Building Block Solution for Small Signal Sensors FAQs

The BB15L61A is a Building Block Solution (BBS) kit that provides modular boards with our various analog and mixed-signal devices. It allows easy evaluation, prototyping and integration of small-signal sensor conditioning and acquisition circuits into system-level applications, such as precision measurement, temperature sensing or instrumentation.

The kit includes separate boards, each focused on a specific device or function:

• MCP3564R board (8-channel, 24-bit, 153.6 ksps Delta-Sigma Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) with internal VREF, oscillator, temp sensor)
• MCP33131-10 board (1 Msps, 16-bit SAR ADC)
• MCP9804 board (digital temperature sensor, ±0.25°C typical accuracy)
• MCP9700B board (low-power analog temperature sensor/thermistor)
• MCP6444 board (low-power op amp configured as three-op-amp instrumentation amplifier/Instrumentation Amplifier (INA)
• MCP6N16 board (zero-drift instrumentation amplifier)
• MCP6481/MCP6491 board (op amps configured as amplifier, low-pass filter and high-pass filter)
• MCP1501-33 board (3.3V high-precision buffered voltage reference)
• MCP1501-18 board (1.8V high-precision buffered voltage reference)

• High-precision data acquisition
• Temperature monitoring (analog/digital)
• Instrumentation amplification (e.g., Wheatstone bridge, load cells)
• Signal conditioning (amplification, filtering)
• Reference voltage supply for ADCs
• It's ideal for rapid prototyping of small-signal sensor interfaces, allowing fast iteration on conditioning circuits before committing to a production Printed Circuit Board (PCB)
• Examples include thermocouple setups, weight scales, medical instrumentation, motor control, EV battery monitoring and photodetection

The BB15L61A's modular BBS boards allow you to quickly combine analog front-end components (including instrumentation amplifiers, filters, references, temperature sensors and ADCs) without designing or soldering a full custom board. You can chain boards (for example: INA to High-Pass Filter (HPF) to Low-Pass Filter (LPF) to ADC), test configurations with basic lab equipment and prototype sensor signal chains in hours rather than weeks. As stated in the user guide: "This flexibility enables rapid prototyping, system expansion and customized solutions for various applications."

• Insert header pins (not included) into the boards for connections.  Pin spacing is compatible with a standard breadboard and are staggered to allow for solid connections without soldering
• Provide power (typically 1.8V–5.5V depending on the board; check individual specs)
• Use external tools: power supply, function generator (for input signals), or oscilloscope/multimeter (for output verification)
• Many boards have header connectors for easy stacking or chaining (e.g., amplifier + LPF + HPF boards connect in series without wires)
• Refer to schematics in Appendix A of the user guide for pinouts and connections

Boards feature header connectors for easy stacking/chaining, pre-configured circuits (e.g., gain/filter settings), and documented schematics/BOMs. Pair with a breadboard, power supply, function generator and scope—or integrate with an MCU—for fast proof-of-concept builds. Firmware examples for digital devices (such as MCP3564R) further speed up software integration. This modular approach directly supports rapid prototyping and quick reconfiguration.

No dedicated software is required for basic analog evaluation (use oscilloscope/function generator). For digital devices:

• MCP3564R and MCP33131-10 include C APIs, firmware examples and reference designs (for example: weight scale)
• Use our tools like MPLAB® IDE for MCU integration, Mindi simulator for circuit verification (sample files provided, for example: “MCP6N16.sxsch”) or FilterLab for filter design
• PICkit™ Serial or similar tools may be used for control/demo
• No PIC MCU is included; pair with your own microcontroller for digital interfaces (including I2C and SPI)

• MCP6481/MCP6491 board: Non-inverting amp (gain ≈50), LPF (cutoff ≈21.6 kHz), HPF (cutoff ≈30 Hz). These can be cascaded in series using left/right headers.
• MCP6444 INA: Configured for gain ≈10.1 (bandwidth ≈891 Hz)
• MCP6N16 INA: Zero-drift, gain set by resistors (for example: R6/R9)
• Connect in chain for signal conditioning before an ADC (for example: amp to HPF to LPF to ADC). See Figures 2-11 to 2-13 in the user guide.

• Amplifier + LPF + HPF in series
• Using MCP1501-18 as 1.8V reference for MCP33131-10 ADC
• Wheatstone bridge/load cell: MCP6N16 INA + MCP3564R ADC + MCU
• Thermocouple: MCP9804 digital temperature sensor + MCP3564R + MCU. See Chapter 2.4 for diagrams

You can find them in Appendix A (schematics and layouts for all boards) and Appendix B (full Bill of Materials) in the user guide (DS50004070). Separate files are also available on our website, including Gerber, assembly drawings and Mindi simulation files.