Overview of MPU6050 Module

MPU6050 sensor module is an integrated 6-axis Motion tracking device.

It has a 3-axis Gyroscope, 3-axis Accelerometer, Digital Motion Processor and a Temperature sensor, all in a single IC.

It can accept inputs from other sensors like 3-axis magnetometer or pressure sensor using its Auxiliary I2C bus.

If external 3-axis magnetometer is connected, it can provide complete 9-axis Motion Fusion output.

A microcontroller can communicate with this module using I2C communication protocol. Various parameters can be found by reading values from addresses of certain registers using I2C communication.

Gyroscope and accelerometer reading along X, Y and Z axes are available in 2’s complement form. Temperature reading is also available in signed integer form.

Gyroscope readings are in degrees per second (dps) unit; Accelerometer readings are in g unit; and Temperature reading is in degrees Celsius.

For more information about MPU6050 Sensor Module and how to use it, refer the topic MPU6050 Sensor Module in the sensors and modules section.

Connection Diagram of MPU6050 with Arduino

Example

Reading Accelerometer, Gyroscope and Temperature parameters from the MPU6050 module and displaying them on Arduino Serial Monitor.

Here, we will be using Korneliusz Jarzebski’s MPU6050 library from GitHub.

Download this library from here. 

Extract the library and add it to the libraries folder path of Arduino IDE.

For information about how to add a custom library to the Arduino IDE and use examples from it, refer Adding Library To Arduino IDE in the Basics section.

Once the library has been added to the Arduino IDE, open the IDE and open the example sketch you want from the list of examples from the library added.

Code For Simple Accelerometer Measurements

/*
    MPU6050 Triple Axis Gyroscope & Accelerometer. Simple Accelerometer Example.
    Read more: http://www.jarzebski.pl/arduino/czujniki-i-sensory/3-osiowy-zyroskop-i-akcelerometr-mpu6050.html
    GIT: https://github.com/jarzebski/Arduino-MPU6050
    Web: http://www.jarzebski.pl
    (c) 2014 by Korneliusz Jarzebski
*/	

#include <Wire.h>
#include <MPU6050.h>

MPU6050 mpu;

void setup() 
{
  Serial.begin(115200);

  Serial.println("Initialize MPU6050");

  while(!mpu.begin(MPU6050_SCALE_2000DPS, MPU6050_RANGE_2G))
  {
    Serial.println("Could not find a valid MPU6050 sensor, check wiring!");
    delay(500);
  }

  // If you want, you can set accelerometer offsets
  // mpu.setAccelOffsetX();
  // mpu.setAccelOffsetY();
  // mpu.setAccelOffsetZ();
  
  checkSettings();
}

void checkSettings()
{
  Serial.println();
  
  Serial.print(" * Sleep Mode:            ");
  Serial.println(mpu.getSleepEnabled() ? "Enabled" : "Disabled");
  
  Serial.print(" * Clock Source:          ");
  switch(mpu.getClockSource())
  {
    case MPU6050_CLOCK_KEEP_RESET:     Serial.println("Stops the clock and keeps the timing generator in reset"); break;
    case MPU6050_CLOCK_EXTERNAL_19MHZ: Serial.println("PLL with external 19.2MHz reference"); break;
    case MPU6050_CLOCK_EXTERNAL_32KHZ: Serial.println("PLL with external 32.768kHz reference"); break;
    case MPU6050_CLOCK_PLL_ZGYRO:      Serial.println("PLL with Z axis gyroscope reference"); break;
    case MPU6050_CLOCK_PLL_YGYRO:      Serial.println("PLL with Y axis gyroscope reference"); break;
    case MPU6050_CLOCK_PLL_XGYRO:      Serial.println("PLL with X axis gyroscope reference"); break;
    case MPU6050_CLOCK_INTERNAL_8MHZ:  Serial.println("Internal 8MHz oscillator"); break;
  }
  
