Touch and force sensing
12-channel capacitive touch (i2c output) — detects a touch through foil, wire or pads on a robot shell or hand.
Engineering inference
Adafruit Industries
Adafruit MPR121 Gator Capacitive Touch
Adafruit 4830 MPR121 Gator: 12-channel capacitive touch breakout with large alligator-clip-friendly pads and STEMMA QT — clip any conductive object (fruit, foil, wire) to a pad, no soldering. NXP MPR121 reports touch / release over I2C (0x5A, 0x5B with the addr jumper — 24 pads on one bus), 3–5 V supply and logic, 51 × 25.2 × 4.5 mm.
4830Development boardPrice$6.95www.adafruit.com · in stock
Buy at www.adafruit.com Overview
Motor essentials
Facts about the complete product. Unknown values remain open design questions.
A good fit for
Guidance to help you shortlist. The basis is shown for each recommendation.
No-load speed, rated performance and stall limits describe different operating points. A stall specification is not a continuous operating rating.
3D model & CAD
3D model & CAD files
Generated from the datasheet's dimensioned drawing and measured against it. Download the STEP to check fit in your own enclosure.
- Envelope (L × W × H)
- 51 × 25.2 × 4.5 mm
- Verification
- generated
- Envelope complete
- Yes
Sensing & output
Sensing area, force and output
Where it senses, over what force, and what signal it gives.
- Sensing
- capacitive
- Active area shape
- electrodes
- Touch channels
- 12
- Output
- touch / release status per electrode over I2C
- Interface
- i2c
- Supply voltage
- 3–5 V
| Pin / wire | Position | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vin | power in | this is the power pin. Since the chip uses 3 VDC, we have included a voltage regulator on board that will take 3-5VDC and safely convert it down. To power the board, give it the same power as the logic level of your microcontroller - e.g. for a 5V micro like Arduino, use 5V | |
| GND | ground | common ground for power and logic | |
| SCL | i2c scl | I2C clock pin, connect to your microcontrollers I2C clock line. Can use 3V or 5V logic, and has a 10K pullup. | |
| SDA | i2c sda | I2C data pin, connect to your microcontrollers I2C data line. Can use 3V or 5V logic, and has a 10K pullup. | |
| addr | address | This jumper can be bridged to change the I2C address to 0x5B. |
| Connector | Type |
|---|---|
| stemma_qt | STEMMA QT / Qwiic I2C (JST SH 4-pin) |
FSRs are for relative force (touch, squeeze) — not calibrated load measurement.
Specifications
Motor performance
No-load, rated-load and stall figures retain their separate test conditions.
Stall torque and current are not continuous ratings. Check the duty cycle and starting load when choosing the driver and power supply.
Thermal limits by level
Product operating conditions, chip ambient ratings, package case limits and junction maxima remain separate.
Motor body
MPR121 · sensor
Mechanical dimensions
Reported product dimensions may exclude protruding components. Unknown height does not establish a complete clearance envelope.
- Length
- 51 mm
- Width
- 25.2 mm
- Reported height / thickness
- 4.5 mm
Attached generated geometry is an approximate envelope. A generated outline does not establish an electrically verified PCB footprint.
Board connectors
| ID / type | Pins | Pitch | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| stemma_qtSTEMMA QT / Qwiic I2C (JST SH 4-pin) | 4 | Unknown | — |
Complete structured record
Every available field, including details beyond the summaries. Null means the value has not been established.
Sourcing & files
Supplier offers
US / USD is the target market. Observed price and stock are separate from a delivery quote.
www.adafruit.com
US · USD
$6.95Minimum quantity unknown
- Observed stock
- in stock
- Checked
- Oct 1, 2026, 12:16 PM UTC
- Delivery estimate
- Not quoted
Observed within the last 24 hours. Confirm the current supplier quote.
Visit supplier (opens in a new tab)Delivery depends on quantity, postal code and shipping method. A dispatch statement such as “ship today” is not an arrival estimate.
Design files and references
Each source keeps its own verification status. Confirm the part revision and file contents before using it in a design.
Datasheet (opens in a new tab)
Manufacturer reference
Adafruit MPR121 Gator capacitive touch breakout (Adafruit 4830) — store photo (opens in a new tab)
Manufacturer reference
store gallery image of the breakout
STEP (generated from datasheet drawing) — link unavailable
Generated asset
cad_check passed
Generated envelope geometry may also exist for this record. It does not replace manufacturer CAD or a verified electrical land pattern.
Source evidence
Document provenance, retrieval dates and the field groups supported by each source.
Supports: spec.constraints.electrical.supply_voltage_max_v, spec.constraints.electrical.supply_voltage_min_v, spec.geometry.cad.bbox.height_mm, spec.geometry.cad.bbox.length_mm, spec.geometry.cad.bbox.width_mm, spec.geometry.cad.envelope_complete, spec.geometry.cad.mesh_path, spec.geometry.cad.step_path, spec.geometry.cad.verification, spec.geometry.dimensions.height_mm, spec.geometry.dimensions.length_mm, spec.geometry.dimensions.width_mm, spec.provides.active_area_shape, spec.provides.channels, spec.provides.features, spec.provides.interface, spec.provides.output, spec.provides.sensing, spec.usage.connectors, spec.usage.pinout, spec.usage.pinout_complete
sha256 6d7cc0c79e52f036bf55cf1524e28a0806183c68422930c3cca1638f49c7d94a
Supports: offers
FAQ
Adafruit MPR121 Gator Capacitive Touch questions
What voltage powers the Adafruit MPR121 Gator Capacitive Touch?
Supply range 3–5 V.
How much does the Adafruit MPR121 Gator Capacitive Touch cost?
From $6.95 at www.adafruit.com. Prices are observed unit prices before tax and shipping.
What are the Adafruit MPR121 Gator Capacitive Touch dimensions?
51 × 25.2 × 4.5 mm. A STEP model is available for enclosure fit checks.
Where does this Adafruit MPR121 Gator Capacitive Touch data come from?
Every value in this record is traced to a source — 2 documents including the board and chip datasheets — with the page and table cited per value. Unknowns are left explicit, never guessed.
Sources
- Adafruit MPR121 Gator Capacitive Touch datasheet — Adafruit Industries
- www.adafruit.com listing