CirkitScape Top HAT (also written as TopHAT) is a multi-function expansion board for the Raspberry Pi that adds 16 extra GPIOs through an I2C expander, an RS-485 header, a 3-channel, 12-bit ADC, and four extra USB 2.0 ports through a USB hub.
The company told us it’s designed to “make prototyping, sensing, automation, and real-world Raspberry Pi builds cleaner and easier without stacking as many separate add-ons”. A Top HAT Sensor Kit is also offered with a few sensors for environmental monitoring builds.
CirkitScape Top HAT specifications:
- Supported SBCs – Raspberry Pi boards and compatible SBCs with 40-pin GPIO header, including the Pi 5, 4, 3B+, and Zero
- USB
- 4x USB 2.0 (480 Mbps) ports
- 4-port USB 2.0 hub
- Per-port current-limited switches (500mA per port)
- I/O Expansion
- 16x GPIOs via MCP23017 I²C expander
- Analog Input – 3-channel 12-bit ADC via ADS1015 chip
- RS-485 interface via MAX485 half-duplex transceiver
- Communication Interfaces – I²C, SPI, UART via 40-pin Raspberry Pi GPIO header
- Power Supply
- Operating Voltage: 5V DC input
- Logic Voltage: 3.3V
- Dimensions – 76.2 x 50.8 mm (Raspberry Pi HAT form factor)
The Top HAT is compatible with Raspberry Pi OS and doesn’t require any custom firmware. It supports pyserial, smbus, and gpiozero Python libraries and is fully controllable via I2C, UART, and GPIO pins through the 40-pin GPIO header on the Pi. The company also provides a script to configure/enable I2C and UART, install required packages, and set up a Python virtual environment. Finally, some Python code samples and a Python-based web dashboard to control the hardware without programming by simply accessing http://<raspberrypi-ip>:5000.
Target applications include industrial control systems, IoT gateways and edge devices, sensor data acquisition, USB device multiplexing, serial network bridging via RS-485, and generic embedded system prototyping.
CirkitScape sells the Top HAT for $48.6 on Amazon or $45 on the company’s website, where you’ll also find all resources to get started (datasheet, Python samples, dashboard program, installation script, etc.). The Top HAT Sensor Kit mentioned in the introduction goes for $73 with the Top HAT, a USB-C to USB-A cable, a temperature and humidity sensor, a capacitive soil moisture sensor, a water/rain detection sensor, and a few jumper wires. I’m just not sure the sensor kit is available, as the company used ChatGPT to create the product image below… There’s no address on the website, but CirkitScape appears to be a small business from Alabama.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
Support CNX Software! Donate via cryptocurrencies, become a Patron on Patreon, or purchase goods on Amazon or Aliexpress. We also use affiliate links in articles to earn commissions if you make a purchase after clicking on those links.
