It's easy to use the VEML6070 sensor with Python or CircuitPython and the Adafruit CircuitPython VEML6070 module. This module allows you to easily write Python code that reads the UV index from the sensor.
You can use this sensor with any CircuitPython microcontroller board or with a computer that has GPIO and Python thanks to Adafruit_Blinka, our CircuitPython-for-Python compatibility library.
CircuitPython Microcontroller Wiring
First wire up a VEML6070 to your board exactly as shown in the previous pages for Arduino. Here's an example of wiring a Feather M0 to the sensor with I2C:
Python Computer Wiring
Since there's dozens of Linux computers/boards you can use we will show wiring for Raspberry Pi. For other platforms, please visit the guide for CircuitPython on Linux to see whether your platform is supported.
Here's the Raspberry Pi wired with I2C:
CircuitPython Installation of VEML6070 Library
You'll need to install the Adafruit CircuitPython VEML6070 library on your CircuitPython board.
First make sure you are running the latest version of Adafruit CircuitPython for your board.
Next you'll need to install the necessary libraries to use the hardware--carefully follow the steps to find and install these libraries from Adafruit's CircuitPython library bundle. Our Welcome to CircuitPython guide has a great page on how to install the library bundle.
For non-express boards like the Trinket M0 or Gemma M0, you'll need to manually install the necessary libraries from the bundle:
- adafruit_veml6070.mpy
- adafruit_bus_device
Before continuing make sure your board's lib folder or root filesystem has the adafruit_veml6070.mpy, and adafruit_bus_device files and folders copied over.
Next connect to the board's serial REPL so you are at the CircuitPython >>> prompt.
Python Installation of VEML6070 Library
You'll need to install the Adafruit_Blinka library that provides the CircuitPython support in Python. This may also require enabling I2C on your platform and verifying you are running Python 3. Since each platform is a little different, and Linux changes often, please visit the CircuitPython on Linux guide to get your computer ready!
Once that's done, from your command line run the following command:
sudo pip3 install adafruit-circuitpython-veml6070
If your default Python is version 3 you may need to run 'pip' instead. Just make sure you aren't trying to use CircuitPython on Python 2.x, it isn't supported!
CircuitPython & Python Usage
To demonstrate the usage of the sensor we'll initialize it and read the UV index from the board's Python REPL.
First, run the following code to import the necessary modules:
import time import board import adafruit_veml6070
Now you're ready to setup the sensor and read the values using these properties:
- read - reads and returns the value of the UV intensity
- get_index - the UV Risk Level based on the captured UV reading
For example, run the following to setup the I2C object, get the raw UV reading, use that reading to determine the risk level:
with board.I2C() as i2c:
uv = adafruit_veml6070.VEML6070(i2c)
uv_raw = uv.read
risk_level = uv.get_index(uv_raw)
Then you can print the results:
print('Reading: {0} | Risk Level: {1}'.format(uv_raw, risk_level))
# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2021 ladyada for Adafruit Industries
# SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
# VEML6070 Driver Example Code
import time
import board
import adafruit_veml6070
with board.I2C() as i2c:
uv = adafruit_veml6070.VEML6070(i2c)
# Alternative constructors with parameters
# uv = adafruit_veml6070.VEML6070(i2c, 'VEML6070_1_T')
# uv = adafruit_veml6070.VEML6070(i2c, 'VEML6070_HALF_T', True)
# take 10 readings
for j in range(10):
uv_raw = uv.uv_raw
risk_level = uv.get_index(uv_raw)
print("Reading: {0} | Risk Level: {1}".format(uv_raw, risk_level))
time.sleep(1)
