Configure an ADXL345 Accelerometer (viam-micro-server)

The accel-adxl345 movement sensor model supports the Analog Devices ADXL345 digital accelerometer. This three axis accelerometer supplies linear acceleration data, supporting the LinearAcceleration method.

If you are using a Viam Rover, this is the accelerometer on it.

Navigate to the CONFIGURE tab of your machine’s page in the Viam app. Click the + icon next to your machine part in the left-hand menu and select Component. Select the movement-sensor type, then select the accel-adxl345 model. Enter a name or use the suggested name for your movement sensor and click Create.

Creation of an `accel-adxl345` movement sensor in the Viam app config builder.

Copy and paste the following attribute template into your movement sensor’s attributes field. Then remove and fill in the attributes as applicable to your movement sensor, according to the table below.

{
  "board": "<your-board-name>",
  "i2c_bus": "<your-i2c-bus-name-on-board>",
  "use_alt_i2c_address": <boolean>,
}

{
  "board": "local",
  "i2c_bus": "default_i2c_bus"
}

{
  "components": [
    {
      "name": "<your-sensor-name>",
      "model": "accel-adxl345",
      "type": "movement_sensor",
      "namespace": "rdk",
      "attributes": {
        "board": "<your-board-name>",
        "i2c_bus": "<your-i2c-bus-name-on-board>",
        "use_alt_i2c_address": <boolean>
      }
    }
  ]
}

{
  "components": [
    {
      "name": "local",
      "model": "esp32",
      "type": "board",
      "namespace": "rdk",
      "attributes": {
        "pins": [15, 21, 22],
        "i2cs": [
          {
            "name": "default_i2c_bus",
            "bus": "i2c0",
            "data_pin": 21,
            "clock_pin": 22
          }
        ]
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "my-adxl",
      "model": "accel-adxl345",
      "type": "movement_sensor",
      "namespace": "rdk",
      "attributes": {
        "board": "local",
        "i2c_bus": "default_i2c_bus",
        "use_alt_i2c_address": false
      }
    }
  ]
}

Attributes

NameTypeRequired?Description
boardstringRequiredThe name of the board to which the device is wired.
i2c_busstringRequiredThe name of the I2C bus on the board wired to this device.
use_alt_i2c_addressboolOptionalDepends on whether you wire SDO low (leaving the default address of 0x53) or high (making the address 0x1D). If high, set true. If low, set false or omit the attribute.
Default: false

Test the movement sensor

After you configure your movement sensor, navigate to the Control tab and select the dedicated movement sensor dropdown panel. This panel presents the data collected by the movement sensor.

The movement sensor component in the control tab

Next steps

For more configuration and development info, see:

Movement sensor API

Give commands for getting the current GPS location, linear velocity and acceleration, angular velocity and acceleration and heading.

Configure a smart machine

Create a machine in a few steps using Viam's modular system of components and services without writing much or any code.

Write control code for your machine

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If you notice any issues with the documentation, feel free to file an issue or edit this file.