PCA9531 2-Channel 8-bit PWM with 8 Outputs & GPIO I2C LED Dimmer

The PCA9531 is an 8-bit I2C bus PWM controller optimized for dimming LEDs in 256 discrete steps for Red/Green/Blue (RGB) color mixing and back light applications.

Three hardware address pins on the PCA9531 allow eight devices to operate on the same bus. The PCA9531 contains an internal oscillator with two user programmable blink rates and duty cycles coupled to the output PWM. The initial setup sequence programs the two blink rates/duty cycles for each individual PWM. To blink LEDs at periods greater than 1.69 second the bus master (MCU, MPU, DSP, chip set, etc.) must send repeated commands to turn the LED on and off as is currently done when using normal I/O expanders like the NXP Semiconductors PCF8574 or PCA9554. The active LOW hardware reset pin (RESET) and Power-On Reset (POR) initializes the registers to their default state causing the bits to be set HIGH (LED off).

All I2C Mini Modules are designed to operate at 5VDC. Using a convenient 4-Pin plug, devices can be daisy-chained onto the I2C Bus, eliminating the need for soldering. Simply plug together the devices you need for your next automation application. Pull-up resistors are included with all NCD master devices. If you are wiring in your own I2C port, on-board 4.7K jumper-selectable pull-up resistors are available for convenience purposes.

FREE I2C cable included.

What is the NCD I2C Interface?

NCD is the creator of plug and play modular hardware using the NCD I2C Interface connector standard.  NCD I2C devices allow you to chain together several devices on the I2C bus, and communicate to each device individually at high speed (subject to the limitations of I2C).  The NCD I2C Interface uses a standard 4-Pin I2C Input and I2C Output connector.  NCD I2C devices communicate 5V I2C data and provides 5V DC power through this connector.  NCD I2C devices use standard I2C communications for all data transport, which is supported by nearly every microcontroller in production today.  The NCD I2C Interface is strictly a 5V standard, which is ideal for transport across longer cables.  NCD I2C devices always include a 6″ (152mm) 4-conductor I2C cable.  NCD I2C Mini Modules always include a 3″ (76mm) 4-conductor I2C cable.  Cables and connectors are available separately for designers who would like to include their own NCD I2C Interface into their designs.

Plug and Play Connectivity

NCD I2C devices will plug in to any available NCD I2C Output.  This includes just about everything we make in the NCD IoT Category, including all NCD IoT devices.  We also manufacture a wide range of I2C adapters that make it easy to plug NCD I2C Devices directly into most computing platforms.  The NCD I2C Interface adapters are available for Arduino, Banana Pi, BeagleBone, Bluz, C.H.I.P., ESP8266, Onion Omega, Particle Photon and Electron, PyCom, Raspberry Pi, 2, 3, and Zero, and Windows.  We are always working to add new platform support for NCD I2C devices.  NCD I2C Interface devices are compatible with just about everything in the microcontroller industry.

Unlimited I2C Expansion

Based on our plug-and-play I2C interface standard, all NCD I2C devices are equipped with a I2C output port, making it easy to expand to a wide variety of sensors, current monitors, relay controllers, PWM controllers, and much more!  We are always designing new expansions for our modular plug-and-play I2C framework.  We are dedicated to building a product line of interconnected devices to simplify all forms of automation.  Re-use or upgrade your hardware in seconds by selecting the modules that best fit your needs, and chaining them together using the included I2C expansion cables!

Powering NCD I2C Interface Devices

Some NCD I2C devices require a external power supply, others may be powered through the 4-Pin I2C bus connector at 5VDC, and other devices are jumper selectable between external and I2C bus power.  All I2C mini modules are powered through the 5V I2C bus connector, greatly simplifying connectivity.

Features

• 8 GPIO Channels for PWM or Digital Input/Output
• 2-Channel PWM 256-Levels per Channel
• Programmable PWM Prescaler
• I2C 8-bit LED Dimmer
• 256 Brightness Steps
• Red/Green/Blue Color Mixing
• Two Fully Programmable Blink Rates
• 0x60 I2C Start Address