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Magnetometer Sensor Manufacturers and Vendors

sensor magnetometer magnetic field manufacturer vendor

This page covers the basics of Magnetometer Sensors and lists popular manufacturers and vendors.

What is a Magnetometer Sensor?

  • A magnetometer sensor is an instrument used to measure magnetic fields.
  • It measures magnetic flux density (B) in units of Tesla or Wb/m2 or kg/(A * s2).
  • Magnetometers are used to detect fluctuations in the Earth’s magnetic field.

magnetometer sensor

  • Magnetometers are classified into two types: scalar and vector.
  • Vector magnetometers measure flux density in a specific direction in three-dimensional space. Example: fluxgate magnetometer.
  • Scalar magnetometers measure the total strength of the magnetic field.
  • Chip-based magnetometers are usually vector types, containing three sensors mounted orthogonally (each at 90 degrees to the other two).
  • They are used for various scientific purposes, navigation, and more. They’re also used in smartphones as compasses.
  • Magnetometer sensors are often used in conjunction with microcontrollers.

Magnetometer Sensor Features (Example: HMC5883L from Honeywell)

Here are some key features of a typical magnetometer sensor:

  • It’s a 3-axis magnetoresistive sensor.
  • It uses a 12-bit ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter) to deliver 1 to 2 degrees of compass heading accuracy.
  • It has an I2C digital interface for easy interfacing with microcontrollers or other controlling devices.
  • It offers a wide magnetic field measurement range.
  • It requires a low voltage (2.16 to 3.6V) for operation and consumes very little power.
  • RoHS Compliance.

Magnetometer Sensor Manufacturers

The following table lists popular Magnetometer Sensor manufacturers or vendors:

Magnetometer Sensor ManufacturersDescription
Honeywell• Model : HMC5883L • Features as mentioned above
Freescale Semiconductor• Model : FXMS3110 • 3-axis magnetometer sensor
InvenSense• Model: MPU-9250 • It is a highly sophisticated IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit). • It includes a 3-axis gyroscope in addition to a 3-axis magnetometer and a 3-axis accelerometer. • It can be accessed using I2C or SPI protocol.
ST Microelectronics (sold by Adafruit)• Model : LSM303 • It also contains a 3-axis accelerometer in addition to a 3-axis magnetometer sensor.
Bosch Sensortec GmbH• Module known as ecompass uses two separate sensors integrated within a single LGA package viz. 3-axis magnetometer and 3-axis accelerometer. Magnetometer is used for geomagnetic field detection and accelerometer is used for tilt compensation.