BMP280

The BMP280 is a high-performance, low-power digital pressure sensor manufactured by Bosch Sensortec. It is an absolute barometric pressure sensor specifically designed for mobile applications. The BMP280 offers a pressure range of 300 to 1200 hPa (equivalent to +9000 to -500 meters above/below sea level) and has a relative accuracy of ±0.12 hPa, which is equivalent to ±1 meter at 950 to 1050 hPa and 25°C. It also features a temperature coefficient offset of 1.5 Pa/K, which is equivalent to 12.6 cm/K at 25 to 40°C and 900 hPa.

The BMP280 integrates Bosch’s proprietary APSM (Advanced Porous Silicon Membrane) MEMS manufacturing process, which allows for a hermetic sealing of the cavity in an all-silicon process. This results in high EMC robustness, high accuracy, linearity, and long-term stability. The sensor module is housed in an extremely compact 8-pin metal-lid LGA package with a footprint of only 2.0 × 2.5 mm² and a package height of 0.95 mm.

The BMP280 communicates via digital interfaces such as I²C (up to 3.4 MHz) and SPI (3 and 4 wire, up to 10 MHz). It has a current consumption of 2.7 µA at a 1 Hz sampling rate, making it suitable for portable and battery-powered equipment. The sensor operates within a temperature range of -40 to +85°C and is RoHS compliant and halogen-free.

The BMP280 is suitable for a wide range of applications, including enhancement of GPS navigation (e.g., time-to-first-fix improvement, dead-reckoning, slope detection), indoor navigation (floor detection, elevator detection), outdoor navigation, leisure and sports applications, weather forecasting, healthcare applications (e.g., spirometry), and vertical velocity indication (e.g., rise/sink speed). It can be found in handsets such as mobile phones, tablet PCs, GPS devices, navigation systems, portable healthcare devices, home weather stations, flying toys, and watches.

In summary, the BMP280 is a versatile and reliable pressure sensor that offers high performance, low power consumption, and a small footprint, making it an ideal solution for a wide range of embedded systems and applications.