PNI CompassPoint V2Xe User Manual

User Manual

CompassPoint V2Xe

Electronic 2-Axis Compass Module

Table of Contents

1 COPYRIGHT & WARRANTY INFORMATION ................................................. 1

2 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 2

3 SPECIFICATIONS ......................................................................................... 3

3.1 Performance Specifications .................................................................. 3

3.2 Package Information ............................................................................. 4

4 SET-UP ....................................................................................................... 5

4.1 Electrical Connections ........................................................................... 5

4.2 Mechanical Installation ......................................................................... 6

4.2.1 Mounting Orientation .................................................................. 6

4.2.2 Locate away from changing magnetic fields ............................... 6

4.2.3 Location-verification testing ........................................................ 6

4.3 SPI Hardware Protocol .......................................................................... 6

5 OPERATION WITH V2XE PROTOCOL ........................................................... 8

5.1 Datagram Structure .............................................................................. 8

5.2 Parameter Formats ............................................................................... 9

5.3 Commands & Communication Frames ............................................... 11

5.4 Module Set-Up .................................................................................... 11

5.5 Calibration ........................................................................................... 14

5.6 Making Measurements ....................................................................... 16

List of Tables

Table 3-1: Absolute Maximum Ratings 3
Table 3-2: Module Characteristics 3
Table 4-1: Pin Descriptions 5
Table 5-1: V2Xe Command Set 11
Table 5-2: Configuration Identifiers 12
Table 5-3: ASIC Period Values 13
Table 5-4: Component Identifiers 17

List of Figures

Figure 3-1: Mechanical Drawing 4
Figure 4-1: Transfer from Host to V2Xe 7
Figure 4-2: Transfer from V2Xe to Host 7

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1 Copyright & Warranty Information

© Copyright PNI Sensor Corporation 2012
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction, adaptation, or translation without prior written permission is prohibited, except

as allowed under copyright laws.
Revised May 2012. For most recent version visit our website at www.pnicorp.com
PNI Sensor Corporation

133 Aviation Blvd, Suite 101
Santa Rosa, CA 95403, USA
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Warranty and Limitation of Liability. PNI Sensor Corporation ("PNI") manufactures its V2Xe products

(“Products”) from parts and components that are new or equivalent to new in performance. PNI warrants that each

Product to be delivered hereunder, if properly used, will, for one year following the date of shipment unless a

different warranty time period for such Product is specified: (i) in PNI’s Price List in effect at time of order

acceptance; or (ii) on PNI’s web site (www.pnicorp.com) at time of order acceptance, be free from defects in

material and workmanship and will operate in accordance with PNI’s published specifications and documentation

for the Product in effect at time of order. PNI will make no changes to the specifications or manufacturing processes
that affect form, fit, or function of the Product without written notice to the OEM, however, PNI may at any time,
without such notice, make minor changes to specifications or manufacturing processes that do not affect the form,
fit, or function of the Product. This warranty will be void if the Products’ serial number, or other identification
marks have been defaced, damaged, or removed. This warranty does not cover wear and tear due to normal use, or
damage to the Product as the result of improper usage, neglect of care, alteration, accident, or unauthorized repair.

THE ABOVE WARRANTY IS IN LIEU OF ANY OTHER WARRANTY, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR
STATUTORY, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR ANY WARRANTY OTHERWISE ARISING OUT OF ANY
PROPOSAL, SPECIFICATION, OR SAMPLE. PNI NEITHER ASSUMES NOR AUTHORIZES ANY PERSON
TO ASSUME FOR IT ANY OTHER LIABILITY.

If any Product furnished hereunder fails to conform to the above warranty, OEM’s sole and exclusive remedy and

PNI’s sole and exclusive liability will be, at PNI’s option, to repair, replace, or credit OEM’s account with an

amount equal to the price paid for any such Product which fails during the applicable warranty period provided that
(i) OEM promptly notifies PNI in writing that such Product is defective and furnishes an explanation of the

deficiency; (ii) such Product is returned to PNI’s service facility at OEM’s risk and expense; and (iii) PNI is satisfied

that claimed deficiencies exist and were not caused by accident, misuse, neglect, alteration, repair, improper
installation, or improper testing. If a Product is defective, transportation charges for the return of the Product to
OEM within the United States and Canada will be paid by PNI. For all other locations, the warranty excludes all
costs of shipping, customs clearance, and other related charges. PNI will have a reasonable time to make repairs or
to replace the Product or to credit OEM’s account. PNI warrants any such repaired or replacement Product to be
free from defects in material and workmanship on the same terms as the Product originally purchased.

