Arduino GY-MAX471 Voltage and Current Testing Module

keving — Tue, 28 Mar 2017 15:26:18 +0000

The GY-MAX471 Voltage and Current Sensor Module

I found another cheap, interesting module on ICSTATION. This one utilizes the MAX471 chip to sense the voltage and current running through the circuit. The datasheet for this module is non-existent as far as I can tell, but there is a datasheet for the MAX471, so with some guess work I hooked it up to my UNO.

This is all the info about the module itself that I could find:

1.Size:19.5*20.3mm
2.Test Voltage range:DC 3-25V (Arduino work on 5V) or DC3-16.5V (work on 3.3V)
3.Test Current range:DC 0-3A
4.Chip: MAX471

There are similar modules that also utilize the MAX471 with a little bit more documentation available (this video for example), but this one has a couple major differences from other similar modules. The header pins are arranged in different order, and there are a couple more terminals.

I was getting a constant reading of 0 from the OUT pin, which I am assuming is the current reading. This was likely due to the fact that I was not drawing enough amperage with the LED to trigger a result. It could also be that something is not working correctly, I would have to test it out with something that draws more a few hundred mA or more to be sure. If I ever get around to that I’ll be sure to update this article and post the results.

In the video below you can see the GY-MAX471 in action:

GY-MAX471 Voltage/Current test sketch

The sketch for voltage test only:

#define vtpin A0 #define Arduino_Voltage 5.0


void setup() {

 pinMode(vtpin, INPUT);
 Serial.begin(9600);
}
void loop() {

int v = analogRead(vtpin);

double voltage = v * (Arduino_Voltage / 1023.0) * 5;
Serial.print(voltage);

Serial.println('v');

delay(3000); }

The sketch for voltage and current test:

#define vtpin A0 #define atpin A5 #define Arduino_Voltage 5.0


void setup() {

 pinMode(vtpin, INPUT);

 pinMode(atpin, INPUT);

 Serial.begin(9600);
}
void loop() {

int v = analogRead(vtpin);

int a = analogRead(atpin);
double voltage = v * (Arduino_Voltage / 1023.0) * 5;

double current = a * (Arduino_Voltage / 1023.0);
Serial.print(voltage);

Serial.println('v');

Serial.print(current);

Serial.println('A');

delay(3000); }

The sketch for voltage current and watts:

#define vtpin A0 #define atpin A5 #define Arduino_Voltage 5.0


void setup() {

 pinMode(vtpin, INPUT);

 pinMode(atpin, INPUT);

 Serial.begin(9600);
}
void loop() {

int v = analogRead(vtpin);

int a = analogRead(atpin);
double voltage = v * (Arduino_Voltage / 1023.0) * 5;

double current = a * (Arduino_Voltage / 1023.0);

double watts = current * voltage; 
Serial.print(voltage);

Serial.println('v');

Serial.print(current);

Serial.println('A');

Serial.print(watts);

Serial.println('W');

delay(3000); }

In summary, this is a pretty handy module. But do beware, in the MAX471 datasheet from the company maxis, they warn that they have discontinued production of the max471 chip, so don’t base any new designs off of it. So if you are using this in single project that doesn’t have to be reproduced many times, this is great option for testing the voltage and current, but if you are looking to prototype something that will eventually go into production, it’s probably best to look elsewhere for a way to handle this. I personally think it’s going to work great for my robotics project where I will run a shutdown sequence if the circuit is under-powered due to a low battery charge.

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current tester – Kevin Gulling

Arduino GY-MAX471 Voltage and Current Testing Module

The GY-MAX471 Voltage and Current Sensor Module