A modern take on the common RGB colour sensor — the OPT4048 provides true CIE XYZ tri-stimulus output so you can match readings directly to standard colour spaces. It also calculates colour temperature (based on CIE) and lux measurements up to 144 kLux, making it suitable for everything from dim indoor lighting to bright outdoor conditions.

Mounted on an Adafruit breakout PCB with support circuitry for both 3.3 V and 5 V logic levels, the sensor communicates over I2C with STEMMA QT / Qwiic connectors for solderless wiring. CircuitPython/Python and Arduino libraries are available for quick integration.

Key Features

• CIE XYZ Tri-Stimulus Output – True colour-space-matched readings, not just raw RGB values
• Colour Temperature Calculation – CIE-based colour temperature readings for accurate white-point measurement
• Lux Measurement – Up to 144 kLux for bright sunlight conditions
• Configurable Integration Time – From 600 µs (ultra-bright) to 800 ms per channel (dim conditions)
• Low/High Threshold Interrupt – Hardware interrupt for light-level monitoring
• I2C Interface – Two wires plus power and ground
• STEMMA QT / Qwiic Connectors – Solderless I2C connection, compatible with SparkFun Qwiic
• 3 V and 5 V Compatible – Works with Feather, Raspberry Pi, Arduino, Metro, and more

Ideal For

• Colour measurement and colour matching applications
• Colour temperature monitoring for lighting systems
• Ambient light sensing and lux metering
• Display calibration and white-balance adjustments
• Smart home and IoT light-sensing projects

Package Contents

• 1× Adafruit OPT4048 Tri-Stimulus XYZ Colour and Lux Sensor Breakout

Resources

• What is STEMMA QT? – Introduction to the STEMMA QT connector system
• Adafruit OPT4048 Arduino Library