# Olimex releases two open source hardware level shifters for embedded prototyping

> **Key takeaway:** 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.

**Published:** 2026-10-19T06:48:51+00:00 
**Source:** Olimex Blog 
**Category:** open-hardware 
**Canonical URL:** https://fosswire.org/news/olimex-releases-two-open-source-hardware-level-shifters-for-.html 

## 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.