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6-axis inertial measurement module with tri-axis accelerometer and gyroscope, based on the MPU-6050 IC. It measures linear acceleration and angular rate on the X, Y and Z axes for motion, tilt, stabilisation and control applications.
The accelerometer provides programmable ±2 g, ±4 g, ±8 g and ±16 g ranges. The gyroscope offers selectable ±250, ±500, ±1000 and ±2000 °/s full-scale ranges. Each axis uses 16-bit analogue-to-digital conversion.
Communication with the host microcontroller uses I²C at up to 400 kHz. The MPU-6050 I²C address can be selected using the AD0 input, allowing operation at 0x68 or 0x69.
The IC includes a Digital Motion Processor (DMP) to offload part of the motion-processing workload from the host microcontroller. Programmable interrupts, motion-detection functions and low-power modes are also provided.
A 1024-byte FIFO can temporarily store accelerometer, gyroscope, temperature and auxiliary-sensor data before the host processor reads it, reducing communication traffic.
The MPU-6050 also includes a digital temperature sensor and an auxiliary I²C bus for compatible external sensors. These resources can support motion processing and system expansion where required.
The GY-521 board is intended for prototyping and microcontroller projects, including Arduino, through its I²C connection. Acceptable board input voltage depends on the regulator and level circuitry fitted to the board; the MPU-6050 IC itself operates from 2.375 to 3.46 V.
| Type | Inertial measurement unit module — IMU |
| Board / format | GY-521 |
| Main IC | MPU-6050 |
| Number of inertial axes | 6 |
| Integrated sensors | 3-axis accelerometer + 3-axis gyroscope |
| Integrated magnetometer | No |
| Accelerometer programmable ranges | ±2 g / ±4 g / ±8 g / ±16 g |
| Gyroscope programmable ranges | ±250 / ±500 / ±1000 / ±2000 °/s |
| Conversion resolution | 16 bits per axis |
| Digital Motion Processor | Integrated DMP |
| FIFO | 1024 bytes |
| Temperature sensor | Digital, integrated in the MPU-6050 |
| Primary interface | I²C |
| I²C speed | Up to 400 kHz |
| I²C addresses | 0x68 / 0x69 via AD0 |
| Auxiliary bus | I²C for external sensors |
| Programmable interrupts | Yes |
| Motion-detection functions | Yes |
| Low-power modes | Yes |
| MPU-6050 IC supply voltage | 2.375–3.46 V |
| MPU-6050 VLOGIC level | 1.8 V ±5% or VDD |
| Application compatibility | I²C microcontroller platforms; marketed as Arduino compatible |
| Applications | Robotics, stabilisation, tilt, motion control and inertial data acquisition |
