Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Parallax MMA7455 3-Axis Accelerometer Module

The Freescale Semiconductor MMA7455L 3-Axis Digital Output Accelerometer is a low power, micro machined sensor capable of measuring acceleration along its X, Y, and Z axes. It offers several convenient integrated features including an analog to digital converter (ADC), digital low-pass filter, and selectable sensitivity ranges of ±2g, ±4g, or ±8g. This device can be easily configured to detect quick motion pulses as single taps, double taps, and 0g (free fall) conditions on any or all axes and provides configurable interrupt pins (INT1 and INT2) for each type of event.

Flexibility and compatibility are designed into this module. An on-board voltage regulator and I/O voltage level-shifters make this module especially easy to connect to virtually any microcontroller. It operates over a wide range of supply voltages from 2.5 VDC to 5.5 VDC and communicates via Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) or Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C) bus.

Features:
  • Wide supply voltage compatibility range.
  • Selectable sensitivity: 8-bit mode (±2g/±4g/±8g) or 10-bit mode (±8g).
  • User configurable interrupts (INT1/INT2).
  • User settable registers to calibrate each axis.
  • Compatible with virtually any microcontroller.
  • On-board voltage regulators and I/O level shifters for added convenience.
  • Low current operation.
  • Compact, breadboard-friendly package: 0.5 inch x 0.6 inch (12.7 mm x 15.2 mm).


Application Ideas:
  • Inertial Measurement Units
  • Tilt Sensing for remote controls
  • Single-tap or Double-tap user Input
  • Free-fall detection
  • Model airplane flight stabilization
  • Multi-axis vibration measurement
  • Motion sensing and data logging


Key Specifications:
  • Operating Voltage: 2.5V – 5.5V.
  • Operating Current: 26μA typ. in standby mode; <3 mA full operation while transmitting data.
  • Communicates using SPI (8 MHz max) or I2C protocols.
  • Operating temperature range: -40°F to +185°F (-40°C to +85°C)
  • Board dimensions: 0.50 x 0.60 x 0.46 in (12.74 x 15.24 x 11.68 mm).
  • Standard pin-to-pin spacing: 0.100 inch (2.54 mm)