Gyroscope and Accelerometer Calibration with Raspberry Pi

This is the second entry into the series entitled "Calibration of an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) with Raspberry Pi" where the gyroscope and accelerometer are calibrated using our Calibration Block. Python is used as the coding language on the Raspberry Pi to find the calibration coefficients for the two sensors. Validation methods are also used to integrate the IMU variables to test the calibration of each sensor. The gyroscope shows a fairly accurate response when calibrated and integrated, and found to be within a degree of the actual rotation test. The accelerometer was slightly less accurate, likely due to the double integration required to approximate displacement and the unbalanced table upon which the IMU was calibrated. Filtering methods are also introduced to smooth the accelerometer data for integration. The final sensor, the magnetometer (AK8963), will be calibration in the next iteration of this series.

Accelerometer, Gyroscope, and Magnetometer Analysis with Raspberry Pi Part I: Basic Readings

A Raspberry Pi will be used to read the MPU9250 3-axis acceleration, 3-axis angular rotation speed, and 3-axis magnetic flux (MPU9250 product page can be found here). The output and limitations of the MPU9250 will be explored, which will help define the limitations of applications for each sensor. This is only the first entry into the MPU9250 IMU series, where in the breadth of the articles we will apply advanced techniques in Python to analyze each of the 9-axes of the IMU and develop real-world applications for the sensor, which may be useful to engineers interested in vibration analysis, navigation, vehicle control, and many other areas.

Arduino Tachometer - Using a Hall Effect Sensor (A3144) to Measure Rotations from a Fan

Arduino tachometer used to calculate the rotational motion of a part. Tachometers read out revolutions per minute (RPM), which tells the user how often a rotating part completes one full rotation. RPM readings are used in the automotive, aerospace, and manufacturing fields. Tachometers can indicate fuel consumption and motor speed, safety of moving parts, and even wind speed indicators. In this tutorial, the speed of a fan is measured using a hall sensor and neodymium magnet to acquire an accurate depiction of fan speed.