BME680 Environmental + Gas Sensor
Measures temperature, humidity, pressure, and volatile organic compounds (VOC gas resistance). An all-in-one environmental monitoring sensor.
Say it to PAL
“Read everything it measures about the air right now.”
The code PAL writes
const data = await p.read('qwiic-bme680', 'temperature');
const gas = await p.read('qwiic-bme680', 'gas_resistance');
p.log(`Temp: ${data}°C, Gas: ${gas} kΩ`);“Tell me when the air quality gets poor.”
The code PAL writes
p.onSensorChange('qwiic-bme680', 'gas_resistance', (resistance) => {
if (resistance < 20) p.notify('Poor air quality detected: ' + resistance + ' kΩ');
});
await p.waitUntilStopped();When to pick it
Use when you need temperature, humidity, pressure, AND air quality (VOC) in one sensor. Upgrade from BME280 when you also want gas/VOC detection. The gas reading is relative (not calibrated ppm) but good for detecting changes.
Good to know
- Gas sensor needs ~30 minutes of continuous operation to establish a baseline. Early readings are unreliable.
- Gas heater draws ~12mA during measurement — not ideal for ultra-low-power battery operation.
About it
The Bosch BME680 is a 4-in-1 environmental sensor that measures temperature (±1°C), humidity (±3% RH), barometric pressure (±0.6 hPa), and gas resistance (an indicator of VOC levels). The gas resistance output increases with cleaner air and decreases when volatile organic compounds are present. Ideal for indoor air quality assessment, weather stations, and environmental monitoring projects.
Where to buy
Facts
Tested
It is in our catalog, but nobody has checked it on a real board. It may not work yet. Its driver is written, but it has not been tested on hardware yet.
I2C address
The BME680 Environmental + Gas Sensor answers at I2C address 0x77. A jumper or pin moves it to 0x76.
Current
12 mA
The catalog lists a typical draw of 12 mA for the Environment + Gas Sensor, copied from the maker’s description and not measured by Palpable.
Board size
25.4 × 17.78 mm
The Environment + Gas Sensor board measures 25.4 × 17.78 mm and stands 4.6 mm tall with its parts. It has 4 mounting holes. These dimensions are from the maker’s mechanical drawing.
Chip
BME680
Its sensor is the Bosch Sensortec BME680.
Free to reuse
Every fact here is open data under CC BY 4.0. Copy it into your own docs or code, and credit Palpable. Download it
This record was last changed on October 26, 2026.