Static Calibration:

As with all sensors, there is some variation in output between samples of these accelerometers. For non-critical applications such as game controllers, or simple motion or tilt sensors, these variations are not important. But for applications requiring precise measurements, calibration to a reliable reference is a good idea.

Gravity as a Calibration Reference

Acceleration is measured in units of gravitational force or "G", where 1G represents the gravitational pull at the surface of the earth.  Despite what you may have heard, gravity is a pretty stable force and makes a convenient and reliable calibration reference if you happen to be a surface-dwelling earthling.
For High-G accelerometers such as the ADXL377, the +/- 1G range of static calibration is too small to assure good accuracy over the +/- 200G range of the sensor. Accurate calibration for extreme G-forces requires more specialized equipment to repeatably create these extreme forces in a controlled environment. One commonly used technique is to drop the accelerometer from a known height and measure the negative acceleration at impact.

Calibration Method:

To calibrate the sensor to the gravitational reference, you need to determine the sensor output for each axis when it is precisely aligned with the axis of gravitational pull.  Laboratory quality calibration uses precision positioning jigs.  The method described here is simple and gives surprisingly good results. 
Mount the Sensor:
First mount the sensor to a small breadboard like the one on the left.  The back and squared edges of the breadboard make a reasonably accurate set of reference planes to orient the sensor for calibration.

Wire the Sensor:
Wire the sensor as shown below.  This is equivalent to the circuit shown on the previous page, with the addition of a switch.

Run the Calibration Sketch

  • Load the sketch below onto the Arduino and run it.
  • Open the Serial Monitor.
  • Lay the breadboard with the sensor on a flat surface
    • Press and hold the button until you see "Calibrate" in the serial monitor.
    • This will calibrate the minimum value for the z axis.
  • Stand the breadboard on the front edge and press the button again. to calibrate +y
  • Repeat this for the three other edges to calibrate +x, -y and -x.
  • Turn the breadboard upside down and press the button again to calibrate +z.  (Hint, the underside of a table works well to steady it.)

Calibration Sketch Output:


Once calibrated, the output will show the calibrated raw range for each axis, followed by the measured "G" forces.  The raw ranges can be used as constants in sketches.

Raw Ranges: X: 408-616, Y: 398-610, Z: 422-625
511, 511, 625 :: -0.01G, 0.07G, 1.00G
Raw Ranges: X: 408-616, Y: 398-610, Z: 422-625
511, 511, 625 :: -0.01G, 0.07G, 1.00G
Raw Ranges: X: 408-616, Y: 398-610, Z: 422-625
511, 511, 625 :: -0.01G, 0.07G, 1.00G
Raw Ranges: X: 408-616, Y: 398-610, Z: 422-625
511, 511, 625 :: -0.01G, 0.07G, 1.00G
Raw Ranges: X: 408-616, Y: 398-610, Z: 422-625

Calibration Sketch

const int xInput = A0;
const int yInput = A1;
const int zInput = A2;
const int buttonPin = 2;

// Raw Ranges:
// initialize to mid-range and allow calibration to
// find the minimum and maximum for each axis
int xRawMin = 512;
int xRawMax = 512;

int yRawMin = 512;
int yRawMax = 512;

int zRawMin = 512;
int zRawMax = 512;

// Take multiple samples to reduce noise
const int sampleSize = 10;

void setup() 
{
  analogReference(EXTERNAL);
  Serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop() 
{
  int xRaw = ReadAxis(xInput);
  int yRaw = ReadAxis(yInput);
  int zRaw = ReadAxis(zInput);
  
  if (digitalRead(buttonPin) == LOW)
  {
    AutoCalibrate(xRaw, yRaw, zRaw);
  }
  else
  {
    Serial.print("Raw Ranges: X: ");
    Serial.print(xRawMin);
    Serial.print("-");
    Serial.print(xRawMax);
    
    Serial.print(", Y: ");
    Serial.print(yRawMin);
    Serial.print("-");
    Serial.print(yRawMax);
    
    Serial.print(", Z: ");
    Serial.print(zRawMin);
    Serial.print("-");
    Serial.print(zRawMax);
    Serial.println();
    Serial.print(xRaw);
    Serial.print(", ");
    Serial.print(yRaw);
    Serial.print(", ");
    Serial.print(zRaw);
    
    // Convert raw values to 'milli-Gs"
    long xScaled = map(xRaw, xRawMin, xRawMax, -1000, 1000);
    long yScaled = map(yRaw, yRawMin, yRawMax, -1000, 1000);
    long zScaled = map(zRaw, zRawMin, zRawMax, -1000, 1000);
  
    // re-scale to fractional Gs
    float xAccel = xScaled / 1000.0;
    float yAccel = yScaled / 1000.0;
    float zAccel = zScaled / 1000.0;
  
    Serial.print(" :: ");
    Serial.print(xAccel);
    Serial.print("G, ");
    Serial.print(yAccel);
    Serial.print("G, ");
    Serial.print(zAccel);
    Serial.println("G");
  
  delay(500);
  }
}

//
// Read "sampleSize" samples and report the average
//
int ReadAxis(int axisPin)
{
  long reading = 0;
  analogRead(axisPin);
  delay(1);
  for (int i = 0; i < sampleSize; i++)
  {
    reading += analogRead(axisPin);
  }
  return reading/sampleSize;
}

//
// Find the extreme raw readings from each axis
//
void AutoCalibrate(int xRaw, int yRaw, int zRaw)
{
  Serial.println("Calibrate");
  if (xRaw < xRawMin)
  {
    xRawMin = xRaw;
  }
  if (xRaw > xRawMax)
  {
    xRawMax = xRaw;
  }
  
  if (yRaw < yRawMin)
  {
    yRawMin = yRaw;
  }
  if (yRaw > yRawMax)
  {
    yRawMax = yRaw;
  }

  if (zRaw < zRawMin)
  {
    zRawMin = zRaw;
  }
  if (zRaw > zRawMax)
  {
    zRawMax = zRaw;
  }
}

This guide was first published on Nov 05, 2012. It was last updated on Mar 08, 2024.

This page (Calibration and Programming) was last updated on Oct 26, 2012.

Text editor powered by tinymce.