5v to 3.3v level converter

Or just a microController running at 5v interfaced with the ESP? If yes, then you might have realized that you cannot interface both the systems directly. Fortunately, there is an easy solution to this problem.

The bi-directional logic level converter. It is used to convert signals from 5v to 3. The bi-directional logic level converter is a very simple board that provides hassle free interface between systems operating on two different voltage levels.

Lets take an example to understand the problem and the solution. Say there are two systems where system 1 works on 5 volts and system 2 works on 3 volts. So, all the high-output signals from system 1 will be at 5 volts and all the high-output systems from system 2 will be at 3 volts.

Same goes for input signals. System 1 expects 5 volts and system 2 expects 3 volts. While this might not seem to be a huge problem, in reality it is. It is dangerous particularly for system 2. The high voltage might deliver more current than the tolerance limit of system 2 and damage it. We need an interface between the two systems. An interface that will convert 5 volts signals from system 1 to 3 volts for system 2 and 3 volts signals from system 2 to 5 volts for system 1.

Although many people use a resistor based voltage divider network to get this job done, it is not a good solution. The resistor network is like this-. Can you see the problem here? The resistor values have to be recalculated every time there is change in voltage levels of any of the two or both systems.

There is one other problem. The Bi-Directional Logic Level converter is exactly what we need. This allowed me to have two encoders on one chip. That tiny footprint saved me. Like I mentioned earlier, there are 9 TO transistors, three with their own heatsinks, six more bonded to a common sink, 9 screw terminals for wiring the MOSFETs to their coil leads all crammed on a tiny business card sized computer development proto board.

Similar to this: DEV Very simplistic and easy to use. I've used it on the Nokia Display and it works like a champ. I got a competitors level shifter and it was terrible.

I had no idea such a simple thing could be executed so terribly. After figuring out what the problem was I ordered a handful of these Sparkfun boards and won't go back. The competitor's product seemed to generate a lot of AC for very little work. Some things are just better from Colorado I guess. Nothing against New York City but then again, I am a country boy There is only one real limitation with these.

However when used appropriately these are pretty fantastic. Easy to use board. Just set high and low reference voltage and instant bidirectional communications between board with different source voltages. I did have to decrease the pull up resistors on the HV side to about 1K to get enough "voom" to shape up the edges but it worked which is saving me from some serious headaches.

I managed to get this working with a Teensy 3. I've only tested a single strand of lights with this, however, so YMMV with different variations. I used this with my dev kit which has a logical voltage of 1V8 to drive several 5V and 3V3 devices. Scoping it out showed that the clock signal was only going to about 2. Still a great little device though, and I can reuse for other prototyping. I needed something to translate the 3. The data sheet for this converter says that the turn-on time, rise time, and delay time are all in the sub 40ns range--so it should work fine, right?

The WS glitches like crazy when I try to control it through this logic level converter, so for my purposes, this part is useless. I got this to connect my Edison 1. It's working perfectly, so far. Used to talk between my 5V arduino and a 12V IC. Needed to slow down the arduino SPI bus otherwise the converter would not be able to send an adequate signal. Once the bus was slowed down however, converter worked well. Worked like a charm. Since they are strictly 3.

It works great and is very small allowing it to be incorporated without taking up much space. Though short on words, my enduser is a mechanical engineer who's long on usefulness.

His succinct summary of this product is, "They work! It was easy to solder, and worked exactly as needed for the project I was working on. The only thing missing is if it could somehow only require one reference voltage as input, but that would likely increase board complexity compared to the simple workhorse we have here. Purchased this level shifter for a 5V to 3V I2C connection and it worked out of the box without a hitch.

I didn't do too much digging but I believe the onboard resistors worked nicely for the I2C pullups. I also thought the price was very good considering. In setting up a Parallax Propeller micro-controller 3.

I realized that I need 6-bit converter. Now waiting for my board to arrive from being fabricated. Less wiring! It took a bit of convincing before I believed I knew how to hook it up. Nothing could be easier: connect the two power supplies to the HV and LV inputs, connect the grounds, then connect your high level and low level signals and Voila! I bought the bi-directional part so I could use it for ESP outputs as well as inputs.

Worked for me right out of the box. I expect I'll be using more of these as I connect 5V parts to my 3. The product does exactly what it claims, i. I'm using three on a cape I've designed for the Beaglebone Black which requires the 3. My only complaint is that I'm using it with a through hole circuit board so leads would be nice instead of having to do surface mount soldering. If you're working between 3. Makes the job of converting logic level easy. Caution, object in the picture is much smaller that it appears.

Other than that, it works as advertise at a price that is right. Worked the first time for me. I don't really know much about electronics but I wired it up and it worked, so there you have it. I wish all components were like this one! I soldered the header pins and then connected 5V to one of the HV pins and checked the voltage on the corresponding LV pin.

