Discussions

Hello,

  I work with Love Electronics in the UK, providing breakout boards and development resources in the UK and Europe.

  I've noticed a lot of people bringing out new IMU boards recently, but with many people who would purchase them asking for additional features/modifications. I have a design I would like to implement, and would love some feedback at this stage to improve the product before its release.

  Here are the current details:

• 3 Axis Accelerometer (ADXL346)
• 3 Axis Gyroscope (TBD)
• 3 Axis Magnetometer (HMC5883L)
• Pressure Sensor (BMP085)
• Real Time Clock (TBD)
• Temperature Sensor (TBD)
• GPS Header
• XBee Header
• Output data over I2C, SPI and Serial
• Input interrupts
• Lightweight
• Low power

  My questions would be, often people are asking for the following features, would people be prepared to pay for these extra features, or are they not a deal-breaker for an IMU purchase?

• Micro SD Card
• PWM Headers (With 5V, Signal, GND)
• Power Regulation (Provide 12, 5, 3.3V to external circuits)
• JTAG Exposed

   The main point of contention is usually the microcontroller on the board. A lot of people prefer an ATMega328, for use with the Arduino enviroment, however a lot of other people would prefer something a little more pokey, like an ARM7. Also, some people would rather there wasn't a microcontroller, just outputs so that people can add their own, what is your take on this?

    I would really appreciate some feedback from the community here at diydrones.com, since you guys seem to know a good IMU when you see one!

Thanks,

James

www.loveelectronics.co.uk