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Adafruit AD5693R 16-Bit DAC Breakout
Board
Created by Liz Clark
https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-ad5693r-16-bit-dac-breakout-board
Last updated on 2023-10-16 11:18:45 AM EDT
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Table of Contents
Overview
Pinouts
• Power Pins
• I2C Logic Pins
• DAC Output
• Address Pin and Jumper
• LDAC Pin
• Power LED
CircuitPython and Python
• CircuitPython Microcontroller Wiring
• Python Computer Wiring
• Python Installation of AD569x Library
• CircuitPython Usage
• Python Usage
• Example Code
Python Docs
Arduino
• Wiring
• Library Installation
• Example Code
3
5
6
10
11
Arduino Docs
Downloads
• Files
• Schematic and Fab Print
14
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Overview
Which is better, less bits or more? MORE of course! So why settle for a 12-bit DAC like
the MCP4725() when you can go for the 16-bits of the AD5693? OK, well there may
be some reason to go with 12-bits, say if you don't need high resolution output and
want to go with the more affordable DAC. But for those who like the finer things in life,
the Adafruit AD5693R Breakout Board is a 16-Bit DAC with I2C Interface and
temperature compensated 2.5V internal reference for a compact high-precision
output.
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We break out the ADDR/A0 pin so you can connect two of these DACs on one I2C
bus, just tie the A0 pin high (or close the jumper on the back) to keep it from
conflicting. Also included is a 6-pin header, for use in a breadboard. Works with both
3.3V or 5V logic, and you can have the output max out at 2.5V or 5V (2xVref). If you're
powering from 3.3V, you will be able to set the output range to 2.5V or Vin.
We have an easy-to-use Arduino library and tutorial with a sine-wave output example(
) that can be used with just about any microcontroller or microcomputer with I2C host.
Comes with a bit of 0.1" standard header in case you want to use it with a breadboard
or perfboard. Four mounting holes for easy attachment. There's an optional 3.5mm
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terminal block spot on the PCB - we don't include a 3.5mm terminal block but they're
both common and stocked in the shop() - that you can solder in place if you like.
To get you going fast, we spun up a custom-made PCB in theSTEMMA QT form
factor(), making it easy to interface with. The STEMMA QT connectors() on either side
are compatible with the SparkFun Qwiic()I2C connectors. This allows you to make
solderless connections between your development board and the AD5693R or to
chain it with a wide range of other sensors and accessories using a compatible cable(
).
Pinouts
The default I2C address is 0x4C.
Power Pins
VIN- this is the power pin. Since the DAC chip uses 3-5 VDC to power the
•
board, give it the same power as the logic level of your microcontroller - e.g. for
a 5V micro like Arduino, use 5V.
VREF - this is the voltage reference pin.
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GND- common ground for power and logic.
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I2C Logic Pins
SCL - I2C clock pin, connect to your microcontroller's I2C clock line. This pin can
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use 3-5V logic, and there's a 10K pullup on this pin.
SDA - I2C data pin, connect to your microcontroller's I2C data line. This pin can
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use 3-5V logic, and there's a 10K pullup on this pin.
STEMMA QT() - These connectors allow you to connectors to dev boards with S
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TEMMA QT connectors or to other things with various associated accessories()
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DAC Output
+ - The analog voltage output from the DAC.
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Address Pin and Jumper
A0 - The address pin for setting the I2C address. You can chain up to two of
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these boards together on one I2C bus. Leave this pin low for default I2C
address 0x4C or tie it high for I2C address 0x4E.
0x4E Jumper - On the back of the board is the address jumper, labeled 0x4E.
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You can leave this jumper open (low) to keep the board on the default I2C
address 0x4C. Solder the jumper closed (high) to change the I2C address to
0x4E.
LDAC Pin
LDAC - The load DAC pin. Transfers the content of the input register to the DAC
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register. The pin is tied to ground, allowing the DAC to update when new data is
written to the input register.
