Olimex releases two open source hardware level shifters for embedded prototyping
Olimex released BB-LVL-SHIFT and UEXT-LVL-SHIFT, two KiCad-designed open source hardware boards for bidirectional voltage level translation between 1.65V and 5.5V.
Summary
Bulgarian open hardware vendor Olimex has added two level shifter boards to its catalog. The BB-LVL-SHIFT is a 15 x 13 mm breadboard module with two bidirectional lines for I2C or UART at up to 1 Mbps, priced at €3.95. The UEXT-LVL-SHIFT is a 40 x 22 mm board with two UEXT connectors that shifts all UART, SPI and I2C signals at rates up to 420 Mbps (5V), priced at €4.95. Both designs are published on GitHub with full KiCad source files.
What the two boards offer
- BB-LVL-SHIFT: 15 x 13 mm, 2-line bidirectional, 1.8V–5.5V range, up to 1 Mbps, pre-soldered headers for breadboard use
- UEXT-LVL-SHIFT: 40 x 22 mm, dual UEXT connectors, shifts all UART/SPI/I2C lines, 1.65V–5.5V range
- UEXT speeds: I2C to 1 Mbps; SPI/UART to 75 Mbps at 1.8V, 180 Mbps at 2.5V, 420 Mbps at 5V
- Both require GND and both-side power connections for the shifter to reference voltage levels
- Full KiCad schematics and board files on GitHub under open source hardware licenses
Why it matters
The boards fill a practical gap for hobbyists and professionals working with mixed-voltage embedded systems, and the published KiCad sources let engineers reuse or adapt the designs directly rather than reverse-engineering commercial modules.
Original reference: olimex.wordpress.com →