SparkFun Qwiic Mux Breakout - 8 Channel (TCA9548A)

Product Overview

Have you ever found the perfect sensor, only to discover that it has the same I²C address as another device on your bus? Or worse, you need to connect eight identical sensors to one microcontroller? The SparkFun Qwiic Mux Breakout is the simple, powerful solution to this all-too-common problem.

This breakout, centered around the TCA9548A multiplexer, acts like a digital 8-channel rotary switch for your I²C bus. It allows you to connect up to eight I²C devices that share the same address and communicate with them individually, all over a single I²C port.

Plug-and-Play with the Qwiic Ecosystem

To make it incredibly easy to use, this board is fully integrated into our Qwiic Connect System. It features 10 Qwiic connectors: 2 for the main bus (for daisy-chaining) and one for each of the eight multiplexed channels. This means you can build a complex I²C network without soldering a single pin.

Operation is simple: send a single I²C command to the Mux to select which channel (0-7) you want to talk to. All future I²C communication will then be routed to that specific port, ignoring the other seven.

Massive Scalability: Control Up to 64 Devices

But what if eight channels aren't enough? We've got you covered. The Qwiic Mux Breakout has eight configurable I²C addresses of its own, selected via three solder jumpers on the back (labeled "ADR"). By simply adding a blob of solder, you can change the Mux's own address.

This allows you to connect up to eight Qwiic Mux Breakouts to the same microcontroller, giving you control over a staggering 64 identical-address devices.

Hardware and Compatibility

For those who prefer traditional breadboarding, we've also broken out all the pins to a standard 0.1"-spaced header. The breakout operates across a wide voltage range from 1.65V to 5.5V, making it ideal for interfacing with all our 3.3V Qwiic boards as well as 5V logic devices.