BMP280 Barometric Pressure & Temperature Sensor
Precise barometric pressure and temperature sensing over I2C or SPI — ideal for weather stations.
The BMP280 is a low-power digital sensor that reads barometric pressure and temperature over I2C or SPI. Pressure readings can be converted to altitude, making it popular for weather stations and altitude-tracking drones. As the successor to the BMP180, it offers lower power consumption, faster measurement conversion, and the flexibility of either I2C or SPI wiring, while remaining one of the cheapest and most widely supported pressure sensors in the hobbyist ecosystem.
Specifications
| Sensor type | Bosch BMP280 barometric pressure and temperature sensor |
| Operating voltage | 1.71V–3.6V DC (breakout boards regulate from 3.3-5V input) |
| Operating current | ~2.7 µA at 1 sample/second in standard operating mode |
| Pressure range | 300 hPa to 1100 hPa |
| Pressure resolution | 0.16 Pa (relative resolution equivalent to roughly ~1cm of altitude change) |
| Temperature accuracy | ±1°C typical |
| Interface | I2C (up to 3.4MHz) or SPI (up to 10MHz), selectable via wiring/solder jumper on most breakout boards |
| I2C address | 0x76 or 0x77, depending on the SDO pin state |
Pinout
| Pin | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | VIN / VCC | Power, 3.3–5V DC depending on breakout regulator |
| 2 | GND | Ground |
| 3 | SCL / SCK | I2C clock or SPI clock, depending on interface mode |
| 4 | SDA / SDI | I2C data or SPI data-in, depending on interface mode |
| 5 | CSB | Chip select — ties HIGH for I2C mode on most breakouts, or used as SPI chip select when in SPI mode |
| 6 | SDO | Sets the I2C address (0x76 when LOW, 0x77 when HIGH); doubles as SPI data-out in SPI mode |
Most breakout boards default to I2C mode with CSB tied HIGH; the SDO pin's state determines which of the two possible I2C addresses (0x76 or 0x77) the sensor uses, which is handy when running two BMP280-family sensors on the same bus. As with any pressure-based altitude sensor, calibrate against a known local sea-level pressure reading for meaningful absolute altitude results.
Variants
The BMP280 is an excellent low-cost default for most weather and altitude projects. If humidity data would also be useful, the BME280 is usually a similarly-priced drop-in upgrade; if the project needs the very best altitude precision (like a flight controller), the MS5611 offers finer resolution at a modest cost increase.
| Variant | Price |
|---|---|
| BMP280 breakout | ~$1-3 |
| BME280 | ~$2-5 |
| MS5611 | ~$3-6 |