LPS331AP Pressure/Altitude Sensor Carrier with Voltage Regulator Overview This board is a compact (0.4 0.9 ) carrier for STs LPS331AP MEMS absolute pressure sensor, or barometer we therefore recommend careful reading of the LPS331AP datasheet (453k pdf) before using this product. The LPS331 is a great IC, but its small, leadless, LGA package makes it difficult for the typical student or hoyist to use. It also operates at voltages below 3.6 V, which can make interfacing difficult for microcontrollers operating at 5 V. This carrier board addresses these issues by incorporating additional electronics, including a 3.3 V voltage regulator and level-shifting circuits, while keeping the overall size as compact as possible. The board ships fully populated with its SMD components, including the LPS331AP, as shown in the product picture. The LPS331 features embedded temperature compensation and has many configurable options, including selectable resolutions, a choice of output data rates, and two programmable external interrupt signals. Its pressure output has an absolute accuracy as low as 2 mbar (0.2 kPa), with RMS noise of 0.02 mbar (0.002 kPa) in the highest-resolution mode. Pressure and temperature sensor data are available through a digital interface, which can be configured to operate in either IC or SPI mode, and can be used for altimetry. (See the Sample Code section below for an Arduino library that can be used to turn this sensor into an altimeter). The carrier board includes a low-dropout linear voltage regulator that provides the 3.3 V required by the LPS331, which allows the sensor to be powered from a 2.5 V to 5.5 V supply. The regulator output is available on the VDD pin and can supply almost 150 mA to external devices. The breakout board also includes a circuit that shifts the IC/SPI clock and data in lines to the same logic voltage level as the supplied VIN, making it simple to interface the board with 5 V systems, and the boards 0.1 pin spacing makes it easy to use with standard solderless breadboards and 0.1 perfboards. For sensor fusion applications, AltIMU-10 v3 inertial measurement unit combines the LPS331AP with an L3GD20H 3-axis gyro and an LSM303D 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis magnetometer on a single board, providing ten independent readings that can be used to calculate an absolute orientation and altitude.This module is a lower-cost alternative to our newer LPS25H carrier, which offers improved accuracy, reduced output noise, and a built-in FIFO (First In, First Out) buffer allows the sensor to store pressure readings for burst transmission or to output a running average to further reduce output noise. Specifications Dimensions: 0.4 0.9 0.1 (10 mm 23 mm 3 mm) Weight without header pins: 0.6 g (0.02 oz) Operating voltage: 2.5 V to 5.5 V Supply current: 2 mA Output format (IC/SPI): 24-bit pressure reading (4096 LSb/mbar) Sensitivity range: 260 mbar to 1260 mbar (26 kPa to 126 kPa) Included components A 19 strip of 0.1 header pins and a 19 strip of 0.1 right-angle header pins are included, as shown in the picture below. You can solder the header strip of your choice to the board for use with custom cables or solderless breadboards, or you can solder wires directly to the board itself for more compact installations. The board has one mounting hole that works with 2 and M2 screws (not included). Using the LPS331 Connections Regardless of the interface being used to communicate with the LPS331AP, its VIN pin should be connected to a 2.5 V to 5.5 V source, and GND should be connected to 0 volts. (Alternatively, if you are using the sensor with a 3.3 V system, you can leave VIN disconnected and bypass the built-in regulator by connecting 3.3 V directly to VDD.) A minimum of two logic connections are necessary to use the LPS331 in IC mode (this is the default mode): SCL and SDA. These pins are connected to built-in level-shifters that make them safe to use at voltages over 3.3 V they should be connected to an IC bus operating at the same logic level as VIN. The remaining pins are not connected to level-shifters on the board and are not 5V-tolerant, but our 4-channel bidirectional logic level shifter can be used externally with those pins to achieve the same effect. To use the LPS331 in the default SPI mode, four logic connections are required: SPC, SDI, SDO, and CS. These should be connected to an SPI bus operating at the same logic level as VIN. The