Power LED
Power LED - In the upper left corner, above the STEMMA connector, on the front
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of the board, is the power LED, labeled on. It is the green LED.
CircuitPython and Python
It's easy to use the AD5693R with Python or CircuitPython, and the Adafruit_CircuitPyt
hon_AD569x() module. This module allows you to easily write Python code to control
the DAC.
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You can use this driver with any CircuitPython microcontroller board or with a
computer that has GPIO and Python thanks to Adafruit_Blinka, our CircuitPython-for-
Python compatibility library().
CircuitPython Microcontroller Wiring
First wire up the breakout to your board exactly as follows. The following is the
breakout wired to a Feather RP2040 using the STEMMA connector:
Board STEMMA 3V to breakout VIN (red
wire)
Board STEMMA GND to breakoutGND
(black wire)
Board STEMMA SCL to breakoutSCL
(yellow wire)
Board STEMMA SDA to breakoutSDA
(blue wire)
The signal will be output from the DAC
Vout (+) pin.
The following is the breakout wired to a Feather RP2040 using a solderless
breadboard:
Board 3V to breakout VIN (red wire)
Board GND to breakoutGND (black wire)
Board SCL to breakoutSCL (yellow wire)
Board SDA to breakoutSDA (blue wire)
The signal will be output from the DAC
Vout (+) pin.
Python Computer Wiring
Since there are dozens of Linux computers/boards you can use, we will show wiring
for Raspberry Pi. For other platforms, please visit the guide for CircuitPython on Linux
to see whether your platform is supported().
Here's the Raspberry Pi wired with I2C using the STEMMA connector:
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Pi 3V to breakout VIN (red wire)
Pi GND to breakout GND (black wire)
Pi SCL to breakout SCL (yellow wire)
Pi SDA to breakout SDA (blue wire)
The signal will be output from the DAC
Vout (+) pin.
Here's the Raspberry Pi wired with I2C using a solderless breadboard:
Pi 3V to breakout VIN (red wire)
Pi GND to breakout GND (black wire)
Pi SCL to breakoutSCL (yellow wire)
Pi SDA to breakout SDA (blue wire)
The signal will be output from the DAC
Vout (+) pin.
Python Installation of AD569x Library
You'll need to install the Adafruit_Blinka library that provides the CircuitPython
support in Python. This may also require enabling I2C on your platform and verifying
you are running Python 3. Since each platform is a little different, and Linux changes
often, please visit the CircuitPython on Linux guide to get your computer ready()!
Once that's done, from your command line run the following command:
pip3 install adafruit-circuitpython-ad569x
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If your default Python is version 3 you may need to run 'pip' instead. Just make sure
you aren't trying to use CircuitPython on Python 2.x, it isn't supported!
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CircuitPython Usage
To use with CircuitPython, you need to first install the Adafruit_CircuitPython_AD569x
library, and its dependencies, into the lib folder on your CIRCUITPY drive. Then you
need to update code.py with the example script.
Thankfully, we can do this in one go. In the example below, click the Download
Project Bundle button below to download the necessary libraries and the code.py file
in a zip file. Extract the contents of the zip file, and copy the entire lib folder and the c
ode.py file to your CIRCUITPY drive.
Your CIRCUITPY/lib folder should contain the following folders and file:
adafruit_bus_device/
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adafruit_register/
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adafruit_ad569x.mpy
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Python Usage
Once you have the library pip3 installed on your computer, copy or download the
following example to your computer, and run the following, replacing code.py with
whatever you named the file:
python3 code.py
Example Code
If running CircuitPython: Once everything is saved to the CIRCUITPY drive, connect to
the serial console() to see the data printed out!
If running Python: The console output will appear wherever you are running Python.
