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In this video lesson I show you how you can measure rotational velocity using the gyroscopes on the MPU6050 IMU module on the GY-87 board.

Below is the code which we develop in this lesson.

#include <Adafruit_MPU6050.h>
#include <Adafruit_Sensor.h>
#include <Wire.h>
float Ax;
float Ay;
float Az;

float Gx;
float Gy;
float Gz;

// If You want Calibrated results, you must rotate
// your board to all possible orientations, and
// record your velues of xMax, xMin, yMax, yMin
// zMax, zMin. I show you how to do that in LESSON
// 79 on my youtube channel. Put in your values and then
// uncomment the code below. Don't use my values, you have
// to measure your own for it to work.

// float xMax= 1.03;
// float xMin= -.97;
// float yMax= .98;
// float yMin= -1.01;
// float zMax=.96 ;
// float zMin= -1.08;

// float xOffset = (xMax+xMin)/2;
// float yOffset = (yMax+yMin)/2;
// float zOffset = (zMax+zMin)/2;

// float xScale = 2/(xMax -xMin);
// float yScale = 2/(yMax - yMin);
// float zScale = 2/(zMax -zMin);

float roll = 0;
float pitch = 0;
float rollRAW;
float pitchRAW;

Adafruit_MPU6050 mpu;

void setup() {
  // put your setup code here, to run once:
  Serial.begin(115200);
  mpu.begin();
  Serial.println("MPU6050 Started!");
  mpu.setAccelerometerRange(MPU6050_RANGE_2_G);
  mpu.setGyroRange(MPU6050_RANGE_250_DEG);
  mpu.setFilterBandwidth(MPU6050_BAND_21_HZ);
}

void loop() {
  // put your main code here, to run repeatedly:
  sensors_event_t a, g, temp;
  mpu.getEvent(&a, &g, &temp);
  Ax = a.acceleration.x / 9.81;
  Ay = a.acceleration.y / 9.81;
  Az = a.acceleration.z / 9.81;

  Gx = g.gyro.x;
  Gy = g.gyro.y;
  Gz = g.gyro.z;



  //Uncomment these lines of code to do the callibration
  //This will only work if you have measured your max
  //and min values, and put them in at the top of the code
  // Ax = xScale*(Ax-xOffset);
  // Ay = yScale*(Ay-yOffset);
  // Az = zScale*(Az-zOffset);

  pitchRAW = atan2(Ay, sqrt(Az * Az + Ax * Ax)) * 360 / (2 * 3.14);
  rollRAW = atan2(Ax, sqrt(Az * Az + Ay * Ay)) * 360 / (2 * 3.14);

  pitch = .75 * pitch + .25 * pitchRAW;
  roll = .75 * roll + .25 * rollRAW;

  Serial.print("Gx:");
  Serial.print(Gx);
  Serial.print(',');
  Serial.print("Gy:");
  Serial.print(Gy);
  Serial.print(',');
  Serial.print("Gz:");
  Serial.print(Gz);
  Serial.print(',');
  Serial.print("UL:");
  Serial.print(5);
  Serial.print(',');
  Serial.print("LL:");
  Serial.println(-5);

  //   Serial.print("Ax:");
  //   Serial.print(Ax);
  //   Serial.print(',');
  //   Serial.print("Ay:");
  //   Serial.print(Ay);
  //   Serial.print(',');
  //     Serial.print("Az:");
  //   Serial.print(Az);
  //   Serial.print(',');
  //  Serial.print("UL:");
  //  Serial.print(1);
  //  Serial.print(',');
  //  Serial.print("LL:");
  //  Serial.println(-1);
  delay(10);
}

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#include <Adafruit_MPU6050.h>

#include <Adafruit_Sensor.h>

#include <Wire.h>

float Ax;

float Ay;

float Az;

float Gx;

float Gy;

float Gz;

// If You want Calibrated results, you must rotate

// your board to all possible orientations, and

// record your velues of xMax, xMin, yMax, yMin

// zMax, zMin. I show you how to do that in LESSON

// 79 on my youtube channel. Put in your values and then

// uncomment the code below. Don't use my values, you have

// to measure your own for it to work.

// float xMax= 1.03;

// float xMin= -.97;

// float yMax= .98;

// float yMin= -1.01;

// float zMax=.96 ;

// float zMin= -1.08;

// float xOffset = (xMax+xMin)/2;

// float yOffset = (yMax+yMin)/2;

// float zOffset = (zMax+zMin)/2;

// float xScale = 2/(xMax -xMin);

// float yScale = 2/(yMax - yMin);

// float zScale = 2/(zMax -zMin);

float roll = 0;

float pitch = 0;

float rollRAW;

float pitchRAW;

Adafruit_MPU6050 mpu;

void setup() {

// put your setup code here, to run once:

Serial.begin(115200);

mpu.begin();

Serial.println("MPU6050 Started!");

mpu.setAccelerometerRange(MPU6050_RANGE_2_G);

mpu.setGyroRange(MPU6050_RANGE_250_DEG);

mpu.setFilterBandwidth(MPU6050_BAND_21_HZ);

