PCA9685 16-channel servo driver board at an angle, showing the 16 three-pin servo headers, screw terminal and 1000uF capacitor

PCA9685 16-Channel 12-bit PWM Servo Driver Board - I2C

$7.49 NZD
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PCA9685 16-channel servo driver board at an angle, showing the 16 three-pin servo headers, screw terminal and 1000uF capacitor
  • PCA9685 16-channel servo driver board at an angle, showing the 16 three-pin servo headers, screw terminal and 1000uF capacitor
  • PCA9685 board dimensions: about 62.7 x 25.3 mm, mounting holes about 56.7 x 19.3 mm apart for M2.5 screws
  • Top view of the PCA9685 board with GND, OE, SCL, SDA, VCC and V+ labels at both ends and the PWM, V+ and GND servo rows
  • Underside of the PCA9685 board with the printed ratings: VCC 3-5V, logic 3-5V, V+ 6V max, 40-1000Hz
PCA9685 16-Channel 12-bit PWM Servo Driver Board - I2C
SKU: MOD-PCA9685-16CH

PCA9685 16-Channel 12-bit PWM Servo Driver Board - I2C

$7.49 NZD
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A PCA9685 servo driver board that runs up to 16 hobby servos, LED channels or other PWM signals from just two I2C pins on an Arduino, ESP32 or Raspberry Pi. The servos get their own 5 to 6V supply through the screw terminal while the controller runs from your board's 3.3V or 5V, and six address jumpers let you chain more boards on the same two wires.

Specifications

ControllerPCA9685, 12-bit PWM (4096 steps)
Outputs16 three-pin servo headers: GND, V+, PWM
InterfaceI2C, default address 0x40
Logic supply (VCC)3 to 5V, matches your board
Servo supply (V+)Screw terminal, 6V max
PWM frequency24 to 1526 Hz; 50 Hz for servos
Addresses6 solder jumpers, up to 62 boards per bus
Outputs carrySignal only, 220 Ω on each channel
Board sizeAbout 62.7 x 25.3 mm, 4 holes for M2.5

Datasheets

Full technical datasheetPDF Quick Start: wiring and servo test sketchPDF

What's in the box

1×
PCA9685 16-channel servo driver board

Assembled, with the servo headers, right-angle control header, screw terminal and 1000 µF capacitor already fitted. Servos, jumper wires and the servo power supply are not included.

Great for

Run a 6-servo robot arm from an Arduino Uno
Hexapod and quadruped walking robots
Pan and tilt camera mounts
Animatronics, props and model railway points
Dimming 16 LED channels from an ESP32
Freeing up pins on a Raspberry Pi

Wiring & getting started

  1. Connect the logic side

    Wire GND, SDA, SCL and VCC on the control header to your board: on an Uno or Nano use A4, A5 and 5V; on an ESP32 use GPIO21, GPIO22 and 3V3. Tie OE to GND. Leave the V+ pin on this header unconnected.

  2. Give the servos their own supply

    Connect a 5V or 6V supply to the screw terminal, positive to the V+ screw next to the POWER LED. Never power servos from VCC or your board's 5V pin; a moving servo can pull enough current to reset it.

  3. Plug in the servos

    Brown or black wire on the GND row at the board edge, signal on the yellow PWM row. Channel 0 is the first column at the control-header end. Our SG90 and MG90S micro servos plug straight in.

  4. Install the library and test

    In the Arduino IDE open Tools > Manage Libraries, search PCA9685 and install Adafruit PWM Servo Driver Library. Upload the sweep sketch from the Quick Start; the servo on channel 0 moves end to end once a second.

Note: Treat the screw terminal as unprotected and check polarity before switching on. The V+ pins on the side headers also connect straight to the servo rail.

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to the questions buyers ask most.

Can I power the servos from my Arduino's 5V pin?
No. Feed the servos from a separate 5V or 6V supply on the screw terminal. A moving servo can pull more current than an Arduino or ESP32 can supply, which resets the board or makes the servos twitch. The board joins the supply ground to your board's ground through its GND pins, so you only need the four logic wires plus the supply.
What servo supply voltage should I use?
5V suits most micro servos, including the SG90 and MG90S, and 6V is the most the board takes on V+. Allow about 1A for each micro servo that can move at the same time, and more for larger servos; check each servo's stall current.
Does it work with an ESP32 or Raspberry Pi?
Yes. Power VCC from the 3.3V pin and wire SDA and SCL straight across: GPIO21 and GPIO22 on an ESP32 Dev Module, or pins 3 and 5 on a Raspberry Pi. The PWM outputs then swing to 3.3V, which most hobby servos, including SG90 and MG90S types, accept. ESPHome supports it with the pca9685 output component.
How do I use more than one board?
Give each board its own I2C address with the six solder jumpers above the I2C Address label: bridging a pad pair sets that bit to 1, so addresses run from 0x40 (all open) to 0x7F, up to 62 boards on one bus. Avoid 0x70. Chain the boards by linking the 6-pin header of one to the 6 holes at the far end of the next, and give each board its own servo supply.
Which pad sets which address?
The jumpers are not labelled A0 to A5 on this board. Bridge one, run an I2C scanner sketch, and the address it reports tells you: 0x41 is A0, 0x42 A1, 0x44 A2, 0x48 A3, 0x50 A4 and 0x60 A5.
Is the screw terminal reverse polarity protected?
Treat it as unprotected. Check that the positive lead goes to the V+ screw next to the POWER LED before you switch on; a reversed supply can damage the capacitor and the servos. The V+ pins on the side headers connect straight to the servo rail too.
What is the large capacitor for?
It is a 1000 µF electrolytic on the servo supply. It smooths the current spikes when several servos start moving at once, which keeps the supply steadier. It comes fitted, so there is nothing to solder.
Can it drive LEDs or DC motors?
LEDs yes: each output has a 220 Ω resistor and can light an LED directly, or switch a MOSFET or LED driver for bigger loads, with full 12-bit dimming. DC motors no: the outputs are logic signals, so use a motor driver and feed it the PWM signal.
How do I mount it?
The board is about 62.7 x 25.3 mm with four holes of about 3 mm for M2.5 screws or standoffs. Their centres sit about 3 mm in from each edge, about 56.7 mm apart along the board and 19.3 mm across. The datasheet has a dimensioned drawing.
Do I need to solder anything?
No. The servo headers, the right-angle control header and the screw terminal are already fitted. Soldering is only needed to bridge an address jumper when you use more than one board.

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