-------------------- Tech Support Tips/Troubleshooting/Common Issues --------------------

One I2C Address

Unfortunately, this sensor has one I2C address. To reduce the number of RedBoards, you might be able to use the SoftwareI2C [ http://playground.arduino.cc/Main/SoftwareI2CLibrary ] to address each sensor on different pins of the Arduino. You can also use the PCA9546A IC [ http://www.ti.com/product/PCA9546A ] to switch between four I2C channels. This chip is ideal when you have a sensor that has only one I2C address. Unfortunately, we do not have the IC available yet on our storefront. I had recommended it to our catalog but I haven't heard back. There is interest but I haven't heard back from our catalog on the details. You would also need to design a breakout board for that chip.

Another Example Code

There's another good tutorial with example code by Love Electronics on their site => http://www.loveelectronics.co.uk/Tutorials/8/hmc5883l-tutorial-and-arduino-library.

Try looking at this tutorial that was written by someone in the community => https://github.com/Razor-AHRS/razor-9dof-ahrs/wiki/Tutorial#sensor-calibration . It goes over how to calibrate the magnetometer that was used on our retired 9DoF IMU [ https://www.sparkfun.com/products/retired/10736 ]. It also talks about what can affect the magnetometer readings when there are soft and hard irons in the vicinity.

Example of HMC5883L's Self Test w/ Calibration

Example of HMC5883L’s self test feature with calibration can be found here => [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fsd6dAuRURo ] and [ https://github.com/relic1974/HMC5883L_Self_Test ]

Older SparkFun Example Code

Unfortunately, our older example code from this tutorial [ https://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/301 ] is not compatible with certain versions of the Arduino IDE. It only works with Arduino 0023 or below. Arduino 1.0+ won’t compile with it because the libraries changed. Try using the bildr example code. Otherwise, you would have to rewrite the code a little to communicate with the sensor.

Magnet

Testing with two Neodymium round magnets (with a diameter = 10mm ), the magnetometer can affect the HMC5883L on the Razor around ~22inches (~0.6 meters ) away. The closer the Neodymium magnet is to the sensor, the higher the value was when viewing the magnetometer's raw output.

Very useful, thank you. Does it measure the static magnetic field or oscillating magnetic field? Which range of frequency measure? ELF, VLF, ULF, ...?

Very useful, thank you. Does it measure static magnetic field or oscillating magnetic field? Which range of frequency measure? ELF, VLF, ULF, ...?

I'm shocked !! Honeywell announced End of Life for this sensor and the 5983!!! They have no replacement as far as I know.. especially regarding the 220Hz bandwidth of the 5983.

I just found an app note from Honeywell which states that pin 5 should be connected to VDDIO rather than the no-connect listed in the data sheet. They say it will affect I2C performance in a small percentage of parts if left unconnected. I'm having some I2C hiccups on mine, so I'm going to try adding a jumper.

If there is an opportunity for a design rev of the breakout, adding the pin 5 connection would be good change. As of April 2016, Honeywell has listed this chip as end-of-life, so it seems doubtful that this design will be around too much longer...

There is a good tutorial for this magnetometer over here: hmc5883l tutorial
Not tilt compensated yet, but they say they will do a tilt compensated tutorial soon.

If you have a strong magnet can you use this as a linearized magnetometer to measure distance ? Thanks.

Is it possible to change the address to use multiple HMC5883L on the same interface?

When I run the example code I keep getting the error message "Entered scale is not valid...." when executing the library example code statement compass.SetScale(1.3). Within that method, when this error occurs, the regValue will remain the default value 0x00. Can anyone tell me what is wrong and how to correct the error condition? John

Sorry this might be a stupid question, but can you overload this magnetometer? Say if the figures for the magnet were stronger than the limit of this device. I'm trying to measure this magnet buried under the ground for a project. https://www.sparkfun.com/products/8890

Received a few days ago one of these breakout: imagine my dismay when I found out the interrupt pin (DRDY) is not connected! Seriously?

Could we get the drdy pin broken out. I need it for the project i'm making.

Can this be used on a pipe that has flowing water through it, or would that mess with the readings?

While trying to get sane heading readings I found out that the sensors need to be calibrated or else their output will yield very non-linear readings. Here is the process/software I found: http://diydrones.com/profiles/blogs/advanced-hard-and-soft-iron-magnetometer-calibration-for-dummies. Basically, you map the extremes in all orientations and the software creates values to "center" your readings. It makes perfect sense when you open MagViewer and see the scatter plot of the data!

I wonder if someone could post typical X Y values at default gain for NE SE SW NW heading ? Be a big help getting started. Thanks much, Colin

Any plans for an HMC5983 breakout? The 250hz update rate would be nice! It is mostly the same pinout but don't forget to run pin 6 to a solder pad so we can select SPI/I2C.

Also check out the MLX90333 hall effect sensor. It does all the math internally tio implement a hall effect joystick.

Ergh... Wanted a faster read than the mag3110. Got these for their 160hz only to see that the interrupt pin isn't routed. I see comments from 2 years ago about this so I assume we're doomed :-(

I recently purchased the Sparkfun "Triple Axis Magnetometer Breakout -HMC5883L" to use as an external replacement for the internal mag on my APM 2.5

While researching setup info prior to installing the Sparkfun unit I was surprised to find very little info specific to using it as an external on an APM 2.5.

