Adafruit GP8403 Breakout Board I2C DAC with 12V Booster + NVM

We stock a bunch of DAC boards here at the 'fruit - these are chips that will take I2C or SPI and pop out an analog voltage. We have single channels like the MCP4725 and even quad channel like MCP4728, but one thing most DACs have in common is they max out at whatever the input power is for the chip, which is usually 3V or 5V. The Adafruit GP8403 Breakout Board is a funky exception - it has the ability to output 0-10V analog voltages, so it's useful for devices that have wide voltage input ranges - like audio or op-amps. Note that the DAC outputs have 10uF caps on them (as indicated by the datasheet), so they aren't going to be terribly fast - best for bias setting maybe, instead of trying to generate fast sine waves!

The GP8402 chip has a built-in I2C-to-analog signal converter that linearly converts 12-bit digital values from 0x000 to 0xFFF into two independent analog voltage outputs of 0–5V or 0–10V, with an output voltage error of 0.2%. This chip is great for when you need wide / high voltage range outputs thanks to its built-in booster, we also provide the 12V output from the small on-board DC/DC converter, you can grab up to 100mA if you need to power something externally.

On the back are three A0, A1, and A2 address selection jumpers, so you can connect up to 8 of these DACs on one I2C bus, for up to 16 DAC outputs. Also included is a 6-pin header, for use in a breadboard. Works with both 3.3V or 5V logic, that is handled separately than the boosted DAC outputs.

This chip does have a non-volatile-memory capability so it will boot up into a prior-set voltage. However, it uses a funky bit-banging technique on the I2C lines so while we did get it to work on an ATmega328, you should definitely verify it on your platform since some devices will not let you 'take over' the I2C pins for bit-banging!

We have easy-to-use Arduino and Python/CircuitPython libraries and examples that can be used with just about any microcontroller or microcomputer with I2C host - from the classic Arduino UNO-compatible to Raspberry Pi, Pico, ESP32 and beyond.

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 a 4-pin 2.5mm terminal block already soldered on the PCB.

To get you going fast, we spun up a custom-made PCB in the STEMMA 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 GP8403 or to chain it with a wide range of other sensors and accessories using a compatible cable.

QT Cable is not included, but we have a variety in the shop.