  Serial.print(" * Accelerometer:         ");
  switch(mpu.getRange())
  {
    case MPU6050_RANGE_16G:            Serial.println("+/- 16 g"); break;
    case MPU6050_RANGE_8G:             Serial.println("+/- 8 g"); break;
    case MPU6050_RANGE_4G:             Serial.println("+/- 4 g"); break;
    case MPU6050_RANGE_2G:             Serial.println("+/- 2 g"); break;
  }  

  Serial.print(" * Accelerometer offsets: ");
  Serial.print(mpu.getAccelOffsetX());
  Serial.print(" / ");
  Serial.print(mpu.getAccelOffsetY());
  Serial.print(" / ");
  Serial.println(mpu.getAccelOffsetZ());
  
  Serial.println();
}

void loop()
{
  Vector rawAccel = mpu.readRawAccel();
  Vector normAccel = mpu.readNormalizeAccel();

  Serial.print(" Xraw = ");
  Serial.print(rawAccel.XAxis);
  Serial.print(" Yraw = ");
  Serial.print(rawAccel.YAxis);
  Serial.print(" Zraw = ");

  Serial.println(rawAccel.ZAxis);
  Serial.print(" Xnorm = ");
  Serial.print(normAccel.XAxis);
  Serial.print(" Ynorm = ");
  Serial.print(normAccel.YAxis);
  Serial.print(" Znorm = ");
  Serial.println(normAccel.ZAxis);
  
  delay(10);
}

Video

Functions Used in Accelerometer Sketch

1.  mpu.readRawAccel()

• This function gives the decimal equivalent of the 16-bit values of the acceleration in the X, Y and Z directions.
• This does not give the acceleration values in g units.

2.  mpu.readNormalizeAccel()

• This function gives the values of the acceleration in the X, Y and Z directions in g units.
• It takes into consideration the range setting chosen for accelerometer and the corresponding sensitivity. Using this it gives acceleration in g units which can vary from 0 to the range chosen.

3.  mpu.begin(gyro_scale,accelo_range)

• This  function is used to set the range of accelerometer and the scale of gyroscope.
• gyro_scale can be MPU6050_SCALE_250DPS, MPU6050_SCALE_500DPS, MPU6050_SCALE_1000DPS or MPU6050_SCALE_2000DPS for 250 dps, 500 dps, 1000 dps or 2000 dps respectively.
• aceelo_range can be MPU6050_RANGE_2G, MPU6050_RANGE_4G, MPU6050_RANGE_8G or MPU6050_RANGE_16G for measurement range of 2g, 4g, 8g or 16g respectively.

Code for Roll and Pitch Measurement Using Accelerometer

/*
    MPU6050 Triple Axis Gyroscope & Accelerometer. Pitch & Roll Accelerometer Example.
    Read more: http://www.jarzebski.pl/arduino/czujniki-i-sensory/3-osiowy-zyroskop-i-akcelerometr-mpu6050.html
    GIT: https://github.com/jarzebski/Arduino-MPU6050
    Web: http://www.jarzebski.pl
    (c) 2014 by Korneliusz Jarzebski
*/

#include <Wire.h>
#include <MPU6050.h>

MPU6050 mpu;

void setup() 
{
  Serial.begin(115200);

  Serial.println("Initialize MPU6050");

  while(!mpu.begin(MPU6050_SCALE_2000DPS, MPU6050_RANGE_2G))
  {
    Serial.println("Could not find a valid MPU6050 sensor, check wiring!");
    delay(500);
  }
}

void loop()
{
  // Read normalized values 
  Vector normAccel = mpu.readNormalizeAccel();

  // Calculate Pitch & Roll
  int pitch = -(atan2(normAccel.XAxis, sqrt(normAccel.YAxis*normAccel.YAxis + normAccel.ZAxis*normAccel.ZAxis))*180.0)/M_PI;
  int roll = (atan2(normAccel.YAxis, normAccel.ZAxis)*180.0)/M_PI;

  // Output
  Serial.print(" Pitch = ");
  Serial.print(pitch);
  Serial.print(" Roll = ");
  Serial.print(roll);
  
