What is BME280: Pinout, Specifications & Working
The BME280 sensor is a high-precision sensor module that detects atmospheric temperature, atmospheric pressure and air humidity. The module supports both, the SPI interface as well as the I2C interface. Unlike other sensors, these sensors have already been calibrated. They can start measuring temperature, pressure, and humidity as soon as they are turned on, and no further calibration is required.
As per the BME280 datasheet, the sensor module requires a minimum voltage (VDD) of 1.71V, whereas sensor modules from earlier versions require 1.8V. (VDD). Current usage for the BME280 is 2.7uA, while that for the BMP180 is 12uA, and that for the BMP183 and BMP085 is 5uA respectively. New filter modes are also supported by the BME280. The remaining sensors only support either I2c or SPI, but the BME280 sensor module supports both I2c and SPI protocols. The precision of the BME280 sensor module is 0.12 hPa or a change in height of 1 m. It is frequently utilized in many applications because of these essential characteristics. Small signals are amplified using these front-end ICs, which are sensitive analogue amplifiers. Then, this o/p of the signal is given to the Analog to Digital Converter, which converts the analog signal into a digital signal. The logic circuits use this voltage to interface with the rest of the device.
What is BME280 used for?
The BME280 is a barometric pressure sensor with built-in temperature compensation. Due to the very small footprint of SMD devices (2.0mm x 2.5mm), a breakout board is required for bench use. It’s so tiny that you can use it on your mobile phone. Until you realize that pressure can also be used to measure altitude, you might think that this device would only be used in a weather station environment. This sensor is used for two purposes one is to measure the Barometric pressure and the second thing to measure temperature. This sensor is used for smart cities, smart homes and other IoT applications.
BME280 Pin Configuration

VCC | Sensor Power Supply 3.3V |
GND | Common ground |
SCL | Serial Clock Pin |
SDA | Serial Data Pin |
CSB | This is chip select pin for SPI communication. |
SDO | Serial Data Out for SPI communication. |
Features:
- For detecting temperature with a 1.0°C accuracy and barometric pressure with an absolute accuracy of 1 hPa, this precision sensor is the best low-cost option.
- It may also be used as an altimeter with an accuracy of 1 meters because pressure fluctuates with altitude and pressure measurements are so accurate.
- Pitch of a pin: 2.54mm
- Module Dimensions: 11.5mm x 15mm
Specifications:
Chip name | BME280 |
---|---|
Power Supply | 3V or .3.3 V DC |
Max Current | 1.12mA |
Air pressure | 300 – 1100hPa |
Temerature range | -40 to +85 degree Celsius |
Interfaces | I2C and SPI |
Current consumption by sensor | 2.7 mA |
Sampling rate | 1 Hz |
How Does bme280 Sensor Works?
The sensor module BME280 operates at a minimum voltage (VDD) of 1.71 V, whereas previous versions of the sensor module operate at 1.8 V (VDD).
In terms of power consumption, the BMP280 consumes 2.7uA, the BMP180 consumes 12uA, and the BMP183 and BMP085 consume 5uA each. BME280 also supports a new filter mode.
The BME280 sensor module supports I2c and SPI protocols, the rest of the sensors support either I2c or SPI. The BME280 sensor module has an accuracy of ±0.12 hPa, which corresponds to a height difference of ±1 m. These important features make it mainly used in various applications. A BME sensor consists of a pressure sensing element, a humidity sensing element, and a temperature sensing element, which are further connected to a pressure front end, a humidity front end, and a temperature front end.
These front-end ICs are delicate analog amplifiers used to amplify small signals. The output of this analog front-end IC is fed to the ADC as an input signal. In it, analog values are converted into digital voltages, and this voltage is fed to logic circuits and further interfaces with the outside world.
The BME280 sensor module is configured with three power modes: sleep mode, force mode, and normal mode. In sleep mode, no measurements are taken and power consumption is minimized. In forced mode, a single measurement is taken according to the selected measurement and filter options. In normal mode, measurement and standby periods alternate continuously, the cycle time of which is defined by Tstandby. The current in standby mode is slightly higher than in sleep mode.
How to work with the BME280 Sensor?
To work with the sensor, you need to connect a microcontroller, As shown below, we just connect the BME280 sensor to the ESP32’s I2C pin.

Connections as per above depicted Diagram
ESP32 | BMP280 |
---|---|
3.3V | VCC |
GND | GND |
SCL | 22 |
SDA | 21 |
Code:
#include <BMP280_DEV.h>
float temperature, pressure, altitude;
BMP280_DEV bmp280(21, 22); //(SDA and SCL pins)
void setup()
{
Serial.begin(115200);
bmp280.begin();
bmp280.setTimeStandby(TIME_STANDBY_2000MS);
bmp280.startNormalConversion();
}
void loop()
{
if (bmp280.getMeasurements(temperature, pressure, altitude))
{
Serial.print(temperature);
Serial.print(F("*C "));
Serial.print(pressure);
Serial.print(F("hPa "));
Serial.print(altitude);
Serial.println(F("m"));
}
}
Applications:
- Smart Agricultural systems: The BME 280 measures atmospheric pressure. These sensors are connected to a Wi-Fi module (node MCU) and depend on each other to increase the sensitivity of the irrigation system. Collected data is uploaded to the cloud.
- Home weather stations and weather forecasts
- Mobile Phones: This module is small and lightweight making it easy to implement in mobile phones.
Read more: What is BMP280: Pinout, Specifications & Working