x-IMU - The Ultimate IMU/AHRS Platform

The x-IMU was designed to be the most versatile Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and Attitude Heading Reference System (AHRS) platform available. Its host of on-board sensors, algorithms, configurable auxiliary port and real-time communication via USB, Bluetooth or UART make it both a powerful sensor and controller. The on-board SD card, battery charger (via USB), real-time clock/calendar and motion trigger wake up also make the x-IMU an ideal standalone data logger.

The x-IMU GUI can be used to configure settings, view real-time sensor data, perform calibration and export data to user software; e.g. Microsoft Excel. The x-IMU MATLAB library provides all the tools required to import, organise and plot data in MATLAB. User software can be developed using the x-IMU API.

See x-IMU Examples for example open source projects and demonstration videos.

The x-IMU is available to buy either alone (£249.00) or assembled with a 1000 mAh battery within plastic housing (£309.00). Please contact us for volume pricing. Customer must source USB cable, Bluetooth dongle, SD card and SD card reader if required.

x-IMU Features

On-board sensors

Triple axis 16-bit gyroscope - Selectable range up to ±2000 °/s
Triple axis 12-bit accelerometer - Selectable range up to ±8 g
Triple axis 12-bit magnetometer - Selectable range up to ±8.1 G
16-bit thermometer
12-bit battery voltage level
Factory calibrated
Temperature compensated (gyroscope only)
Selectable data rates up to 512 Hz

On-board algorithms

IMU and AHRS algorithms provide real-time measurement of orientation relative to the Earth
Internal states updated at 512 Hz
Algorithm 'initialise' and 'tare' commands can be sent in real-time
Complete sensor calibration algorithms for user maintenance

Connectivity

USB
Bluetooth - Class 1, 100m range, SPP
Micro SD card - Supports FAT16/32 and SDHC
UART (see auxiliary port mode)

Power options

USB
LiPo battery - On-board charging via USB
External source from 3.6 V to 6.3 V
Low power consumption - 50 mA to 150 mA dependent on settings and usage, 130 µA sleep mode

Low profile

Dimensions: 33 × 42 × 10 mm (57 × 38 × 21 mm with plastic housing and battery)
Weight: 12g (49 g with plastic housing and battery)

Other features

Motion triggered wake-up and sleep timer
Real-time clock and calendar
Configurable command button
Configurable 8 channel auxiliary port

Auxiliary port

External power in from 3.6 V to 6.3 V
3.3 V power out up to 100 mA
Digital I/O mode - 8 channels, controlled via USB or Bluetooth. Example use: 'Wii Mote style' Mouse for PC
Analogue input mode - 8 channels, 12-bit resolution, 0 to 3.3 V
PWM output mode - 4 channels, 1 to 65,535 Hz, controlled via USB or Bluetooth
ADXL345 bus mode - 4 external triple-axis, ±16g, 13-bit resolution accelerometers
UART mode - 3.3 V, 2400 to 921.6k baud, substitutes Bluetooth

x-IMU Software

The x-IMU GUI (Graphical User Interface) provides interface to all features and functionality of the x-IMU via the x-IMU API. The x-IMU GUI is open source and so is intended to serve as a comprehensive template for those using the x-IMU API to develop their own applications. Additional open source software examples using the x-IMU API for various applications can be found on the x-IMU Examples page.

Features

View, edit and backup all internal x-IMU settings
Real-time 2D and 3D data graphics
Control panels for auxiliary port
Data logger and file converter for exporting data; e.g. to MATLAB, Microsoft Excel, etc.
Magnetic calibration tools
Firmware bootloader to access new features in future x-IMU firmware versions

Images

Resources

See x-IMU Examples for example projects, demonstration videos and source code. Open-source resources available on this website are provided under the GNU General Public Licence unless an alternative licence is provided in source.

Documentation