}

void loop() {

// put your main code here, to run repeatedly:

sensors_event_t a, g, temp;

mpu.getEvent(&a, &g, &temp);

Ax = a.acceleration.x / 9.81;

Ay = a.acceleration.y / 9.81;

Az = a.acceleration.z / 9.81;

Gx = g.gyro.x;

Gy = g.gyro.y;

Gz = g.gyro.z;

//Uncomment these lines of code to do the callibration

//This will only work if you have measured your max

//and min values, and put them in at the top of the code

// Ax = xScale*(Ax-xOffset);

// Ay = yScale*(Ay-yOffset);

// Az = zScale*(Az-zOffset);

pitchRAW = atan2(Ay, sqrt(Az * Az + Ax * Ax)) * 360 / (2 * 3.14);

rollRAW = atan2(Ax, sqrt(Az * Az + Ay * Ay)) * 360 / (2 * 3.14);

pitch = .75 * pitch + .25 * pitchRAW;

roll = .75 * roll + .25 * rollRAW;

Serial.print("Gx:");

Serial.print(Gx);

Serial.print(',');

Serial.print("Gy:");

Serial.print(Gy);

Serial.print(',');

Serial.print("Gz:");

Serial.print(Gz);

Serial.print(',');

Serial.print("UL:");

Serial.print(5);

Serial.print(',');

Serial.print("LL:");

Serial.println(-5);

// Serial.print("Ax:");

// Serial.print(Ax);

// Serial.print(',');

// Serial.print("Ay:");

// Serial.print(Ay);

// Serial.print(',');

// Serial.print("Az:");

// Serial.print(Az);

// Serial.print(',');

// Serial.print("UL:");

// Serial.print(1);

// Serial.print(',');

// Serial.print("LL:");

// Serial.println(-1);

delay(10);

}

Raspberry Pi Pico

Portable Power for Your Raspberry Pi Pico W Project Using the Sunfounder Breadvolt

August 19, 2025 admin

In this video lesson we show how you can power your GPS tracker project from the Sunfounder Breadvolt power supply (order HERE). As explained in the video, never turn the breadvolt on while the Pi Pico is connected to the USB, as this could backfeed current, and damage your computer. Disconnect the USB from the Pi Pico before turning the breadvolt on. Here is our updated schematic for remote operation.

This is the code we are presently using for the project:

from machine import Pin,I2C,UART
import time
import _thread
from ssd1306 import SSD1306_I2C

utcCorrect = 3

i2c2 = I2C(1, sda=Pin(2), scl=Pin(3), freq=400000)
dsp = SSD1306_I2C(128,64,i2c2)

dataLock = _thread.allocate_lock()
keepRunning = True
GPS = UART(1, baudrate=9600, tx=machine.Pin(8), rx=machine.Pin(9))
# Reset GPS
GPS.write(b'$PMTK314,-1*04\r\n')
#The following line ensures that the GPS reports the GPVTG NMEA Sentence
GPS.write(b"$PMTK314,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0*28\r\n")
NMEAdata = {
    'GPGGA' : "",
    'GPGSA' : "",
    'GPRMC' : "",
    'GPVTG' : ""
    }
GPSdata = {
    'latDD' 	: 0,
    'lonDD'		: 0,
    'heading'	: 0,
    'fix'		: False,
    'sats'		: 0,
    'knots'		: 0,
    'time'		: '00:00:00',
    'date'		: '00/00/0000',
    'alt'		: 0.0
    }
def gpsThread():
    print("Thread Running")
    global keepRunning,NMEAdata
    GPGGA = ""
    GPGSA = ""
    GPRMC = ""
    GPVTG = ""
    while not GPS.any():
        pass
    while GPS.any():
        junk = GPS.read()
        print(junk)
    myNMEA = ""
    while keepRunning:
        if GPS.any():
            myChar=GPS.read(1).decode('utf-8')
            myNMEA = myNMEA + myChar
            if myChar == '\n':
                myNMEA = myNMEA.strip()
                if myNMEA[1:6] == "GPGGA":
                    GPGGA = myNMEA
                if myNMEA[1:6] == "GPGSA":
                    GPGSA = myNMEA
                if myNMEA[1:6] == "GPRMC":
                    GPRMC = myNMEA
                if myNMEA[1:6] == "GPVTG":
                    GPVTG = myNMEA
                if GPGGA != "" and GPGSA!="" and GPRMC!="" and GPVTG!="":
                    dataLock.acquire()
                    NMEAdata = {
                        'GPGGA' : GPGGA,
                        'GPGSA' : GPGSA,
                        'GPRMC' : GPRMC,
                        'GPVTG' : GPVTG
                        }
                    dataLock.release()
                myNMEA = ""
    print("Thread Terminated Cleanly")
def parseGPS():
    readFix=int(NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[6])
    if readFix !=0:
        GPSdata['fix'] = True
        latRAW = NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[2]
        latDD = int(latRAW[0:2]) + float(latRAW[2:])/60
        if NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[3] == 'S':
            latDD = -latDD
        GPSdata['latDD']= latDD
        lonRAW=NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[4]
        lonDD=int(lonRAW[0:3]) + float(lonRAW[3:])/60
        if NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[5] == 'W':
            lonDD = -lonDD
        GPSdata['lonDD'] = lonDD
        heading = float(NMEAmain['GPRMC'].split(',')[8])
        GPSdata['heading'] = heading
        knots = float(NMEAmain['GPRMC'].split(',')[7])
        GPSdata['knots'] = knots
        sats = int(NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[7])
        GPSdata['sats'] = sats
        utcTime = NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[1]
        utcDate = NMEAmain['GPRMC'].split(',')[9]
        # utcTime = "013445.000"
        # utcDate = "010125"

