Using the Logic Level Converter
Meet the LLC
Electronics can be maddening sometimes! Like when you want to hookup that totally groundbreaking, awesome, must-have sensor, which has a maximum input voltage of 3.3V, to an Arduino running at 5V. Ack! Connecting these devices can be a problem – applying an out-of-range voltage to a device’s I/O pin can overstress it and eventually lead to failure. This is a dilemma so common we designed a simple PCB assembly to make interfacing devices a little easier: the Logic Level Converter.
The LLC can convert up to four I/O lines from a high-to-low and low-to-high. Two inputs convert from low voltage to a higher, and the other two line convert bi-directionally (high-to-low and/or low-to-high).
Covered In This Tutorial
In this tutorial we’ll take an in-depth look at the Logic Level Converter. Check into it’s schematic. Explain what each pin on the board does, and where it goes. Then we’ll go over some example hook-ups, explaining how you might use the board in a serial interface, or SPI, or even I2C.
- Logic Levels
- Voltage Dividers
- How to Use a Breadboard
- What is an Arduino?
- How to Solder
- Working with Wire