Adafruit SPI FLASH Breakout - W25Q16 - 16 Mbit / 2 MByte

Sometimes you need a little extra storage for your microcontroller projects: for files, images, fonts, audio clips, etc. If you need lots of space, like in the gigabytes, we always recommend an SD card because you can easily plug it into a computer to edit files. But sometimes you don't need whole gigabytes, you just need a megabyte or two, with the lower cost and power usage that comes with it. That's when we recommend an Adafruit SPI FLASH Breakout such as this one that is fitted with a W25Q16 - 16 Mbit / 2 MByte chip.

Compared to our QSPI breakouts, this one is single-channel SPI only. However, it comes with level shifting, allowing safe use with 3V or 5V power and logic. Integrated level shifters ensure easy interfacing with different logic levels. A 3.3V regulator and a pull-up on CS are also included.

The chips come blank and lack a wear-leveling subsystem. They can be addressed as flat memory space or formatted with a filesystem like littleFS or FAT, suitable for projects where data management is handled manually. Ideal for data logging or adding external memory to older chips needing 5V compatibility.

For Arduino users, the Adafruit_SPIFlash library interfaces seamlessly with this chip. A bit of header is included for optional soldering, perfect for plugging into a breadboard when needed.