        # Extract year from UTC date (format: DDMMYY), prepend '20' for full year (e.g., '25' → '2025')
        myYear = '20' + utcDate[4:]
        # Extract month from UTC date (e.g., '01' for January)
        myMonth = utcDate[2:4]
        # Extract day from UTC date (e.g., '01' for 1st)
        myDay = utcDate[0:2]
        # Calculate hours by adding UTC offset to UTC hours, convert to string
        myHours = str(int(utcTime[0:2]) + utcCorrect)
        # Extract minutes from UTC time (e.g., '34' from '013445.000')
        myMin = utcTime[2:4]
        # Extract seconds from UTC time (e.g., '45' from '013445.000')
        mySec = utcTime[4:6]

        # Define array of maximum days per month (index 0-11 for months 1-12: Jan to Dec)
        maxDays = ['31', '28', '31', '30', '31', '30', '31', '31', '30', '31', '30', '31']

        # Check if year is a leap year (simplified: divisible by 4); if so, set February to 29 days
        if int(myYear) % 4 == 0:
            maxDays[1] = '29'

        # Check if hours exceed 24 (for positive UTC offsets, e.g., UTC 22:00 + 5 = 27:00)
        if int(myHours) >= 24:
            # Subtract 24 from hours to wrap around to next day (e.g., 27 → 3)
            myHours = str(int(myHours) - 24)
            # Pad hours with leading zero if single digit (e.g., '3' → '03')
            if len(myHours) < 2:
                myHours = '0' + myHours
            # Increment day to account for crossing midnight (e.g., 30 → 31)
            myDay = str(int(myDay) + 1)
            # Check if day exceeds maximum days for the current month (e.g., June 31 > 30)
            if int(myDay) > int(maxDays[int(myMonth) - 1]):
                # Reset day to 1 for the next month
                myDay = '01'
                # Increment month (e.g., June → July)
                myMonth = str(int(myMonth) + 1)
                # Check if month exceeds 12 (e.g., December → January)
                if int(myMonth) > 12:
                    # Reset month to January
                    myMonth = '01'
                    # Increment year (e.g., 2025 → 2026)
                    myYear = str(int(myYear) + 1)
            # Pad day with leading zero if single digit (e.g., '1' → '01')
            if len(myDay) < 2:
                myDay = '0' + myDay
            # Pad month with leading zero if single digit (e.g., '7' → '07')
            if len(myMonth) < 2:
                myMonth = '0' + myMonth

        # Check if hours are negative (for negative UTC offsets, e.g., UTC 01:00 - 5 = -4)
        if int(myHours) < 0:
            # Add 24 to hours to wrap around to previous day (e.g., -4 → 20)
            myHours = str(int(myHours) + 24)
            # Pad hours with leading zero if single digit (e.g., '3' → '03')
            if len(myHours) < 2:
                myHours = '0' + myHours
            # Decrement day to account for crossing midnight backward (e.g., 01 → 00)
            myDay = str(int(myDay) - 1)
            # Check if day is less than 1 (e.g., January 1 → December 31)
            if int(myDay) < 1:
                # Decrement month (e.g., January → December)
                myMonth = str(int(myMonth) - 1)
                # Check if month is less than 1 (e.g., January → December of previous year)
                if int(myMonth) < 1:
                    # Set month to December
                    myMonth = '12'
                    # Decrement year (e.g., 2025 → 2024)
                    myYear = str(int(myYear) - 1)
                # Set day to maximum days of the new month (e.g., December → 31)
                myDay = maxDays[int(myMonth) - 1]
            # Pad day with leading zero if single digit (e.g., '1' → '01')
            if len(myDay) < 2:
                myDay = '0' + myDay
            # Pad month with leading zero if single digit (e.g., '7' → '07')
            if len(myMonth) < 2:
                myMonth = '0' + myMonth

        # Combine hours, minutes, seconds into time string (e.g., '20:34:45')
        myTime = myHours + ':' + myMin + ':' + mySec
        # Combine month, day, year into date string (e.g., '12/31/2024')
        myDate = myMonth + '/' + myDay + '/' + myYear
        # Store local time in GPSdata dictionary
        GPSdata['time'] = myTime
        # Store local date in GPSdata dictionary
        GPSdata['date'] = myDate
        GPSdata['alt'] = float(NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[9])
def dispOLED():
    dsp.fill(0)
    if GPSdata['fix'] == False:
        dsp.text("Waiting for Fix . . .",0,0)
    if GPSdata['fix'] == True:
        if screenOne==True:
            dsp.fill(0)
            dsp.text("Ultimate GPS",0,0)
            dsp.text(GPSdata['date'][0:5] + ' '+GPSdata['time'],0,16)
            dsp.text("LAT: "+str(GPSdata['latDD']),0,26)
            dsp.text("LON: "+str(GPSdata['lonDD']),0,36)
            dsp.text("SATS: "+str(GPSdata['sats']),0,46)

