MinIMU-9 v3 Gyro, Accelerometer, and Compass (L3GD20H and LSM303

Description

The Pololu MINIMU-9 v3 is an inertial measurement unit (IMU), which includes an L3GD20H 3-axis gyroscope and an LSM303D 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis magnetometer on a small 0.8 "x 0.5" board. An I²C interface accesses nine independent rotation, acceleration, and magnetic measurements that can be used to calculate the absolute orientation of the sensor. The MINIMU-9 v3 board includes a voltage regulator and level-shifting circuit that allows 2.5-5.5 V operation, and the 0.1 "pin spacing makes it easy to use with standard soldering breadboards and 0.1" perfboards. The Pololu MINIMU-9 v3 is a compact (0.8 "x 0.5") board that combines ST's L3GD20H 3-axis gyroscope and LSM303D 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis magnetometer to form an inertial measurement unit (IMU); therefore, careful reading of the L3GD20H datasheet (3MB pdf) and LSM303D datasheet (1MB pdf) is recommended before using this product. These sensors are large integrated circuits, but their small packages make them difficult for the typical student or hobbyist to use. They also operate at voltages below 3.6 V, which can make it difficult to interface with microcontrollers that operate at 5 V. The MINIMU-9 v3 addresses these problems by integrating additional electronics, including a voltage regulator and a level-shifting circuit, while keeping the overall size as compact as possible.