🧠 What is the MPU6050?

The MPU6050 is a 6-axis motion tracking module that combines:

• 3-axis gyroscope (measures rotation)
• 3-axis accelerometer (measures linear acceleration)
• Plus a Digital Motion Processor (DMP) for sensor fusion!

It’s a compact, powerful IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) for Arduino and other microcontrollers.

⚙️ Key Specs

🔌 Pinout (Typical Module)

📌 On most breakout boards, you can safely connect VCC to 5V (they have a regulator & logic shifter built in).

🧭 What Can It Measure?

✅ Tilt (pitch, roll)
✅ Rotation (yaw, angular velocity)
✅ Acceleration (e.g., walking, shaking)
✅ Orientation (with sensor fusion!)

🧰 Arduino Code Example (Using Wire + Adafruit Library)

First, install:

• Adafruit_MPU6050
• Adafruit_Sensor
• Wire

#include <Wire.h>
#include <Adafruit_MPU6050.h>
#include <Adafruit_Sensor.h>

Adafruit_MPU6050 mpu;

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);
  while (!Serial)
    delay(10);

  if (!mpu.begin()) {
    Serial.println("MPU6050 not found!");
    while (1) yield();
  }

  Serial.println("MPU6050 ready!");

  mpu.setAccelerometerRange(MPU6050_RANGE_8_G);
  mpu.setGyroRange(MPU6050_RANGE_500_DEG);
  mpu.setFilterBandwidth(MPU6050_BAND_21_HZ);
}

void loop() {
  sensors_event_t a, g, temp;
  mpu.getEvent(&a, &g, &temp);

  Serial.print("Accel X: "); Serial.print(a.acceleration.x); Serial.print(" m/s^2, ");
  Serial.print("Y: "); Serial.print(a.acceleration.y); Serial.print(", ");
  Serial.print("Z: "); Serial.print(a.acceleration.z); Serial.println();

  Serial.print("Gyro X: "); Serial.print(g.gyro.x); Serial.print(" rad/s, ");
  Serial.print("Y: "); Serial.print(g.gyro.y); Serial.print(", ");
  Serial.print("Z: "); Serial.print(g.gyro.z); Serial.println();

  Serial.println("----");
  delay(500);
}

🧪 Use Cases

• 🤖 Self-balancing robots (like mini Segways!)
• 🎮 Motion-controlled joysticks
• 🚁 Quadcopters and drones
• 🧍 Fall detection or human motion tracking
• 🎓 Robotics education kits

⚠️ Tips & Gotchas

⚠️ Needs calibration for accurate data
⚠️ Sensitive to vibrations — mount with foam or dampening
⚠️ Raw gyro data drifts over time — use sensor fusion (e.g., Madgwick or Mahony filters)

🧙 Want More?

• How to combine it with servos for balancing bots 🤖🧍‍♂️
• 3D visualization of motion in Processing or Unity 🎮
• How to fuse it with magnetometers (MPU9250 style!)