        if screenOne==False:
            dsp.fill(0)
            dsp.text("Ultimate GPS",0,0)
            dsp.text(GPSdata['date'][0:5] + ' '+GPSdata['time'],0,16)
            dsp.text("SPEED: "+str(GPSdata['knots'])+' Knts',0,26)
            dsp.text("HEAD: "+str(GPSdata['heading'])+'deg.',0,36)
            dsp.text("Alt: "+str(GPSdata['alt'])+' M',0,46)
    dsp.show()
butOnePin = 12
butOne = Pin(butOnePin, Pin.IN, Pin.PULL_UP)
butOneUp = 0
butOneDown = 0
butOneOld = 1

screenOne = True

def butOneIRQ(pin):
    global butOneUp,butOneDown,butOneOld,screenOne
    butOneValue = butOne.value()
    if butOneValue==0:
        butOneDown=time.ticks_ms()
    if butOneValue==1:
        butOneUp = time.ticks_ms()
    if butOneOld==1 and butOneValue==0 and butOneDown-butOneUp>50:
        screenOne = not screenOne
        print('Button One Triggered')
    butOneOld=butOneValue
    
butOne.irq(trigger=Pin.IRQ_FALLING | Pin.IRQ_RISING , handler = butOneIRQ)
 
_thread.start_new_thread(gpsThread,())
time.sleep(3)
try:
    while True:
        dataLock.acquire()
        NMEAmain = NMEAdata.copy()
        dataLock.release()
        parseGPS()
        if GPSdata['fix'] == False:
            print("Waiting for Fix . . .")
        if GPSdata['fix'] == True:
            print("Ultimate GPS Tracker Report: ")
            print(GPSdata['time'],GPSdata['date'])
            print("Lat and Lon: ",GPSdata['latDD'],GPSdata['lonDD'])
            print("Knots: ",GPSdata['knots'])
            print("Heading: ",GPSdata['heading'])
            print("Elevation: ",GPSdata['alt'])
            print("Sats: ",GPSdata['sats'])
            print()
        dispOLED()
        time.sleep(1)


except KeyboardInterrupt:
    print("\nStopping Program . . . Cleaning Up UART")
    keepRunning = False
    time.sleep(1)
    GPS.deinit()
    time.sleep(1)
    dsp.fill(0)
    dsp.show()
    print("Exited Cleanly")

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from machine import Pin,I2C,UART

import time

import _thread

from ssd1306 import SSD1306_I2C

utcCorrect = 3

i2c2 = I2C(1, sda=Pin(2), scl=Pin(3), freq=400000)

dsp = SSD1306_I2C(128,64,i2c2)

dataLock = _thread.allocate_lock()

keepRunning = True

GPS = UART(1, baudrate=9600, tx=machine.Pin(8), rx=machine.Pin(9))

# Reset GPS

GPS.write(b'$PMTK314,-1*04\r\n')

#The following line ensures that the GPS reports the GPVTG NMEA Sentence

GPS.write(b"$PMTK314,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0*28\r\n")

NMEAdata = {

'GPGGA' : "",

'GPGSA' : "",

'GPRMC' : "",

'GPVTG' : ""

}

GPSdata = {

'latDD' : 0,

'lonDD' : 0,

'heading' : 0,

'fix' : False,

'sats' : 0,

'knots' : 0,

'time' : '00:00:00',

'date' : '00/00/0000',

'alt' : 0.0

}

def gpsThread():

print("Thread Running")

global keepRunning,NMEAdata

GPGGA = ""

GPGSA = ""

GPRMC = ""

GPVTG = ""

while not GPS.any():

pass

while GPS.any():

junk = GPS.read()

print(junk)

myNMEA = ""

while keepRunning:

if GPS.any():

myChar=GPS.read(1).decode('utf-8')

myNMEA = myNMEA + myChar

if myChar == '\n':

myNMEA = myNMEA.strip()

if myNMEA[1:6] == "GPGGA":

GPGGA = myNMEA

if myNMEA[1:6] == "GPGSA":

GPGSA = myNMEA

if myNMEA[1:6] == "GPRMC":

GPRMC = myNMEA

if myNMEA[1:6] == "GPVTG":

GPVTG = myNMEA

if GPGGA != "" and GPGSA!="" and GPRMC!="" and GPVTG!="":

dataLock.acquire()

NMEAdata = {

'GPGGA' : GPGGA,

'GPGSA' : GPGSA,

'GPRMC' : GPRMC,

'GPVTG' : GPVTG

}

dataLock.release()

myNMEA = ""

print("Thread Terminated Cleanly")

def parseGPS():

readFix=int(NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[6])

if readFix !=0:

GPSdata['fix'] = True

latRAW = NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[2]

latDD = int(latRAW[0:2]) + float(latRAW[2:])/60

if NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[3] == 'S':

latDD = -latDD

GPSdata['latDD']= latDD

lonRAW=NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[4]

lonDD=int(lonRAW[0:3]) + float(lonRAW[3:])/60

if NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[5] == 'W':

lonDD = -lonDD

GPSdata['lonDD'] = lonDD

heading = float(NMEAmain['GPRMC'].split(',')[8])

GPSdata['heading'] = heading

knots = float(NMEAmain['GPRMC'].split(',')[7])

GPSdata['knots'] = knots

sats = int(NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[7])

GPSdata['sats'] = sats

utcTime = NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[1]

utcDate = NMEAmain['GPRMC'].split(',')[9]

# utcTime = "013445.000"

# utcDate = "010125"

# Extract year from UTC date (format: DDMMYY), prepend '20' for full year (e.g., '25' → '2025')

myYear = '20' + utcDate[4:]

# Extract month from UTC date (e.g., '01' for January)

myMonth = utcDate[2:4]

# Extract day from UTC date (e.g., '01' for 1st)

myDay = utcDate[0:2]

# Calculate hours by adding UTC offset to UTC hours, convert to string

myHours = str(int(utcTime[0:2]) + utcCorrect)

# Extract minutes from UTC time (e.g., '34' from '013445.000')

myMin = utcTime[2:4]

# Extract seconds from UTC time (e.g., '45' from '013445.000')

mySec = utcTime[4:6]

# Define array of maximum days per month (index 0-11 for months 1-12: Jan to Dec)

maxDays = ['31', '28', '31', '30', '31', '30', '31', '31', '30', '31', '30', '31']

# Check if year is a leap year (simplified: divisible by 4); if so, set February to 29 days

if int(myYear) % 4 == 0:

maxDays[1] = '29'

# Check if hours exceed 24 (for positive UTC offsets, e.g., UTC 22:00 + 5 = 27:00)

if int(myHours) >= 24:

# Subtract 24 from hours to wrap around to next day (e.g., 27 → 3)

myHours = str(int(myHours) - 24)

# Pad hours with leading zero if single digit (e.g., '3' → '03')

if len(myHours) < 2:

myHours = '0' + myHours

# Increment day to account for crossing midnight (e.g., 30 → 31)

myDay = str(int(myDay) + 1)

# Check if day exceeds maximum days for the current month (e.g., June 31 > 30)

if int(myDay) > int(maxDays[int(myMonth) - 1]):

# Reset day to 1 for the next month

myDay = '01'

# Increment month (e.g., June → July)

myMonth = str(int(myMonth) + 1)

# Check if month exceeds 12 (e.g., December → January)

if int(myMonth) > 12:

# Reset month to January

myMonth = '01'

# Increment year (e.g., 2025 → 2026)

myYear = str(int(myYear) + 1)

# Pad day with leading zero if single digit (e.g., '1' → '01')

if len(myDay) < 2:

myDay = '0' + myDay

# Pad month with leading zero if single digit (e.g., '7' → '07')

if len(myMonth) < 2:

myMonth = '0' + myMonth

# Check if hours are negative (for negative UTC offsets, e.g., UTC 01:00 - 5 = -4)

if int(myHours) < 0:

# Add 24 to hours to wrap around to previous day (e.g., -4 → 20)

myHours = str(int(myHours) + 24)

# Pad hours with leading zero if single digit (e.g., '3' → '03')

if len(myHours) < 2:

myHours = '0' + myHours

# Decrement day to account for crossing midnight backward (e.g., 01 → 00)

myDay = str(int(myDay) - 1)

# Check if day is less than 1 (e.g., January 1 → December 31)

if int(myDay) < 1:

# Decrement month (e.g., January → December)

myMonth = str(int(myMonth) - 1)

# Check if month is less than 1 (e.g., January → December of previous year)

if int(myMonth) < 1:

# Set month to December

myMonth = '12'

# Decrement year (e.g., 2025 → 2024)

myYear = str(int(myYear) - 1)

# Set day to maximum days of the new month (e.g., December → 31)

myDay = maxDays[int(myMonth) - 1]

# Pad day with leading zero if single digit (e.g., '1' → '01')

if len(myDay) < 2:

myDay = '0' + myDay

# Pad month with leading zero if single digit (e.g., '7' → '07')

if len(myMonth) < 2:

myMonth = '0' + myMonth

# Combine hours, minutes, seconds into time string (e.g., '20:34:45')

myTime = myHours + ':' + myMin + ':' + mySec

# Combine month, day, year into date string (e.g., '12/31/2024')

myDate = myMonth + '/' + myDay + '/' + myYear

# Store local time in GPSdata dictionary

GPSdata['time'] = myTime

# Store local date in GPSdata dictionary

GPSdata['date'] = myDate

GPSdata['alt'] = float(NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[9])

def dispOLED():

dsp.fill(0)

if GPSdata['fix'] == False:

dsp.text("Waiting for Fix . . .",0,0)

if GPSdata['fix'] == True:

if screenOne==True:

dsp.fill(0)

dsp.text("Ultimate GPS",0,0)

dsp.text(GPSdata['date'][0:5] + ' '+GPSdata['time'],0,16)

dsp.text("LAT: "+str(GPSdata['latDD']),0,26)

