Circuit Biscuits

Lesson 6 - Motion Sensing With MPU6050 Pupil Notes

The MPU6050 helps the board measure movement and orientation. We explore pitch, roll, and yaw and connect live sensor values to what we see in the dashboard.

In This Lesson

Lesson 6 Pupil Notes

Title

Motion Sensing With MPU6050

Big Question

How can a board detect tilt, motion, and rotation?

What This Lesson Is About

The MPU6050 helps the board measure movement and orientation. We explore pitch, roll, and yaw and connect live sensor values to what we see in the dashboard.

Key Words

  • motion
  • accelerometer
  • gyroscope
  • pitch
  • roll
  • yaw

Before You Start

  • Open the MPU panel and live values.
  • Hold the board safely before moving it.
  • Watch both the visual indicator and the numbers.

What To Remember

  • the accelerometer helps measure acceleration and tilt
  • the gyroscope helps measure rotation
  • pitch, roll, and yaw describe orientation
  • sensor values can be shown live in the dashboard
  • the output log and JSON data show the actual values coming back from the board

What We Did

  • moved and tilted the board
  • watched live motion values
  • looked in the output log and JSON data to see the values directly
  • linked movement to display or behaviour

What To Look For

  • which movement changes pitch?
  • which movement changes roll?
  • which movement changes yaw?
  • how closely do the numbers and the visual model agree?

Try This

  • Tilt the board forward and back.
  • Tilt it side to side.
  • Rotate it and watch yaw.
  • Look in the log and identify one value that matches what you just did.

Why It Matters

Motion sensing is used in drones, phones, game controllers, robots, and safety systems. It turns movement into usable data.

Check Yourself

  • What does an accelerometer help measure?
  • What does a gyroscope help measure?
  • What are pitch, roll, and yaw?
  • Where can you look in the dashboard to see the JSON values?

Reflection

  • A movement I tested:
  • Which value changed most:
  • A JSON value I noticed:
  • One product that might use this kind of sensor: