Adding an ADC to Your Raspberry Pi: What You Need to Know

MakeUseOf

By Ben Allen

Published Nov 14, 2023

Start measuring the world around you with this practical and comprehensive project.

Raspberry Pi lacks analog input, but you can add external ADCs to convert voltages from the real world into digital form for recording, manipulation, and control.
Popular ADC options include MCP3004/MCP3008 for speed and precision tradeoff or ADS111x for 16-bit readings at a slower sample rate.
The ADS1115 from Adafruit is a simple option with a Programmable Gain Amplifier (PGA) that allows you to detect small voltage differences and adjust gain during the program. Wiring it up with Raspberry Pi using I2C is straightforward.