MPL3115A2 Barometric Pressure Sensor

The MPL3115A2 pressure sensor is a great low-cost sensing solution for precise measurement of barometric pressure and altitude. The MPL3115A2 has a typical resolution of 1.5 Pascal, which can resolve altitude at 0.3 meters (compared to the BMP180, which can do 0.17m). It has some pluses over the BMP280, such as interrupt outputs for ultra-low power usage, and it's also much easier to read altitude with a built-in altimeter calculation - no calibration reading and calculation required. As a bonus, it even has a pretty good temperature sensor with ±1°C typical accuracy (±3°C max).

 

This chip supports 2-3.6V power and It likes to use it with logic voltages, so the 3V regulator and logic are fed in a level-shifted breakout. Easy to use with any Arduino or microcontroller with i2c capability.

 

This chip looks and sounds a lot like the MPL115A2, but it doubles as an altitude sensor as well as a barometer It is a sensitive version that can function.

 

The sensor is easy to use. For example, if you are using an Arduino, just connect the VDD pin to the 5V voltage pin, GND to ground, SCL to I2C Clock (Analog 5 on the UNO), and SDA to I2C Data (Analog 4 on the UNO). Then download the Adafruit MPL3115A2 Arduino library and sample code for temperature, pressure and base elevation calculation. Install the library and load the sample artwork. You will immediately have temperature, pressure and altitude data printed on the serial console.