Episode 6DoF: Return of the IMU
The new LSM6DSV16X is now available in two Qwiic formats, Standard and Micro, to provide you with an AI-powered IMU set-up!
Hello everyone and welcome back to another Friday Product Post here at SparkFun Electronics! This week, we have two new SparkFun Originals to showcase and they both feature the LSM6DSV16X 6-axis IMU with embedded sensor fusion, AI, Qvar for high-end applications. These two new boards feature two unique footprints that are built around our Qwiic Connect System, Standard (1in. x 1in.) and Micro (0.3in. x 0.75in.). Follow along below, intrepid reader, to learn more!
But first, we wanted to let you know that starting this Monday, our Memorial Day GPS Sale will begin! From May 29th to June 2nd, you have the chance to snag some amazing discounts (up to 30% off) on our top-of-the-line GPS products. Please keep in mind that, although you can visit the sale page now, the sale will not start until Monday, May 29, 2023 at 12:01 a.m. MDT, and will last until Friday, June 2, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. MDT. Happy early Memorial Day, everyone!
Now let's take a closer look at this week's new products!
Pick your size and get moving!
Looking for an extremely accurate way to detect motion utilizing AI? We've got you covered with the Qwiic-enabled, SparkFun LSM6DSV16X 6DoF IMU Breakout. The LSM6DSV16X Breakout is a high-performance, low-power 6-axis IMU, featuring a 3-axis digital accelerometer, and a 3-axis digital gyroscope, with a triple core for processing acceleration and angular rate data on three separate channels (user interface, OIS, and EIS) with dedicated configuration, processing, and filtering. All this functionality comes in our standard 1in. x 1in. Qwiic form factor and will seamlessly integrate into your Qwiic-based projects. However, we still routed the I2C signals out to a set of 0.1in.-spaced pins for users who prefer a soldered connection.
If you are looking for something much smaller, the SparkFun LSM6DSV16X Micro 6DoF IMU Breakout may be the right fit for you! With its 0.3in. x 0.75in. Qwiic Micro footprint, this accelerometer will fit into most, if not all of your smallest projects. With its small size, we had to remove the 0.1in.-spaced pins and a Qwiic connector, but if your project space is limited or weight is a concern, this Micro LSM6DSV16X Breakout is the right fit!
That's it for this week. As always, we can't wait to see what you make. Shoot us a tweet @sparkfun, or let us know on Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn. Please be safe out there, be kind to one another! We'll be back with more new products next week so make sure to check back then. Happy hacking!
To share a point of amusement: Last year I put together a presentation on the Apollo Guidance System that took men to the Moon in 1969. Due to things like testing, software development, and careful construction, it had been designed in the early 1960s. Anyway, the IMU for it was "a little bit smaller than a basketball". The gyroscope had 15 bit resolution, and the document that I found that talked about the accellerometers inferred that they likely had 12 bit resolution. (I suspect that the scarcity of documentation was a result of it having been an improvement on the IMU for the top secret Polaris submarine launched missle.). Anyway, the gyro for the LSM6DSV16X is a bit better (pun intended), and the accellerometers are about an order of magnitude better -- and the device is smaller than the Qwiic connector! Without digging further, I suspect that the on-board processing power of the LSM6DSV16X far exceeds that of the total on-board computing power for an Apollo spacecraft!