dsp.text("LON: "+str(GPSdata['lonDD']),0,36)

dsp.text("SATS: "+str(GPSdata['sats']),0,46)

if screenOne==False:

dsp.fill(0)

dsp.text("Ultimate GPS",0,0)

dsp.text(GPSdata['date'][0:5] + ' '+GPSdata['time'],0,16)

dsp.text("SPEED: "+str(GPSdata['knots'])+' Knts',0,26)

dsp.text("HEAD: "+str(GPSdata['heading'])+'deg.',0,36)

dsp.text("Alt: "+str(GPSdata['alt'])+' M',0,46)

dsp.show()

butOnePin = 12

butOne = Pin(butOnePin, Pin.IN, Pin.PULL_UP)

butOneUp = 0

butOneDown = 0

butOneOld = 1

screenOne = True

def butOneIRQ(pin):

global butOneUp,butOneDown,butOneOld,screenOne

butOneValue = butOne.value()

if butOneValue==0:

butOneDown=time.ticks_ms()

if butOneValue==1:

butOneUp = time.ticks_ms()

if butOneOld==1 and butOneValue==0 and butOneDown-butOneUp>50:

screenOne = not screenOne

print('Button One Triggered')

butOneOld=butOneValue

butOne.irq(trigger=Pin.IRQ_FALLING | Pin.IRQ_RISING , handler = butOneIRQ)

_thread.start_new_thread(gpsThread,())

time.sleep(3)

try:

while True:

dataLock.acquire()

NMEAmain = NMEAdata.copy()

dataLock.release()

parseGPS()

if GPSdata['fix'] == False:

print("Waiting for Fix . . .")

if GPSdata['fix'] == True:

print("Ultimate GPS Tracker Report: ")

print(GPSdata['time'],GPSdata['date'])

print("Lat and Lon: ",GPSdata['latDD'],GPSdata['lonDD'])

print("Knots: ",GPSdata['knots'])

print("Heading: ",GPSdata['heading'])

print("Elevation: ",GPSdata['alt'])

print("Sats: ",GPSdata['sats'])

print()

dispOLED()

time.sleep(1)

except KeyboardInterrupt:

print("\nStopping Program . . . Cleaning Up UART")

keepRunning = False

time.sleep(1)

GPS.deinit()

time.sleep(1)

dsp.fill(0)

dsp.show()

print("Exited Cleanly")

Arduino

Applying a Low Pass Filter to Roll and Pitch Calculations on the MPU6050

August 14, 2025 admin

In today’s video lesson we show how you can remove the vibration noise from your roll and pitch values using a low pass filter. The filter removes the high frequency noise resulting from vibrations.

Below is the code we developed in this lesson.

#include <Adafruit_MPU6050.h>
#include <Adafruit_Sensor.h>
#include <Wire.h>
float Ax;
float Ay;
float Az;

// If You want Calibrated results, you must rotate
// your board to all possible orientations, and 
// record your velues of xMax, xMin, yMax, yMin
// zMax, zMin. I show you how to do that in LESSON
// 79 on my youtube channel. Put in your values and then
// uncomment the code below. Don't use my values, you have
// to measure your own for it to work.

// float xMax= 1.03;
// float xMin= -.97;
// float yMax= .98;
// float yMin= -1.01;
// float zMax=.96 ;
// float zMin= -1.08;

// float xOffset = (xMax+xMin)/2;
// float yOffset = (yMax+yMin)/2;
// float zOffset = (zMax+zMin)/2;

// float xScale = 2/(xMax -xMin);
// float yScale = 2/(yMax - yMin);
// float zScale = 2/(zMax -zMin);

float roll=0;
float pitch=0;
float rollRAW;
float pitchRAW;

Adafruit_MPU6050 mpu;

void setup() {
  // put your setup code here, to run once:
  Serial.begin(115200);
  mpu.begin();
  Serial.println("MPU6050 Started!");
  mpu.setAccelerometerRange(MPU6050_RANGE_2_G);
  mpu.setFilterBandwidth(MPU6050_BAND_21_HZ);


}

void loop() {
  // put your main code here, to run repeatedly:
  sensors_event_t a, g, temp;
  mpu.getEvent(&a, &g, &temp);
  Ax=a.acceleration.x/9.81;
  Ay=a.acceleration.y/9.81;
  Az=a.acceleration.z/9.81;

//Uncomment these lines of code to do the callibration
//This will only work if you have measured your max
//and min values, and put them in at the top of the code
  // Ax = xScale*(Ax-xOffset);
  // Ay = yScale*(Ay-yOffset);
  // Az = zScale*(Az-zOffset);

  pitchRAW = atan2(Ay,sqrt(Az*Az+Ax*Ax))*360/(2*3.14);
  rollRAW = atan2(Ax,sqrt(Az*Az+Ay*Ay))*360/(2*3.14);

  pitch = .75*pitch + .25*pitchRAW;
  roll = .75*roll + .25*rollRAW;

