The newest version of the SparkFun RedBoard is here! SparkFun has multiple versions of the Arduino-compatible SparkFun RedBoard, but until now, none of them had a Qwiic connector. Qwiic is an easy way to connect up I2C sensors using a single cable – perfect for beginners, wanting to use complex, and sometimes expensive, I2C sensors without the risk of connecting it up wrong.

This version’s improvements aren’t limited to the simple addition of a connector – With the improved AP2112 voltage regulator, this Reboard gains a more robust 3.3V regulator that provides it more power to daisy chain multiple Qwiic boards and sensors, sourcing up to 600mA of current.

A new CH340C Serial – USB converter means the days of installing drivers are gone (when used with newer operating systems). The USB connector has also been changed to the much more common microUSB form factor.

Lastly, they have made sure to add a few solder jumpers to the board. The jumpers for the A4 and A5 pins are tied directly to the I2C bus and can be used to disconnect the logic level converters from the pins while the voltage level jumpers can switch the RedBoard Qwiic from a 3.3V device to a 5V device (no logic level converter needed).

The SparkFun RedBoard Qwiic can be programmed over a USB Micro-B cable using the Arduino IDE: Just plug in the board, select “Arduino UNO” from the board menu and you’re ready to upload code.

RedBoard Qwiic has all of the hardware peripherals you know and love: 20 Digital I/O pins with 6 PWM pins, UART, SPI and external interrupts. They have also broken out the SDA, SCL and IOREF pins that showed up on the UNO R3, so the RedBoard Qwiic will be compatible with future shields. You can power the SparkFun RedBoard Qwiic over USB or through the barrel jack. The on-board power regulator can handle anything from 7 to 15VDC.