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Looking for tiny 6D IMU (Gyro+Accelerometer)

opatut

Aug 29, 2016
2
Joined
Aug 29, 2016
Messages
2
Hello folks, I could need some help finding the right component for my hobby project.

I am looking for a very small IMU (Inertial measurement unit). The components I can find, such as on polulu.com are only available on boards sized at least 0.8″ × 0.5" (20x13mm), which is already too large (I want to attach them to my fingertips).

The smallest board I found was 0.4" x 0.5", which would be okay if it wasn't only a gyro (3D).

Is there any component you know of (or how/where I can find one) that is either even smaller (around the size of that last gyro), OR has the actual measurement unit (the IC) attached to a cable and the communications board in a reasonable distance to the chip (>= 15cm).

I am planning to have 6 of these units attached to my hand, one at each fingertip and one at the back of the hand. So weight and cost do play a role, but size is crucial here :)

I'm grateful for any hints and looking forward to your replies. Thanks.

opatut
 

opatut

Aug 29, 2016
2
Joined
Aug 29, 2016
Messages
2
Found this little fella: http://www.robotshop.com/en/flora-adafruit-lsm9ds0-9dof-2000-sec-16g-imu.html

Still, 16mm is a bit large, that would more than cover my nails and probably hinder movement. Anything smaller?

One more thing: if I want to attach, say, 12 of these to a Raspberry Pi, could I use the 2 I2C buses, and 2 dual address translators such as this one, to reach all 12 of them? I.e. can I do something like

  • Bus 1
    • Sensor 1 (Address 0x1D)
    • Sensor 2 (Address 0x6B)
    • Address Translator
      • Translation 1 (+0x02)
        • Sensor 3 (Address 0x1D+0x02=0x1F)
        • Sensor 4 (Address 0x6B+0x02=0x6D)
      • Translation 2 (+0x04)
        • Sensor 5 (Address 0x1D+0x04=0x21)
        • Sensor 6 (Address 0x6B+0x04=0x6F)
  • Bus 2
    • Sensor 7 (Address 0x1D)
    • Sensor 8 (Address 0x6B)
    • Address Translator
      • Translation 1 (+0x02)
        • Sensor 9 (Address 0x1D+0x02=0x1F)
        • Sensor 10 (Address 0x6B+0x02=0x6D)
      • Translation 2 (+0x04)
        • Sensor 11 (Address 0x1D+0x04=0x21)
        • Sensor 12 (Address 0x6B+0x04=0x6F)
The question is whether I can attach both two sensors AND an address translator with 2 sensors per output to each bus, i.e. triple the device count per bus by using one dual-offset translator. If not, can I chain address translators, or is there a reason (e.g. delays) why that might not work?
 
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