  Serial.print("RollRAW:");
  Serial.print(rollRAW);
  Serial.print(',');
  Serial.print("PitchRAW:");
  Serial.print(pitchRAW);
    Serial.print(',');
  Serial.print("Roll:");
  Serial.print(roll);
  Serial.print(',');
  Serial.print("Pitch:");
  Serial.print(pitch);
    Serial.print(',');
   Serial.print("UL:");
 Serial.print(90);
 Serial.print(',');
 Serial.print("LL:");
 Serial.println(-90);



//   Serial.print("Ax:");
//   Serial.print(Ax);
//   Serial.print(',');
//   Serial.print("Ay:");
//   Serial.print(Ay);
//   Serial.print(',');
//     Serial.print("Az:");
//   Serial.print(Az);
//   Serial.print(',');
//  Serial.print("UL:");
//  Serial.print(1);
//  Serial.print(',');
//  Serial.print("LL:");
//  Serial.println(-1);

  delay(50);

}

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#include <Adafruit_MPU6050.h>

#include <Adafruit_Sensor.h>

#include <Wire.h>

float Ax;

float Ay;

float Az;

// If You want Calibrated results, you must rotate

// your board to all possible orientations, and

// record your velues of xMax, xMin, yMax, yMin

// zMax, zMin. I show you how to do that in LESSON

// 79 on my youtube channel. Put in your values and then

// uncomment the code below. Don't use my values, you have

// to measure your own for it to work.

// float xMax= 1.03;

// float xMin= -.97;

// float yMax= .98;

// float yMin= -1.01;

// float zMax=.96 ;

// float zMin= -1.08;

// float xOffset = (xMax+xMin)/2;

// float yOffset = (yMax+yMin)/2;

// float zOffset = (zMax+zMin)/2;

// float xScale = 2/(xMax -xMin);

// float yScale = 2/(yMax - yMin);

// float zScale = 2/(zMax -zMin);

float roll=0;

float pitch=0;

float rollRAW;

float pitchRAW;

Adafruit_MPU6050 mpu;

void setup() {

// put your setup code here, to run once:

Serial.begin(115200);

mpu.begin();

Serial.println("MPU6050 Started!");

mpu.setAccelerometerRange(MPU6050_RANGE_2_G);

mpu.setFilterBandwidth(MPU6050_BAND_21_HZ);

}

void loop() {

// put your main code here, to run repeatedly:

sensors_event_t a, g, temp;

mpu.getEvent(&a, &g, &temp);

Ax=a.acceleration.x/9.81;

Ay=a.acceleration.y/9.81;

Az=a.acceleration.z/9.81;

//Uncomment these lines of code to do the callibration

//This will only work if you have measured your max

//and min values, and put them in at the top of the code

// Ax = xScale*(Ax-xOffset);

// Ay = yScale*(Ay-yOffset);

// Az = zScale*(Az-zOffset);

pitchRAW = atan2(Ay,sqrt(Az*Az+Ax*Ax))*360/(2*3.14);

rollRAW = atan2(Ax,sqrt(Az*Az+Ay*Ay))*360/(2*3.14);

pitch = .75*pitch + .25*pitchRAW;

roll = .75*roll + .25*rollRAW;

Serial.print("RollRAW:");

Serial.print(rollRAW);

Serial.print(',');

Serial.print("PitchRAW:");

Serial.print(pitchRAW);

Serial.print(',');

Serial.print("Roll:");

Serial.print(roll);

Serial.print(',');

Serial.print("Pitch:");

Serial.print(pitch);

Serial.print(',');

Serial.print("UL:");

Serial.print(90);

Serial.print(',');

Serial.print("LL:");

Serial.println(-90);

// Serial.print("Ax:");

// Serial.print(Ax);

// Serial.print(',');

// Serial.print("Ay:");

// Serial.print(Ay);

// Serial.print(',');

// Serial.print("Az:");

// Serial.print(Az);

// Serial.print(',');

// Serial.print("UL:");

// Serial.print(1);

// Serial.print(',');

// Serial.print("LL:");

// Serial.println(-1);

delay(50);

}

MicroPython, Raspberry Pi Pico, Tutorial

Getting Altitude Data from the GPS NMEA Sentences

August 12, 2025 admin

In this video lesson we show you how you can parse NMEA sentence from your Adafruit Ultimate GPS to get the Altitude of your GPS tracker. At this point, our project has grown to the point that all our data will not fit on the small OLED screen, so we have also added pushbuttons to allow us to toggle between display screens. For this project we are using the following circuit schematic:

For your convenience, the code developed in the video is below:

from machine import Pin,I2C,UART
import time
import _thread
from ssd1306 import SSD1306_I2C

utcCorrect = 3

i2c2 = I2C(1, sda=Pin(2), scl=Pin(3), freq=400000)
dsp = SSD1306_I2C(128,64,i2c2)