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# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2023 Liz Clark for Adafruit Industries
# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
"""Simple demo of writing a sine wave to the AD569x DAC."""
import math
import board
import busio
import adafruit_ad569x
i2c = busio.I2C(board.SCL, board.SDA, frequency=400_000)
# Initialize AD569x
dac = adafruit_ad569x.Adafruit_AD569x(i2c)
# length of the sine wave
LENGTH = 100
# sine wave values written to the DAC
value = [
int(math.sin(math.pi * 2 * i / LENGTH) * ((2**15) - 1) + 2**15)
for i in range(LENGTH)
]
while True:
for v in value:
dac.value = v
The AD5693 is initialized over I2C. Then in the loop, a sine wave is output to the DAC.
If you connect the DAC output to a scope or other analog visualizer, you will see the
sine wave displayed.
Python Docs
Python Docs()
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Arduino
Using the AD5693R breakout with Arduino involves wiring up the breakout to your
Arduino-compatible microcontroller, installing the Adafruit_AD569x() library, and
running the provided example code.
Wiring
Wire as shown for a 5V board like an Uno. If you are using a 3V board, like an Adafruit
Feather, wire the board's 3V pin to the breakout VIN.
Here is an Adafruit Metro wired up to the breakout using the STEMMA QT connector:
Board 5V to breakout VIN (red wire)
Board GND to breakout GND (black wire)
Board SCL to breakout SCL (yellow wire)
Board SDA to breakout SDA (blue wire)
The signal will be output from the DAC
Vout (+) pin.
Here is an Adafruit Metro wired up using a solderless breadboard:
Board 5V to breakout VIN (red wire)
Board GND to breakout GND (black wire)
Board SCL to breakout SCL (yellow wire)
Board SDA to breakout SDA (blue wire)
The signal will be output from the DAC
Vout (+) pin.
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Library Installation
You can install the Adafruit_AD569x library for Arduino using the Library Manager in
the Arduino IDE.
Click the Manage Libraries ... menu item, search for Adafruit_AD569x, and select the
Adafruit AD569x library:
If asked about dependencies, click "Install all".
If the "Dependencies" window does not come up, then you already have the
dependencies installed.
If the dependencies are already installed, you must make sure you update them
through the Arduino Library Manager before loading the example!
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Example Code
#include "Adafruit_AD569x.h"
#include <math.h> // For sine function
Adafruit_AD569x ad5693; // Create an object of the AD5693 library
void setup() {
Serial.begin(115200);
while (!Serial) delay(10); // Wait for serial port to start
Serial.println("Adafruit AD5693 Test Sketch");
// Initialize the AD5693 chip
if (ad5693.begin(0x4C, &Wire)) { // If A0 jumper is set high, use 0x4E
Serial.println("AD5693 initialization successful!");
} else {
Serial.println("Failed to initialize AD5693. Please check your connections.");
while (1) delay(10); // Halt
}
// Reset the DAC
ad5693.reset();
// Configure the DAC for normal mode, internal reference, and no 2x gain
if (ad5693.setMode(NORMAL_MODE, true, false)) {
Serial.println("AD5693 configured");
} else {
Serial.println("Failed to configure AD5693.");
while (1) delay(10); // Halt
}
// You probably will want to set the I2C clock rate to faster
// than the default 100KHz, try 400K or 800K or even 1M!
Wire.setClock(800000);
Serial.println("Writing 2.5Vpp sine wave to output");
}
void loop() {
// Generate a sine wave and write it to the DAC
for (float angle = 0; angle <= 2 * PI; angle += 0.1) {
uint16_t value = (uint16_t)((sin(angle) + 1) * 32767.5); // Convert sine value
to uint16_t
if (!ad5693.writeUpdateDAC(value)) {
Serial.println("Failed to update DAC.");
}
}
}
Upload the sketch to your board and open up the Serial Monitor (Tools -> Serial
Monitor) at 115200 baud. You'll see the AD5693R recognized over I2C.
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If you connect the DAC output to a scope or other analog visualizer, you will see a
sine wave displayed.
Arduino Docs
Arduino Docs()
Downloads
Files
AD5693R Datasheet()
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EagleCAD PCB Files on GitHub()
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Fritzing object in the Adafruit Fritzing Library()
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Schematic and Fab Print
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