Adafruit TCS3430 / TCS34303 Ambient Tri-Stimulus Color Sensor

The Adafruit TCS3430 / TCS34303 (both names are used) Ambient Light Tri-Stimulus Color Sensor is a modern take on the common RGB color sensor: this time with CIE XYZ plus IR diode sensors rather than RGB, so you can match it to your existing color space.

by Tim C

published March 18, 2026, last edited March 18, 2026

posted in Adafruit Products Sensors/ Light Arduino Compatibles CircuitPython STEMMA

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Product guide

Arduino

Using the TCS3430 breakout with Arduino involves wiring up the breakout to your Arduino-compatible microcontroller, installing the Adafruit_TCS3430 library, and running the provided example code.

Wiring

Wire as shown for a 5V board like an Uno. If you are using a 3V board, like an Adafruit Feather, wire the board's 3V pin to the sensor VIN.

Here is an Adafruit Metro wired up to the sensor using the STEMMA QT connector:

Wiring illustration showing Adafruit Metro wired to the TCS3430 breakout via STEMMA QT connector to pins 5V, GND, SCL, and SDA

Board 5V to breakout VIN (red wire)
Board GND to breakout GND (black wire)
Board SCL to breakout SCL (yellow wire)
Board SDA to breakout SDA (blue wire)

Here is an Adafruit Metro wired up using a solderless breadboard:

Wiring illustration showing Adafruit Metro connected to the TCS3430 breakout via solderless breadboard connected to pins 5V, GND, SCL, and SDA

Board 5V to breakout VIN (red wire)
Board GND to breakout GND (black wire)
Board SCL to breakout SCL (yellow wire)
Board SDA to breakout SDA (blue wire)

Library Installation

You can install the Adafruit_TCS3430 library for Arduino using the Library Manager in the Arduino IDE.

Arduino IDE showing the tools menu open with Manage Libraries highlighted

Click the Manage Libraries ... menu item, search for Adafruit TCS3430, and select the Adafruit TCS3430 library:

Arduino IDE library manager open with "Adafruit TCS3430" in the search box and library in the results list.

If asked about dependencies, click "Install all".

Arduino IDE pop up window asking to install dependencies for the TCS3430 driver

If the "Dependencies" window does not come up, then you already have the dependencies installed.

If the dependencies are already installed, you must make sure you update them through the Arduino Library Manager before loading the example!

Example Code

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/*!
 * @file basictest.ino
 *
 * Basic test sketch for TCS3430 XYZ Tristimulus Color Sensor.
 * Polls the ALS interrupt flag to know when new data is ready
 * instead of using a fixed delay.
 *
 * Limor 'ladyada' Fried with assistance from Claude Code
 * MIT License
 */

#include "Adafruit_TCS3430.h"

Adafruit_TCS3430 tcs = Adafruit_TCS3430();

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);
  while (!Serial) {
    delay(10);
  }

  Serial.println(F("TCS3430 Basic Test"));

  if (!tcs.begin()) {
    Serial.println(F("Failed to find TCS3430 chip"));
    while (1) {
      delay(10);
    }
  }

  Serial.println(F("TCS3430 found!"));

  // --- Tweak these settings for your environment ---
  tcs.setALSGain(TCS3430_GAIN_64X); // 1X, 4X, 16X, 64X, or 128X
  tcs.setIntegrationTime(100.0);    // 2.78ms to 711ms

  // Enable ALS interrupt so we can poll AINT for data ready
  tcs.enableALSInt(true);
  tcs.setInterruptPersistence(TCS3430_PERS_EVERY);
  tcs.clearALSInterrupt();
}

void loop() {
  // Wait for new data
  if (tcs.isALSInterrupt()) {
	  uint16_t x, y, z, ir1;
	  if (!tcs.getChannels(&x, &y, &z, &ir1)) {
		Serial.println(F("Failed to read channels"));
	  } else {
		Serial.print(F("X: "));
		Serial.print(x);
		Serial.print(F("  Y: "));
		Serial.print(y);
		Serial.print(F("  Z: "));
		Serial.print(z);
		Serial.print(F("  IR1: "));
		Serial.println(ir1);
	  }

	  tcs.clearALSInterrupt();
  }
  
  // Do something else!
  delay(10);
}

/*!
 * @file basictest.ino
 *
 * Basic test sketch for TCS3430 XYZ Tristimulus Color Sensor.
 * Polls the ALS interrupt flag to know when new data is ready
 * instead of using a fixed delay.
 *
 * Limor 'ladyada' Fried with assistance from Claude Code
 * MIT License
 */

#include "Adafruit_TCS3430.h"

Adafruit_TCS3430 tcs = Adafruit_TCS3430();

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);
  while (!Serial) {
    delay(10);
  }

  Serial.println(F("TCS3430 Basic Test"));

  if (!tcs.begin()) {
    Serial.println(F("Failed to find TCS3430 chip"));
    while (1) {
      delay(10);
    }
  }

  Serial.println(F("TCS3430 found!"));

  // --- Tweak these settings for your environment ---
  tcs.setALSGain(TCS3430_GAIN_64X); // 1X, 4X, 16X, 64X, or 128X
  tcs.setIntegrationTime(100.0);    // 2.78ms to 711ms

  // Enable ALS interrupt so we can poll AINT for data ready
  tcs.enableALSInt(true);
  tcs.setInterruptPersistence(TCS3430_PERS_EVERY);
  tcs.clearALSInterrupt();
}

void loop() {
  // Wait for new data
  if (tcs.isALSInterrupt()) {
	  uint16_t x, y, z, ir1;
	  if (!tcs.getChannels(&x, &y, &z, &ir1)) {
		Serial.println(F("Failed to read channels"));
	  } else {
		Serial.print(F("X: "));
		Serial.print(x);
		Serial.print(F("  Y: "));
		Serial.print(y);
		Serial.print(F("  Z: "));
		Serial.print(z);
		Serial.print(F("  IR1: "));
		Serial.println(ir1);
	  }

	  tcs.clearALSInterrupt();
  }
  
  // Do something else!
  delay(10);
}

View on GitHub

Upload the sketch to your board and open up the Serial Monitor (Tools -> Serial Monitor) at 115200 baud. You'll see the TCS3430 recognized over I2C. Then, the reading values of different light channels will be printed out to the Serial Monitor.