NXP Semiconductors PCAL6408A-ARD

Overview

PCAL6408A-ARD from NXP Semiconductors is an Arduino-compatible evaluation daughter board designed to accelerate development and validation of the PCAL6408A 8-bit I²C-bus I/O expander IC. It features on-board LEDs and push-button switches connected directly to the expander's I/O pins, a dedicated Arduino Uno R3 port for plug-and-play integration, and full hardware/software compatibility with IMXRT1050 EVK, LPCXpresso55S69, and i.MX 8M Mini LPDDR4 EVK platforms.

For engineers reviewing the PCAL6408A-ARD datasheet, PCAL6408A-ARD pinout, PCAL6408A-ARD application, or PCAL6408A-ARD equivalent, this board enables rapid functional verification, register-level configuration testing, interrupt behavior analysis, and GUI-driven I/O control - all without custom PCB design or firmware development.

Technical Context

The PCAL6408A-ARD implements a hardware abstraction layer between host evaluation boards and the PCAL6408A DUT, using only five Arduino-port signal lines: 5V power, GND, I²C SDA/SCL (A4/A5), and three control signals (RESET, ADDR, INT) routed via J3 digital pins. Its onboard 3.3V regulator (U1) powers both the PCAL6408A and four user LEDs, while the I/O bus (J5) provides direct access to all eight P0–P7 pins.

Four on-board switches (SW1–SW4) connect to input-configured P4–P7 pins through 620 Ω series resistors to prevent bus conflict; four LEDs (D4–D7) connect to output-configured P0–P3 pins and are jumper-controllable (JP2). The INT line drives both host monitoring and local LED D3 (jumper JP1 selectable).

Key Specifications

Availability

PCAL6408A-ARD is available at Aetrix Electronics and suitable for embedded prototyping, I/O expansion validation, Arduino shield interoperability testing, and industrial control interface development requiring stable component supply and documented NXP reference support.

Supply support for PCAL6408A-ARD includes scheduled delivery planning, volume procurement assistance, BOM continuity management, traceable sourcing, and lifecycle availability coordination for OEM customers, industrial embedded developers, connected-device designers, and electronics production programs.

Manufacturer

NXP Semiconductors is a global semiconductor company specializing in secure connectivity solutions for automotive, industrial, IoT, and mobile applications.

The PCAL6408A-ARD belongs to NXP's PCAL6xxx family of programmable I/O expanders and was developed specifically to simplify evaluation, GUI-based configuration, and system-level integration of these low-voltage translating I²C I/O devices in Arduino-ecosystem and NXP EVK environments.

FAQ

What is the primary function of the PCAL6408A-ARD evaluation board?

The PCAL6408A-ARD is a daughter board that enables rapid functional evaluation and register-level configuration of the PCAL6408A 8-bit I²C I/O expander IC. It provides physical I/O access via on-board LEDs and switches, exposes all eight I/O pins through J5, and integrates seamlessly with NXP EVKs using the Arduino Uno R3 interface - eliminating the need for custom hardware during early-stage development of PCAL6408A-based systems.

Which host development boards are officially supported by the PCAL6408A-ARD?

The PCAL6408A-ARD is fully validated and supported with three NXP evaluation platforms: the IMXRT1050 EVK, LPCXpresso55S69 Development Board, and i.MX 8M Mini LPDDR4 EVK. For the latter, the IMX8MMINI-IARD interposer board is required to bridge the EVK's 2×20 expansion header to the Arduino port. All configurations use the same Windows 10 GUI application and shared firmware framework.

Does the PCAL6408A-ARD require external power or programming to operate?

No - the PCAL6408A-ARD draws 5 V power directly from the host EVK's Arduino port (J1 pin 5) and regulates it to 3.3 V for the PCAL6408A IC and LEDs. It contains no microcontroller or flash memory; operation relies entirely on the host EVK's firmware and the Windows GUI application. No external programming, soldering, or power supplies are needed beyond the included USB cables and compatible EVK.

How are the I/O pins of the PCAL6408A mapped on the PCAL6408A-ARD board?

On the PCAL6408A-ARD, P0–P3 (U2 pins B1, C2, C1, D1) drive on-board LEDs D4–D7 and are accessible via J5 pins 2–5; P4–P7 (U2 pins D3, D4, C4, C3) accept inputs from switches SW1–SW4 and appear on J5 pins 6–9. All eight I/O lines are routed to the J5 connector for external interfacing, and jumper JP2 allows disabling the LEDs when using J5 with external circuitry.

Can the PCAL6408A-ARD be used with non-NXP Arduino-compatible boards?

Yes - the PCAL6408A-ARD can interface with any Arduino-compatible board equipped with an Uno R3–format header, provided appropriate firmware is developed to communicate with the PCAL6408A over I²C and manage RESET/ADDR/INT signals. Table 2 in the UM11710 user manual specifies exact pin mappings (e.g., A4/SDA, A5/SCL, D8/RESET, D9/ADDR, D10/INT), enabling custom integration without reliance on NXP's GUI or EVK firmware.