Gravity: I/O Expansion Shield for OpenMV Cam H7 & H7 Plus

Gravity: I/O Expansion Shield for OpenMV Cam H7 & H7 Plus provides a compact hardware bridge for rapidly connecting sensors and peripheral modules to machine vision controllers. Designed for seamless use with OpenMV Cam H7 and OpenMV Cam H7 Plus, this Gravity-compatible interface board simplifies hardware integration through color‑coded connectors and solder‑free wiring. The expansion platform works directly with numerous sensors and electronic modules from the Gravity series, enabling fast prototype construction. By reducing complex wiring and soldering tasks, this OpenMV peripheral interface board accelerates development of embedded vision experiments, robotics subsystems, and intelligent sensing prototypes.

Note: The onboard USB connector provides power supply only and cannot be used for programming or debugging. Recommended continuous current for the USB power input should remain within 1A. When installing the shield onto the OpenMV motherboard, align the USB connectors on the same side. Because the OpenMV controller operates at 3.3V logic level, analog inputs above 3.3V are not supported. For high-current devices such as servos or motors, connect to ports P7–P9, supply external power, and switch the power selector to VIN to avoid potential damage from excessive current.

Plug‑and‑Play Gravity Interface

This expansion interface board adopts standard Gravity connectors with clear color coding, eliminating soldering and reducing wiring errors during development. Direct compatibility with numerous Gravity ecosystem modules allows rapid connection of environmental sensors, motion detectors, and communication peripherals. Such modular connectivity makes the OpenMV expansion board particularly effective for rapid hardware iteration, robotics experiments, and embedded AI prototyping where reliable sensor integration significantly reduces development time.

Flexible Power Management for High‑Current Devices

An onboard 5V USB external power supply port combined with a selectable 3.3V/VIN power switch allows the sensor expansion platform to support peripherals requiring higher current. Motors, servos, and other motion components from motors and servos collections can operate through dedicated ports while maintaining stable logic voltage for the OpenMV vision controller. Integrated power routing helps protect the main board while enabling reliable operation of multiple connected modules.

Rich Multi‑Interface Connectivity

This OpenMV I/O breakout board integrates diverse communication interfaces to support complex embedded vision systems. Hardware resources include nine digital ports, one analog input port, one serial communication interface, and two I2C connectors. An onboard 3.3V LDO regulator provides stable voltage output for connected modules, ensuring reliable operation when multiple sensors operate simultaneously. Such interface diversity supports integration of environmental sensing, motion control, and communication modules within a compact machine vision hardware platform.

Figure: Gravity I/O Expansion Shield connection example with servo

This OpenMV-compatible sensor expansion shield supports rapid integration of sensors, communication modules, and motion devices in embedded vision projects. Typical use scenarios include robotics control systems, intelligent vision experiments, modular sensor networks, and fast hardware prototyping for embedded AI development.