Adafruit AW9523 GPIO Expander and LED Driver Breakout

Expand your project possibilities with the Adafruit AW9523 GPIO Expander and LED Driver Breakout! This compact, yet powerful, I2C expander maximizes your project's capabilities by providing an additional 16 I/O pins, doubling most boards' pin count.

The AW9523 is an affordable solution, offering four I2C address options, enabling connection of up to four expanders to a single bus. Each pin can be configured as either an input or output. This device also features an IRQ output that alerts you when input pins change value, expanding your project's interactivity.

This expander does not provide internal pull-ups or pull-downs, so external resistors may be required. However, it excels with 8-bit linear constant-current LED dimming support, allowing LED connections without resistors for smooth dimming without PWM. Open-drain configuration is available for the first 8 pins, enhancing versatility in LED driving and I/O control.

The default I2C address impacts the initial boot-state of the pins, which are set to output LOW. While LEDs might turn on immediately, the included Arduino and CircuitPython/Python libraries provide a soft-reset, configuring all pins to inputs and push-pull to ensure consistent behavior across devices.

Compatible with Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and more, the AW9523 comes in the STEMMA QT form factor, facilitating simple connections with STEMMA QT or SparkFun Qwiic I2C connectors. While the QT cable is not included, a range is available for your connectivity needs. Experience robust I/O expansion and precise LED control with the AW9523.