I had assumed that it was common practice to use this board as a 3DR mag substitute and that it would be nearly identical to the 3DR board when it comes to it's setup & use.

I'm perfectly clear and have no questions regarding the physical wiring / correct mounting of the Sparkfun board and I assume that activation & orientation setup will be accomplished through Mission Planner the same as the 3DR unit...

I'm also aware of the advantage that this board has over the 3DR in that it comes 3.3V ready which matches the APM 2.5 I2C

What I would like to know is:

Will there be any code loading Or additional programming necessary with the SF Mag / APM 2.5 setup that is not necessary when installing the 3DR External Magnetometer??

Also,

Anyone aware of feedback from others using the SparkFun Mag as an external on their APM 2.5 & If so, how is the SparkFun board working for them?

I'm assuming that I'm just over-thinking this & the setup will actually be the same or even more straight forward than with the 3DR, but I just want to check first.

Thanks in advance for any help that you can offer.

I have an Arduino Nano V3 that is already connected to other I2C ICs that expect 5V, and the I2C lines are pulled up by external resistors. Everything is working fine. I understand that the 3.3V needs to power this chip, but what about the I2C lines? Will they work in tandem to the other I2C devices?

I'm getting the previously mentioned y-axis no worky. The x and z change with rotation but the y stays around -200 when the compass is rotated like a record player. Anyone figure this one out?

Using this chip breakout board on the Arduino Uno with the example provided I was getting an error at 180 degrees when raw X is less than zero and raw Y is equal to zero. Adding the following "if" statement to the //convert to heading section fixes things.

if (x < 0 && y==0) {
Z = 180;
}

Hello all I am using this breakout board with arduino atmega 1280 and fez panda ii. On both boards I am geting random values between -3 to +3 (raw) without moving the sensors (actually it does not matter at all it reads the same junk). Somebody help me(Virtual Cop style)

this is what I get

Raw:    0   1   -1      Scaled: 0.00   4.35   -4.35     Heading:        1.62 Radians    92.62 Degrees
Raw:    0   1   -1      Scaled: 0.00   4.35   -4.35     Heading:        1.62 Radians    92.62 Degrees
Raw:    2   2   -1      Scaled: 8.70   8.70   -4.35     Heading:        0.83 Radians    47.62 Degrees
Raw:    -1   -1   -1    Scaled: -4.35   -4.35   -4.35           Heading:        3.97 Radians    227.62 Degrees
Raw:    1   0   -1      Scaled: 4.35   0.00   -4.35     Heading:        0.05 Radians    2.62 Degrees
Raw:    -1   1   -1     Scaled: -4.35   4.35   -4.35    Heading:        2.40 Radians    137.62 Degrees
Raw:    0   1   -2      Scaled: 0.00   4.35   -8.70     Heading:        1.62 Radians    92.62 Degrees
Raw:    0   2   -1      Scaled: 0.00   8.70   -4.35     Heading:        1.62 Radians    92.62 Degrees
Raw:    0   1   0       Scaled: 0.00   4.35   0.00      Heading:        1.62 Radians    92.62 Degrees
Raw:    1   1   -3      Scaled: 4.35   4.35   -13.05    Heading:        0.83 Radians    47.62 Degrees

This board/chip is a real disappointing. The data I get from this chip when parallel to the ground is not right. It reads out the Y axis in the Z axis. And each axis has its own scale. Z axis reads from 0 to 512 and X reads from -123 to 173 and the Y axis stays within 280 to 290 when I rotate it around the Z axis. The whole thing is bogus and unreliable. I am going to return it to where I bought it and get another brand. Also the board shows on the schematic that is has the pull up resisters (2.2K) on the SDA and SCL lines. But look at the pictures on the board they are missing! They say nothing about it. The resistors should be right above the 58 markings on the board. Very disappointing!

I've never been able to get any useful measurements from this sensor, is there an alternative i2c compass sensor?

Received this yesterday 9/21/2012 and connected according to the Bildr Tutorial, used the example code posted on this page, and everything seems to be working. Raw values on each axis between -4096 and +4096. However, the data sheet and everything else I have read indicates that EXTERNAL pullups are required and the schematic above shows the pullups but the pads on the board are not populated. What am I missing? Why does it work without them?

