Fermion: TCS3430 Tristimulus Color Sensor (Breakout)

The Fermion TCS3430 Tristimulus Colour Sensor is an advanced ambient light and spectral sensing breakout powered by the AMS TCS3430 IC. Designed to closely match the spectral response of the human eye, it is an ideal tool for makers, students, and engineers developing true-to-life colour detection and environmental lighting systems.

Human eye spectral matching

Built around the CIE 1931 XYZ tristimulus model based on human cone cells, the TCS3430 replicates standard human visual perception. This enables high-precision measurement of ambient illumination and correlated colour temperature to capture light exactly as it is seen.

High precision and sensitivity

The sensor achieves ±10% illuminance and correlated colour temperature accuracy across a wide dynamic range. It also features programmable gain and integration time settings to tailor performance across diverse lighting conditions.

Versatile measurement applications

This module is well suited for ambient brightness detection, display white-point calibration, and automated colour temperature adjustments similar to True Tone displays. It can also be deployed in object colour matching and robotics vision tasks.

Electrical specifications and interface

The breakout operates on a 3.3V to 5V supply with a low operating current of under 5mA and communicates via I2C at address 0x39. It is rated to perform reliably across an operating temperature range of -30°C to 85°C.

Compact form factor and contents

With a compact footprint of 22 by 15 mm, the board integrates easily into space-constrained enclosures. The package includes one TCS3430 breakout board and a 2.54 mm 6-pin single row header for breadboard prototyping.

Downloads & documentation

• Product wiki (DFRobot)