  Serial.println();
  
  delay(10);
}

Video

MPU6050 Gyroscope Measurements code for Arduino

/*
    MPU6050 Triple Axis Gyroscope & Accelerometer. Simple Gyroscope Example.
    Read more: http://www.jarzebski.pl/arduino/czujniki-i-sensory/3-osiowy-zyroskop-i-akcelerometr-mpu6050.html
    GIT: https://github.com/jarzebski/Arduino-MPU6050
    Web: http://www.jarzebski.pl
    (c) 2014 by Korneliusz Jarzebski
*/

#include <Wire.h>
#include <MPU6050.h>

MPU6050 mpu;

void setup() 
{
  Serial.begin(115200);

  // Initialize MPU6050
  Serial.println("Initialize MPU6050");
  while(!mpu.begin(MPU6050_SCALE_2000DPS, MPU6050_RANGE_2G))
  {
    Serial.println("Could not find a valid MPU6050 sensor, check wiring!");
    delay(500);
  }
  
  // If you want, you can set gyroscope offsets
  // mpu.setGyroOffsetX(155);
  // mpu.setGyroOffsetY(15);
  // mpu.setGyroOffsetZ(15);
  
  // Calibrate gyroscope. The calibration must be at rest.
  // If you don't want calibrate, comment this line.
  mpu.calibrateGyro();

  // Set threshold sensivty. Default 3.
  // If you don't want use threshold, comment this line or set 0.
  // mpu.setThreshold(3);
  
  // Check settings
  checkSettings();
}

void checkSettings()
{
  Serial.println();
  
  Serial.print(" * Sleep Mode:        ");
  Serial.println(mpu.getSleepEnabled() ? "Enabled" : "Disabled");
  
  Serial.print(" * Clock Source:      ");
  switch(mpu.getClockSource())
  {
    case MPU6050_CLOCK_KEEP_RESET:     Serial.println("Stops the clock and keeps the timing generator in reset"); break;
    case MPU6050_CLOCK_EXTERNAL_19MHZ: Serial.println("PLL with external 19.2MHz reference"); break;
    case MPU6050_CLOCK_EXTERNAL_32KHZ: Serial.println("PLL with external 32.768kHz reference"); break;
    case MPU6050_CLOCK_PLL_ZGYRO:      Serial.println("PLL with Z axis gyroscope reference"); break;
    case MPU6050_CLOCK_PLL_YGYRO:      Serial.println("PLL with Y axis gyroscope reference"); break;
    case MPU6050_CLOCK_PLL_XGYRO:      Serial.println("PLL with X axis gyroscope reference"); break;
    case MPU6050_CLOCK_INTERNAL_8MHZ:  Serial.println("Internal 8MHz oscillator"); break;
  }
  
  Serial.print(" * Gyroscope:         ");
  switch(mpu.getScale())
  {
    case MPU6050_SCALE_2000DPS:        Serial.println("2000 dps"); break;
    case MPU6050_SCALE_1000DPS:        Serial.println("1000 dps"); break;
    case MPU6050_SCALE_500DPS:         Serial.println("500 dps"); break;
    case MPU6050_SCALE_250DPS:         Serial.println("250 dps"); break;
  } 
  
  Serial.print(" * Gyroscope offsets: ");
  Serial.print(mpu.getGyroOffsetX());
  Serial.print(" / ");
  Serial.print(mpu.getGyroOffsetY());
  Serial.print(" / ");
  Serial.println(mpu.getGyroOffsetZ());
  
  Serial.println();
}

void loop()
{
  Vector rawGyro = mpu.readRawGyro();
  Vector normGyro = mpu.readNormalizeGyro();

  Serial.print(" Xraw = ");
  Serial.print(rawGyro.XAxis);
  Serial.print(" Yraw = ");
  Serial.print(rawGyro.YAxis);
  Serial.print(" Zraw = ");
  Serial.println(rawGyro.ZAxis);

  Serial.print(" Xnorm = ");
  Serial.print(normGyro.XAxis);
  Serial.print(" Ynorm = ");
  Serial.print(normGyro.YAxis);
  Serial.print(" Znorm = ");
  Serial.println(normGyro.ZAxis);
  
  delay(10);
}

Video

Functions Used in Gyroscope Sketch

1.  mpu.readRawGyro()

• This function gives the decimal equivalent of the 16-bit values of the gyroscope rotation in the X, Y and Z directions.
• This does not give the value of gyroscope parameters in dps (degrees per second) units.