Thanks

hi, last week i received my new HCM5883L magnetometer breakout board , i connected it to arduino according to pin configuration that is SCL to pin 5, SDA to pin 4 with 5.6 k pullup resistor but i received just a raw data between 0 and 5 of x and y and the value of z is constant i-e -4096 , i m not getting what happened to this , whether the board is faulty or there is some other reason.i attached the screen shot of the serial monitor with code. plz if some one knows then help me .thanks in advance

https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/u/0/?ui=2&ik=58f2ad39b5&view=att&th=13886d0efd4c66b8&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=f_h4n1ptk60&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P-HEsbSzOf0c1t9f7IJF-lX&sadet=1342878924151&sads=f7oKRGG67IhUfyFUhtBOhr9OEN0

here is the code:

include

// Reference the HMC5883L Compass Library

include

// Store our compass as a variable. HMC5883L compass; // Record any errors that may occur in the compass. int error = 0; // Out setup routine, here we will configure the microcontroller and compass. void setup() { // Initialize the serial port. Serial.begin(9600); Serial.println("Starting the I2C interface."); Wire.begin(); // Start the I2C interface. Serial.println("Constructing new HMC5883L"); compass = HMC5883L(); // Construct a new HMC5883 compass. Serial.println("Setting scale to +/- 1.3 Ga"); error = compass.SetScale(1.3); // Set the scale of the compass. if(error != 0) // If there is an error, print it out. Serial.println(compass.GetErrorText(error)); Serial.println("Setting measurement mode to continous."); error = compass.SetMeasurementMode(Measurement_Continuous); // Set the measurement mode to Continuous if(error != 0) // If there is an error, print it out. Serial.println(compass.GetErrorText(error)); } // Our main program loop. void loop() { // Retrive the raw values from the compass (not scaled). MagnetometerRaw raw = compass.ReadRawAxis(); // Retrived the scaled values from the compass (scaled to the configured scale). MagnetometerScaled scaled = compass.ReadScaledAxis(); // Values are accessed like so: int MilliGauss_OnThe_XAxis = scaled.XAxis;// (or YAxis, or ZAxis) // Calculate heading when the magnetometer is level, then correct for signs of axis. float heading = atan2(scaled.YAxis, scaled.XAxis); // Once you have your heading, you must then add your 'Declination Angle', which is the 'Error' of the magnetic field in your location. // Find yours here: http://www.magnetic-declination.com/ // Mine is: 2� 37' W, which is 2.617 Degrees, or (which we need) 0.0456752665 radians, I will use 0.0457 // If you cannot find your Declination, comment out these two lines, your compass will be slightly off. float declinationAngle = 0.0457; heading += declinationAngle; // Correct for when signs are reversed. if(heading < 0) heading += 2PI; // Check for wrap due to addition of declination. if(heading > 2PI) heading -= 2*PI; // Convert radians to degrees for readability. float headingDegrees = heading * 180/M_PI; // Output the data via the serial port. Output(raw, scaled, heading, headingDegrees); // Normally we would delay the application by 66ms to allow the loop // to run at 15Hz (default bandwidth for the HMC5883L). // However since we have a long serial out (104ms at 9600) we will let // it run at its natural speed. // delay(66); } // Output the data down the serial port. void Output(MagnetometerRaw raw, MagnetometerScaled scaled, float heading, float headingDegrees) { Serial.print("Raw:\t"); Serial.print(raw.XAxis); Serial.print(" ");
Serial.print(raw.YAxis); Serial.print(" ");
Serial.print(raw.ZAxis); Serial.print(" \tScaled:\t"); // Serial.print(scaled.XAxis); Serial.print(" ");
Serial.print(scaled.YAxis); Serial.print(" ");
Serial.print(scaled.ZAxis); // Serial.print(" \tHeading:\t"); Serial.print(heading); Serial.print(" Radians \t"); Serial.print(headingDegrees); Serial.println(" Degrees \t"); }

What is the resistor size (not value) for the pull ups?

Hello people

I just got HMC5883L and tried to run the example code. However, I only get the same number.

x: -144 y: -207 z: -286

Does anyone have the same problem ?

Thank you.

I love this site.

I was testing this board with Example code and this error message pop up once I click on upload button...

Wire.send() has been renamed Wire.write(). .. As of Arduino 1.0, the Wire.receive() function was renamed to Wire.read() for consistency with other libraries.

Can anyone explain for me where I am and how may I proceed from here?

kind regards, (Arduino-uno)

has anyone tried this magnetometer with PSOC?, i am having some troubles with the 3 axes signals.

I have been trying to get a reading using an Arduino UNO, but no matter what code I use, even the above example code, the reading output never changes. Could it be the code or the chip? I have tried multiple other codes and they all do the same thing.

is there a version of this example code in Arduino 1.0?

Why 3 dimensions? I understand x,y for N/S and E/W, but how would you use the z axis, especially if it's not tilt compensated?

In the example; is the data printed as degrees, radians or Gauss?

Can I put 4 of these devices in the same TWI bus? I read over the datasheet but I am not sure if the their inherent addresses can be changed.

Just a heads up - the pin assignments are the exact opposite of the retired HMC5843 (or at least the ground is). I almost bought it for an existing board...good thing I noticed.

Has anyone had any capacitor problems like with the early HMC5843 boards? Did Sparkfun do anything special with the caps on these ones, or are they ordinary garden-variety caps?

Is this from a new manufacturer? Or has the old manufacturer started requiring fiducial markers? Or has that always been a requirement and I just never noticed before?

Could we get an Arduino library or possibly some code?

Considering this is a $1.5 chip in volume, and those caps are probably 1/20th of a cent I'm pretty flawed by the price.
This doesn't even follow the app notes properly which specify there should not be any traces or ground planes under the chip.

Wow, why the high price?