00:00Ever hit that frustrating wall where your microcontroller simply runs out of GPIO
00:04pins halfway through a build? We've all been there, and that's why I hunted down the best
00:09deals on the top 5 I2C IO expander chips for your projects to help you free up those precious pins
00:14without breaking the bank. Kicking things off, we have the classic PCF8574 IO expansion board
00:21coming in at just $3.10. With nearly 5,000 units sold and a solid 4.8 star rating, this
00:28little
00:288-bit workhorse is an absolute staple in the maker community. Its standout feature is pure,
00:34straightforward simplicity, it converts your standard 2IRI2C bus into 8 extra bi-directional
00:39pins with zero fuss. If you're looking for a dependable, plug-and-play solution for basic
00:44sensors, buttons, or relays, you really can't go wrong here. Next up, if you need serious pin
00:50density and power, check out the Gravity CH423 24-bit digital IO expander module for around $18.
00:58While it carries a higher price tag, you get a whopping 24 extra channels 8 full GPIOs plus 16
01:04dedicated outputs that can sync up to 15 milliamps directly. That makes it hands down the best pick
01:10on this list for driving massive LED matrices, complicated dashboards, or multi-relay setups
01:15without needing external driver transistors. In the third spot is the PCF8574T Evaluation Board,
01:22priced at about $3.37, and rocking a flawless 5-star rating from thousands of makers.
01:28What makes this one worth grabbing is its incredibly clean layout and breadboard-friendly pinout,
01:34making rapid prototyping a breeze. It features easily accessible address jumpers so you can stack
01:40multiple units on the same bus, giving you an ultra-reliable way to control small-character
01:44LCDs and switches without wiring headaches. Coming in at number 4 is the Jovino PCF8574T module,
01:52which is our budget champion at an insane $2.01. Despite the dirt-cheap price, it also boasts
01:58a perfect 5-star rating, and its killer feature is its seamless cascading design.
02:03With built-in high and low-address selection pins and pass-through connectors, you can chain
02:08several of these together in minutes to multiply your inputs on a shoestring budget.
02:12It's easily the best value pick for anyone building modular electronics.
02:18Rounding out our top 5 is this multifunction expansion board at $3.20, holding an impressive
02:234.9-star rating. Unlike standard digital expanders, this chip's standout trick is versatility,
02:30giving you 8 channels that include both analog-to-digital reading and PWM output.
02:35It plays nicely with Arduino, Raspberry Pi, and even the BBC Microobit,
02:40making it the ultimate Swiss Army Knife module if you need to read analog sensors or dim LEDs
02:45alongside your standard digital logic. All the links to these modules are waiting for you down
02:50in the description box below so you can grab the right one for your next build. If this guide helped
02:56you out, hit that like button, subscribe to the channel for more MakerDeer breakdowns,
03:00and let me know in the comments what you're currently building.
