ISL29125 RGB Light Sensor Hookup Guide

Contributors: JordanDee

Introduction

If you've had ideas for a project that depend on the ability to sense different spectra of visible light and react based on those measurements, the ISL29125 breakout board may be just what you need.

The ISL29125 breakout board, as seen above, in combination with our Arduino library makes it very easy to sense and record the light intensity of the general red, green, and blue spectra of visible light. You can use these color-intensity readings in a variety of projects: log them to find patterns or use them to creatively make control decisions.

This tutorial will show you the hardware side of things -- an overview of the breakout board and how to hook it up to an Arduino. Then we'll cover the firmware/programming half -- how to start getting readings from the sensor as quickly as possible using our library. From there you can continue with your project, or learn about the more advanced uses of this chip. In the last section we'll show you how to configure the chip for more specific needs, as well as how to use interrupt-driven methods to alert you of changes in sensor readings.

Required Materials

• ISL29125 Breakout Board
• ISL29125 Arduino Library
• Arduino Uno (or Arduino Compatible Board)
• Logic Level Converter (not necessary if using a 3.3V Arduino Compatible)

Suggested Reading

• Installing an Arduino Library
• Logic Levels
• Using the Logic Level Converter Board
• Serial Communication via I²C Protocol
• Using Github