Getting Started

Welcome to the MOT1101 user guide! In order to get started, make sure you have the following hardware on hand:

• A MOT1101 Spatial Phidget
• VINT Hub
• Phidget cable
• USB cable and computer

Next, you will need to connect the pieces:

1. Connect the MOT1101 to the VINT Hub using the Phidget cable.
2. Connect the VINT Hub to your computer with a USB cable.

Using the MOT1101

Phidget Control Panel

In order to demonstrate the functionality of the MOT1101, the Phidget Control Panel running on a Windows machine will be used.

The Phidget Control Panel is available for use on both macOS and Windows machines.

Windows

To open the Phidget Control Panel on Windows, find the icon in the taskbar. If it is not there, open up the start menu and search for Phidget Control Panel

macOS

To open the Phidget Control Panel on macOS, open Finder and navigate to the Phidget Control Panel in the Applications list. Double click on the icon to bring up the Phidget Control Panel.

For more information, take a look at the getting started guide for your operating system:

• Getting started with Windows
• Getting started with macOS

Linux users can follow the getting started with Linux guide and continue reading here for more information about the MOT1101.

First Look

After plugging the MOT1101 into your computer and opening the Phidget Control Panel, you will see something like this:

The Phidget Control Panel will list all connected Phidgets and associated objects, as well as the following information:

• Serial number: allows you to differentiate between similar Phidgets.
• Channel: allows you to differentiate between similar objects on a Phidget.
• Version number: corresponds to the firmware version your Phidget is running. If your Phidget is listed in red, your firmware is out of date. Update the firmware by double-clicking the entry.

The Phidget Control Panel can also be used to test your device. Double-clicking on an object will open an example.

Accelerometer

Double-click on the Accelerometer object "3-Axis Accelerometer" in order to run the example:

General information about the selected object will be displayed at the top of the window. You can also experiment with the following functionality:

• Modify the change trigger and/or data interval value by dragging the sliders. For more information on these settings, see the data interval/change trigger page.
• The measured values reported in g-force can be seen via labels as well as graphical dials. Try tilting the MOT1101 in different directions to see the labels and graphics change.
• An extremely accurate timestamp is also reported with the g-force values.

Gyroscope

Double-click on the Gyroscope object in order to run the example:

General information about the selected object will be displayed at the top of the window. You can also experiment with the following functionality:

• Modify the change trigger and/or data interval value by dragging the sliders. For more information on these settings, see the data interval/change trigger page.
• The Zero Gyro button is used to compensate for the drift that is inherent to all gyroscopes. The gyroscope primer has more information about this subject.
• The measured values reported in degrees per second can be seen via labels as well as graphical dials. Try rotating the MOT1101 in different directions to see the labels and graphics change.
• An extremely accurate timestamp is also reported with the g-force values.

Magnetometer

Double-click on the Magnetometer object in order to run the example:

General information about the selected object will be displayed at the top of the window. You can also experiment with the following functionality:

• Modify the change trigger and/or data interval value by dragging the sliders. For more information on these settings, see the data interval/change trigger page.
• Use the Set Params... button to set the calibration parameters. For more information about calibration, see the technical section.
• The measured values reported in Gauss can be seen via labels as well as a graphical diagram. The diagram can help you visualize the magnetic field vector.
• An extremely accurate timestamp is also reported with the Gauss values.

Spatial

Double-click on the Spatial object in order to run the example:

The Spatial example demonstrates that you can receive data from the accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer all at once by using the Spatial object rather than the other three objects individually.

Finding The Addressing Information

Before you can access the device in your own code, and from our examples, you'll need to take note of the addressing parameters for your Phidget. These will indicate how the Phidget is physically connected to your application. For simplicity, these parameters can be found by clicking the button at the top of the Control Panel example for that Phidget.

In the Addressing Information window, the section above the line displays information you will need to connect to your Phidget from any application. In particular, note the Channel Class field as this will be the API you will need to use with your Phidget, and the type of example you should use to get started with it. The section below the line provides information about the network the Phidget is connected on if it is attached remotely. Keep track of these parameters moving forward, as you will need them once you start running our examples or your own code.

Using Your Own Program

You are now ready to start writing your own code for the device. The best way to do that is to start from our Code Samples.

Select your programming language of choice from the drop-down list to get an example for your device. You can use the options provided to further customize the example to best suit your needs.

Once you have your example, you will need to follow the instructions on the page for your programming language to get it running. To find these instructions, select your programming language from the Programming Languages page.

Technical Details

Compass Calibration

Magnetic Error Correction (Calibration)

In order to get numbers of useful accuracy from the MOT1101's compass you will need to provide calibration parameters. To make determining them easy, we distribute a program with our drivers that does this for you.

To calibrate your compass:

• Navigate to the Phidgets installation folder on your computer. Open the 'examples' folder and find the Compass Calibrator program.

• Start the program and find the link in the Settings/Status text box. Go to the website listed. (http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/geomag-web/#igrfwmm)

• Select your country and city. Click 'Get Location' and then 'Compute'. A table of values will show up in an overlaid window. The value you will need is the 'Total Field' value in nT.

• Enter the magnetic field value into the calibration program. Note that it wants the field strength in Gauss, not nT like the website gives you. 1T = 10000 Gauss so you can divide by 1x10^5 to convert to Gauss.
• Depending on what your application is this step as well as the next step might be a bit different. If you are intending on mounting the MOT1101 onto a large vehicle such as a car then you should mount the 1056 securely to the vehicle in its final intended position then check the 2-axis bubble, click the 'Start' button.
• If you are using a smaller, more easily handled vehicle such as a small robot (something you could physically pick up) you will mount the MOT1101 and use the 3-axis calibration instead. Click 'Start'.

• Rotate the compass around (including whatever equipment you have mounted it to) such that the red dots being generated on screen outline as much of a full sphere (in 3-axis) as possible. This will take several minutes. Being perfect is not necessary but try to be as thorough as time permits. Once done, click stop.
• If you are in a large vehicle, you will be aiming to fill out a disc instead of a sphere. This can be done by simply driving around for a few minutes making sure to do complete ${\displaystyle 360^{o}}$ turns in the process.

• Take the parameters displayed in the text box and use them for your compass. For example in C#:

 
     setCompassCorrectionParameters(0.51075, 0.18820, -0.07456, -0.02209, 1.87163, 1.87640, 2.12565, -0.04000, -0.04084, -0.03552, 0.09073, -0.04258, 0.11056);

Current Consumption

The current consumption of this device depends on what the data interval is set to.

Gyroscope Resolution

Due to the way the gyroscope chip on the MOT1101 switches internal gain values to measure a wide range of angular rates, the resolution varies depending on the angular rate currently being measured.

Further Reading

For more information on how to use the data from the objects on the Spatial Phidget, refer to the appropriate primer:

• Accelerometer Primer
• Gyroscope Primer
• Magnetometer Primer

What to do Next

• Programming Languages - Find your preferred programming language here and learn how to write your own code with Phidgets!
• Phidget Programming Basics - Once you have set up Phidgets to work with your programming environment, we recommend you read our page on to learn the fundamentals of programming with Phidgets.