The Adafruit MMC5603 is a triple-axis magnetometer (compass) breakout with a wide ±30 gauss (±3000 µT) measurement range and full 20-bit output resolution at up to 1000 Hz. It's sensitive enough to detect Earth's magnetic field (which maxes at about 0.6 gauss), making it well-suited for compass applications and orientation sensing.

The breakout board includes voltage regulation and level shifting for compatibility with both 3.3V and 5V microcontrollers. STEMMA QT / Qwiic connectors provide solderless I2C connections, and the sensor also supports SPI. Pair it with an accelerometer/gyroscope like the LSM6DSOX to create a full 9-DoF inertial measurement unit.

Key Features

• ±30 Gauss Range – Wide measurement range (±3000 µT) with no range-setting required
• 20-Bit Resolution – High-precision digital output for each axis
• Up to 1000 Hz Output – Fast update rate for responsive applications
• Triple-Axis Sensing – Measures magnetic field strength on X, Y, and Z axes
• I2C and SPI Interfaces – Flexible connectivity options
• 3.3V and 5V Compatible – Onboard voltage regulator and level shifting
• STEMMA QT / Qwiic Compatible – Solderless I2C connectors for plug-and-play setup and daisy-chaining
• Four Mounting Holes – 2.5mm (0.1") for secure attachment

Ideal For

• Digital compass and heading applications
• 9-DoF IMU when paired with the LSM6DSOX accelerometer/gyroscope
• Magnetic field measurement and detection
• Robotics and navigation systems

Package Contents

• 1× Adafruit MMC5603 Triple-Axis Magnetometer Breakout (assembled and tested)
• 1× 0.1" header strip

Resources

• CircuitPython / Python Library (GitHub)
• Arduino Library (GitHub)