Adafruit ATECC608 Breakout Board - STEMMA QT / Qwiic

SKU: ADA4314 Brand: Adafruit

You've got secrets, and you want to keep them safe? Most microcontrollers are not designed to protect against snoopers, but a crypto-authentication chip can be used...

$10.05 AUD, inc GST

$9.14 AUD, exc GST

Available with a lead time
Expect dispatch between Feb 06 and Feb 11

Quantity Discounts:

10-25 $8.77 (exc GST)
25+ $8.50 (exc GST)

You've got secrets, and you want to keep them safe? Most microcontrollers are not designed to protect against snoopers, but a crypto-authentication chip can be used to lock away private keys securely. Once the private key is saved inside, it can't be read out, all you can do is send it challenge-response queries. That means that even if someone gets hold of your hardware and can read back the firmware, they won't be able to extract the secret!

The ATECC608 is the latest crypto-auth chip from Microchip, and it uses I2C to send/receive commands. Once you 'lock' the chip with your details, you can use it for ECDH and AES-128 encrypt/decrypt/signing. There's also hardware support for random number generation, and SHA-256/HMAC hash functions to greatly speed up a slower micro's cryptography commands.

Adafruit are starting to see these low-cost secure element chips in various products, so that a less expensive chip can be used to drive peripherals, without worrying about security. This chip does not have a public datasheet, but it is compatible with the ATECC508 earlier version which does, so please refer to that complete datasheet as well as the ATECC608 summary sheet. The good news is that, despite not having complete documentation, there is some software support. For Arduino use, check out the Arduino ATECCx08 library. For Python and C/C++ check out Microchips Cryptoauthlib (yes They also think it's odd that there's no datasheet but there is published code)

To make working with the ATECC608 as easy as possible, Adafruit have put it on a breakout PCB with the required support circuitry and SparkFun qwiic compatible STEMMA QT connectors. This allows you to use it with other similarly equipped boards without needing to solder. This chip will work with 3.3V or 5V power/logic micros, so it's ready to get to work with a range of development boards.

Please note the I2C address is fixed at 0x60 and according to Microchip, you should use this at higher I2C speeds like 400KHz if other devices are on the I2C bus, to avoid some I2C bus contention (much like the datasheet, this is not documented anywhere yet)

Clear Padlock and STEMMA QT cable not included (but Adafruit have them in the shop)

Technical Details

Product Dimensions: 25.5mm x 17.7mm x 4.7mm / 1.0" x 0.7" x 0.2"

Product Weight: 1.8g / 0.1oz

Product Comments

Start the conversation

Exact shipping can be calculated on the view cart page (no login required).

Products that weigh more than 0.5 KG may cost more than what's shown (for example, test equipment, machines, >500mL liquids, etc).

We deliver Australia-wide with these options (depends on the final destination - you can get a quote on the view cart page):

$3+ for Stamped Mail (typically 10+ business days, not tracked, only available on selected small items)
$7+ for Standard Post (typically 6+ business days, tracked)
$11+ for Express Post (typically 2+ business days, tracked)
Pickup - Free! Only available to customers who live in the Newcastle region (must order online and only pickup after we email to notify you the order is ready). Orders placed after 2PM may not be ready until the following business day.

Non-metro addresses in WA, NT, SA & TAS can take 2+ days in addition to the above information.

Some batteries (such as LiPo) can't be shipped by Air. During checkout, Express Post and International Methods will not be an option if you have that type of battery in your shopping cart.

International Orders - the following rates are for New Zealand and will vary for other countries:

$12+ for Pack and Track (3+ days, tracked)
$16+ for Express International (2-5 days, tracked)

If you order lots of gear, the postage amount will increase based on the weight of your order.

Our physical address (here's a PDF which includes other key business details):

Unit 18, 132 Garden Grove Parade
Adamstown
NSW, 2289
Australia

Take a look at our customer service page if you have other questions such as "do we do purchase orders" (yes!) or "are prices GST inclusive" (yes they are!). We're here to help - get in touch with us to talk shop.

Have a product question? We're here to help!