What should I use?

Help & Support Robot Parts
1

Hi there,
I am a newbie to the magnetic sensing world and I am kind of lost. Although this is not for a robot your input would be greatly appreciated.
I need to find the compass heading, angle of elevation and any tilt. I am trying to determine where a camera is looking as accurately as possible. Should I be using a 3-axis IMU, a gyroscope or accelerometer, a compass combined with another sensor, a tilt-compensated compass? I’d like to keep accuracy as high as reasonably possible without breaking the bank (this is for a proof of concept after all).

If someone could give me a hand selecting a unit, I would be much obliged.

Thank you,
Devon

2

Take a look at the IMU Thread for the scenario where the platform can move independantly of the camera orientation. However, you might want to instead consider a pair of optical encoders or potentiometers for robot specific angles. We offer several accurate compass modules to determine orientation with respect to the earth’s magnetic field. These should prove very accurate. If budget allows consider an Ocean Server Solid State Tilt Compensated 3-axis digital compass (found on the same page).