) | 0.1Ω, 1% sense resistor |
| Max Shunt Differential | ±320mV |
| Max Measurable Current (Default Shunt) | ±3.2A (with 0.1Ω shunt) |
| ADC Resolution | 12-bit |
| Current Resolution (Default Range) | 0.8mA at ±3.2A range |
| Low-Gain Mode Example | ±400mA max with 0.1mA resolution (using minimum gain setting) |
| Custom Current Range | Shunt resistor can be replaced to change range (e.g., 0.01Ω enables up to ~±32A with ~8mA resolution) |
| Included Connectors | 6-pin header for breadboard use + 3.5mm screw terminal block |
| Typical Use Cases | Battery monitoring, solar tracking, load/power profiling, high-side current measurement |
Pinout
| Pin / Connector | Description |
|---|---|
| VIN | Power input for the sensor. Supply between 2.7V and 5.5V, matching the logic level of your microcontroller (e.g. 5V for Arduino, 3.3V for Feather). |
| GND | Common ground for power and logic. |
| SCL | I2C clock pin. Connect to the microcontroller’s I2C clock line. Includes a 10K pull-up resistor. |
| SDA | I2C data pin. Connect to the microcontroller’s I2C data line. Includes a 10K pull-up resistor. |
| I2C Address | Default I2C address is 0x40. |
| STEMMA QT | STEMMA QT connectors for quick plug-and-play I2C connections to compatible development boards and accessories. |
| VIN+ | Positive input for current sensing. Connect to the power supply when measuring high-side current, or to load ground for low-side sensing. |
| VIN− | Negative input for current sensing. Connect to the load for high-side current sensing, or to board ground for low-side sensing. |
| A0 / A1 Solder Jumpers | Solder jumpers used to change the I2C address. Bridge to VIN to pull the address pins high and select alternate I2C addresses. |
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