It was spot on 3. Not much more than you can say other than the price was great too! The folks and products at Sparkfun are great! Well, here it is already to put to work for your without any lost time. The Four Independent channels are easy to hook-up with this breadboard ready module. Easy hook up to 5 volts to the HV input, 3. That is all there is to it! Used 3 to bump up the signal lines from my smoothie board to some external drivers.

Haven't seen any issues yet. Hope to have them under full load soon. Great interface for 3. No issue using it. I'm glad I found this device. The board works good as it describes. Hope the board comes with soldered connectors. I am glad that it can handle many different conversion voltages. I want to convert signals from 3.

I have managed to toast a few channels during testing, but I only need 2 channels and there are 4. These are just what I needed for my project, the price was right, and they got here fast! That is the way all the Sparkfun devices I have ever bought have been. Board is labelled well and I plugged it in and started using it. Didn't even need to look at instructions or datasheets. Worked exactly as advertised to link 5 V P and P processors to the 3. I bought these, and a different product based on a TXSE , so that I could compare the two and see which one had the best response signal and least delay.

I like that it was in a small package. What I saw on my scope is that these barely raised the voltage on the high side. For example, the SparkFun converter had a top voltage of 3. CF replied on February 28, I think you might have these connected wrong. Please contact our technical assistance team for help in resolving your issue with this board.

CF replied on April 24, I'm sorry, but none of our boards come with headers. You should receive exactly what's pictured on the product page. In our experience it works better than 74HCD equivalent circuit. If you're a noob at soldering like I am, trying to get header pins on this thing was a nightmare. It works perfectly and the small footprint is just what I need.

Needed this function in a project and had thought about just wiring up the required MOSFETs and resistors myself, but at this price and the ease of dropping it into my design outweighed trying to find board space and routing the connections myself. Small footprint was less than the discrete components would have used, so very happy with the solution.

This level shifter does exactly what it should do and what Sparkfun says it will do, shift 3. I have looked at the signals on a digital oscilloscope with the board connected to i2c bus signals and find them to be clean and exactly correct for each voltage level.

It's very easy to figure out how to connect it to your circuit: HV 5. This is a good little board to have around! I bought 4 so that I have plenty for future projects. I constantly run into the need to talk between 1 voltage system and another. This made it possible to use a wider variety of chips without consulting logic voltage before purchase.

Great board to have in my candybox. Works as expected. Quick and easy! Soldered the headers for prototyping and the thing can plug into a breadboard just fine no matter which side of the PCB you solder your pin headers.

Pretty cool! Used this board on 2 different projects. Absolutely no hitches or problems!!! Highly recommend it. Always works perfectly. Works fine, as advertised and as expected. I don't expect any problems. I would recommend this product from sparkfun.

This is nerve-saver, no need to ''play'' with resistors, but resistors have benefit of taking small space if only 1 or 2 lines are needed. Works great for level shifting UART in my case. Well thought out pin layout for breadboarding. Also, having the schematic available is very handy. This essential building block is achieved with just one transistor and two resistors with the help of the internal diode. It simply works very well with a small footprint. This is a great converter to go from 3.

Bought 2 for use in a dual SPI sensor project, Both level shifters worked just as advertised. Cheap insurance as a go-between on arduino projects. This converter was exactly the thing to get the two talking. Very easy to use: just solder in the headers, hook up the two levels e.

If you take a peek at the board's schematic , you'd find that the bi-directional logic level converter let's shorten that to BD-LLC is actually a very simple device. There is basically one level-shifting circuit on the board, which is repeated four times to create four level-shifting channels.

A 0V signal on one end remains a 0V signal on the other. One row contains all of the high voltage e. The pins are labeled on both the bottom and top sides of the board, and organized into groups. Let's look closer at some of the pin groups:. Supplying a steady, regulated voltage to both of these inputs is required.

For example, if you're interfacing from 5V to 3. There are four separate data channels on the BD-LLC, each capable of shifting data to and from high and low voltages. The number at the end of each label designates the channel of the pin, and the HV or LV prefix determines whether it's on the high or low side of the channel. A low-voltage signal sent in to LV1 , for example, will be shifted up to the higher voltage and sent out HV1.

Something sent in HV3 will be shifted down and sent out of LV3. Use as many of these channels as your project requires. You don't have to use every single one. Keep in mind that these level shifters are purely digital. They can't map an analog voltage from one max voltage to another. There are a lot of options here. You could solder straight male headers in, and plug it right into a breadboard.

Or perhaps you want to solder wires directly into it. Pick an assembly method that melds with how you intend to use the board. Your hookup will probably vary depending on which communication interface you're using. Below we'll show how to hook the level converter for three of the most common communication protocols. Although you won't be taking advantage of the BD-LCC's bi-directional abilities, it's perfectly fine to use the board to shift serial communication.