Adafruit Triple-axis Magnetometer – MMC5603 – STEMMA QT / Qwiic

Sense the magnetic fields surrounding us with this handy triple-axis magnetometer (compass) module. Magnetometers can sense where the strongest magnetic force is coming from, generally used to detect magnetic north, but can also be used for measuring magnetic fields.

This sensor tends to be paired with a 6-DoF accelerometer/gyroscope to create a 9-DoF inertial measurement unit that can detect its orientation in real-space thanks to Earth’s stable magnetic field. It’s a great match for the LSM6DSOX from ST.

The breakout is based on the MMC5603, a general purpose magnetometer with a very wide range and an I2C interface. It can sense ranges from 30 Gauss (3000uT or 3mT) with no range-setting required and full 20 bit output up to 1000 Hz rate reading. The range suits reading Earth’s magnetic field or basic magnets but isn’t suitable for very strong rare earth magnets.

The breakout PCB and support circuitry enable use with 3.3V (Feather/Raspberry Pi) or 5V (Arduino/Metro328) logic levels. It includes SparkFun qwiic compatible STEMMA QT connectors for I2C bus, allowing solderless connection. Compatible with CircuitPython/Python and Arduino libraries.

The product is fully assembled and tested, includes 0.1″ header for breadboard use, and four 2.5mm mounting holes.

• I2C interface (up to 400 KHz)
• 30 Gauss full scale range
• 20 bit operation mode with 0.0625mG resolution
• Low noise: 2 mG RMS
• Up to 1000 Hz sampling rate
• On-chip automatic degaussing and temperature sensor
• Compatible with 3.3V and 5V logic
• Includes STEMMA QT / Qwiic connectors for solderless I2C connection