Except for the breach of warranty remedies set forth herein, or for personal injury, PNI shall have no liability for any
indirect or speculative damages (including, but not limited to, consequential, incidental, punitive and special
damages) relating to the use of or inability to use this Product, whether arising out of contract, negligence, tort, or
under any warranty theory, or for infringement of any other party’s intellectual property rights, irrespective of
whether PNI had advance notice of the possibility of any such damages, including, but not limited to, loss of use,
revenue or profit. In no event shall PNI’s total liability for all claims regarding a Product exceed the price paid for
the Product. PNI neither assumes nor authorizes any person to assume for it any other liabilities.

Some states and provinces do not allow limitations on how long an implied warranty lasts or the exclusion or
limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitations or exclusions may not apply to you. This
warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may have other rights that vary by state or province.

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2 Introduction

Thank you for purchasing PNI Sensor Corporation’s CompassPoint V2Xe (pn 11862). This
RoHS-compliant, low-power-consumption, 2-axis compass module, provides all-digital compass
heading outputs accurate to 1°. The V2Xe provides low power consumption, a small footprint,
large signal noise immunity under all conditions, and a large magnetic field dynamic range. And
measurement data is very stable over temperature and inherently free from offset drift.

The CompassPoint V2Xe allows designers to bypass the time and expense required to build a 2­axis digital compass from scratch. Features include:

an onboard microprocessor for true plug-and-play compassing and magnetic field

sensing,

a SPI interface,
3 V operation,
software configurable resolution and field measurement range,
the ability to calibrate the device to account for local magnetic fields, and
non-volatile memory that retains calibration data after being powered down.

These advantages make the CompassPoint V2Xe the choice for compassing applications that
require a high degree of azimuth accuracy, low power consumption, and/or a small package size.
The V2Xe has proven itself in a variety of applications, including

seismic monitoring,
range finding and binocular systems,
wind direction sensing, and
robotic navigation.

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Parameter

Minimum

Maximum

Units

DC Supply Voltage (VDD)

-0.3

4.1

VDC

Input Pin Voltage (VIN)

VDD – 0.3

VDD + 0.3

VDC

Input Pin Current (IIN)

-2.0

+2.0

mA

Storage Temperature

-40

+85

C

Parameter

Minimum

Maximum

Typical

Supply Voltage (VDD)

3.0 VDC

Idle Current2

0.2 mA

Continuous Current3

2.0 mA

SCLK frequency

3.6864 MHz

Low-level input

GND

GND + 0.6 VDC

High-level input

0.8 x VDD

VDD

Low-level output

GND

GND + 0.25 VDC

High-level output

VDD – 0.25 VDC

VDD

Operating Temperature

-20 ºC

70 ºC

Storage Temperature

-40 ºC

85 ºC

Weight

3 gm

Magnetometer
Mode
Characteristics

Field Measurement Range4

-1100 µT

+1100 µT

Gain5

32 counts/µT

Resolution6

1/gain

Linearity 1%

0.6%

Sensor Frequency

175 kHz

Compass Mode
Characteristics

Accuracy7

2° rms

1° rms

Resolution

0.01°

3 Specifications

3.1 Performance Specifications

Table 3-1: Absolute Maximum Ratings

CAUTION:

Stresses beyond those listed above may cause permanent damage to the device. These are stress
ratings only. Assuming operation with the 3D MagIC ASIC per the guidelines in this manual,
these maximum ratings will not be violated.

Table 3-2: Module Characteristics1

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Footnotes:

1. Characteristics are subject to change. Values assume supply voltage of 3 VDC.

2. Measurement taken with no sensor activity

3. Measurement taken during continuous polling of sensors

4. Field measurement range is defined a the monotonic region of the output characteristic curve

5. Gain is defined as the change in the number of counts from the ASIC when the period select is set
to 2048, per change in the magnetic field in µT. For situations requiring higher gain and less field
measurement range, the gain and resolution can be increased by a factor of 2 by setting the ASIC
period select to 4096. When setting higher selects, be aware that the ASIC counter can overflow if
the field is strong enough to drive the count beyond a signed 16-bit integer. Period select set to 2048
is the highest setting where it is impossible to overflow the counter.

6. Resolution is 1/gain to the noise limit.

7. Requires that a field calibration be performed. In practical compass applications, a calibration is
normally performed when the compass module is in the host system.

3.2 Package Information

Dimensions in mm

The default orientation is for the silk-screened arrow to point in the “forward” direction.

Figure 3-1: Mechanical Drawing

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