2.  mpu.readNormalizeGyro()

• This function gives the value of the gyroscope parameters in the X, Y and Z directions in dps units.
• It takes into consideration the scale setting chosen for gyroscope and the corresponding sensitivity. Using this it gives gyroscope rotation in dps units.

Code For Roll, Pitch and Yaw Measurement Using Gyroscope

/*
    MPU6050 Triple Axis Gyroscope & Accelerometer. Pitch & Roll & Yaw Gyroscope Example.
    Read more: http://www.jarzebski.pl/arduino/czujniki-i-sensory/3-osiowy-zyroskop-i-akcelerometr-mpu6050.html
    GIT: https://github.com/jarzebski/Arduino-MPU6050
    Web: http://www.jarzebski.pl
    (c) 2014 by Korneliusz Jarzebski
*/

#include <Wire.h>
#include <MPU6050.h>

MPU6050 mpu;

// Timers
unsigned long timer = 0;
float timeStep = 0.01;

// Pitch, Roll and Yaw values
float pitch = 0;
float roll = 0;
float yaw = 0;

void setup() 
{
  Serial.begin(115200);

  // Initialize MPU6050
  while(!mpu.begin(MPU6050_SCALE_2000DPS, MPU6050_RANGE_2G))
  {
    Serial.println("Could not find a valid MPU6050 sensor, check wiring!");
    delay(500);
  }
  
  // Calibrate gyroscope. The calibration must be at rest.
  // If you don't want calibrate, comment this line.
  mpu.calibrateGyro();

  // Set threshold sensivty. Default 3.
  // If you don't want use threshold, comment this line or set 0.
  // mpu.setThreshold(3);
}

void loop()
{
  timer = millis();

  // Read normalized values
  Vector norm = mpu.readNormalizeGyro();

  // Calculate Pitch, Roll and Yaw
  pitch = pitch + norm.YAxis * timeStep;
  roll = roll + norm.XAxis * timeStep;
  yaw = yaw + norm.ZAxis * timeStep;

  // Output raw
  Serial.print(" Pitch = ");
  Serial.print(pitch);
  Serial.print(" Roll = ");
  Serial.print(roll);  
  Serial.print(" Yaw = ");
  Serial.println(yaw);

  // Wait to full timeStep period
  delay((timeStep*1000) - (millis() - timer));
}

Video

MPU6050 Temperature Measurement Code for Arduino

/*
    MPU6050 Triple Axis Gyroscope & Accelerometer. Temperature Example.
    Read more: http://www.jarzebski.pl/arduino/czujniki-i-sensory/3-osiowy-zyroskop-i-akcelerometr-mpu6050.html
    GIT: https://github.com/jarzebski/Arduino-MPU6050
    Web: http://www.jarzebski.pl
    (c) 2014 by Korneliusz Jarzebski
*/

#include <Wire.h>
#include <MPU6050.h>

MPU6050 mpu;

void setup() 
{
  Serial.begin(115200);

  Serial.println("Initialize MPU6050");

  while(!mpu.begin(MPU6050_SCALE_2000DPS, MPU6050_RANGE_2G))
  {
    Serial.println("Could not find a valid MPU6050 sensor, check wiring!");
    delay(500);
  }
}

void loop()
{
  float temp = mpu.readTemperature();

  Serial.print(" Temp = ");
  Serial.print(temp);
  Serial.println(" *C");
  
  delay(500);
}

Video