dataLock = _thread.allocate_lock()
keepRunning = True
GPS = UART(1, baudrate=9600, tx=machine.Pin(8), rx=machine.Pin(9))
# Reset GPS
GPS.write(b'$PMTK314,-1*04\r\n')
#The following line ensures that the GPS reports the GPVTG NMEA Sentence
GPS.write(b"$PMTK314,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0*28\r\n")
NMEAdata = {
    'GPGGA' : "",
    'GPGSA' : "",
    'GPRMC' : "",
    'GPVTG' : ""
    }
GPSdata = {
    'latDD' 	: 0,
    'lonDD'		: 0,
    'heading'	: 0,
    'fix'		: False,
    'sats'		: 0,
    'knots'		: 0,
    'time'		: '00:00:00',
    'date'		: '00/00/0000',
    'alt'		: 0.0
    }
def gpsThread():
    print("Thread Running")
    global keepRunning,NMEAdata
    GPGGA = ""
    GPGSA = ""
    GPRMC = ""
    GPVTG = ""
    while not GPS.any():
        pass
    while GPS.any():
        junk = GPS.read()
        print(junk)
    myNMEA = ""
    while keepRunning:
        if GPS.any():
            myChar=GPS.read(1).decode('utf-8')
            myNMEA = myNMEA + myChar
            if myChar == '\n':
                myNMEA = myNMEA.strip()
                if myNMEA[1:6] == "GPGGA":
                    GPGGA = myNMEA
                if myNMEA[1:6] == "GPGSA":
                    GPGSA = myNMEA
                if myNMEA[1:6] == "GPRMC":
                    GPRMC = myNMEA
                if myNMEA[1:6] == "GPVTG":
                    GPVTG = myNMEA
                if GPGGA != "" and GPGSA!="" and GPRMC!="" and GPVTG!="":
                    dataLock.acquire()
                    NMEAdata = {
                        'GPGGA' : GPGGA,
                        'GPGSA' : GPGSA,
                        'GPRMC' : GPRMC,
                        'GPVTG' : GPVTG
                        }
                    dataLock.release()
                myNMEA = ""
    print("Thread Terminated Cleanly")
def parseGPS():
    readFix=int(NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[6])
    if readFix !=0:
        GPSdata['fix'] = True
        latRAW = NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[2]
        latDD = int(latRAW[0:2]) + float(latRAW[2:])/60
        if NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[3] == 'S':
            latDD = -latDD
        GPSdata['latDD']= latDD
        lonRAW=NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[4]
        lonDD=int(lonRAW[0:3]) + float(lonRAW[3:])/60
        if NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[5] == 'W':
            lonDD = -lonDD
        GPSdata['lonDD'] = lonDD
        heading = float(NMEAmain['GPRMC'].split(',')[8])
        GPSdata['heading'] = heading
        knots = float(NMEAmain['GPRMC'].split(',')[7])
        GPSdata['knots'] = knots
        sats = int(NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[7])
        GPSdata['sats'] = sats
        utcTime = NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[1]
        utcDate = NMEAmain['GPRMC'].split(',')[9]
        # utcTime = "013445.000"
        # utcDate = "010125"

        # Extract year from UTC date (format: DDMMYY), prepend '20' for full year (e.g., '25' → '2025')
        myYear = '20' + utcDate[4:]
        # Extract month from UTC date (e.g., '01' for January)
        myMonth = utcDate[2:4]
        # Extract day from UTC date (e.g., '01' for 1st)
        myDay = utcDate[0:2]
        # Calculate hours by adding UTC offset to UTC hours, convert to string
        myHours = str(int(utcTime[0:2]) + utcCorrect)
        # Extract minutes from UTC time (e.g., '34' from '013445.000')
        myMin = utcTime[2:4]
        # Extract seconds from UTC time (e.g., '45' from '013445.000')
        mySec = utcTime[4:6]

        # Define array of maximum days per month (index 0-11 for months 1-12: Jan to Dec)
        maxDays = ['31', '28', '31', '30', '31', '30', '31', '31', '30', '31', '30', '31']

        # Check if year is a leap year (simplified: divisible by 4); if so, set February to 29 days
        if int(myYear) % 4 == 0:
            maxDays[1] = '29'

        # Check if hours exceed 24 (for positive UTC offsets, e.g., UTC 22:00 + 5 = 27:00)
        if int(myHours) >= 24:
            # Subtract 24 from hours to wrap around to next day (e.g., 27 → 3)
            myHours = str(int(myHours) - 24)
            # Pad hours with leading zero if single digit (e.g., '3' → '03')
            if len(myHours) < 2:
                myHours = '0' + myHours
            # Increment day to account for crossing midnight (e.g., 30 → 31)
            myDay = str(int(myDay) + 1)
            # Check if day exceeds maximum days for the current month (e.g., June 31 > 30)
            if int(myDay) > int(maxDays[int(myMonth) - 1]):
                # Reset day to 1 for the next month
                myDay = '01'
                # Increment month (e.g., June → July)
                myMonth = str(int(myMonth) + 1)
                # Check if month exceeds 12 (e.g., December → January)
                if int(myMonth) > 12:
                    # Reset month to January
                    myMonth = '01'
                    # Increment year (e.g., 2025 → 2026)
                    myYear = str(int(myYear) + 1)
            # Pad day with leading zero if single digit (e.g., '1' → '01')
            if len(myDay) < 2:
                myDay = '0' + myDay
            # Pad month with leading zero if single digit (e.g., '7' → '07')
            if len(myMonth) < 2:
                myMonth = '0' + myMonth

        # Check if hours are negative (for negative UTC offsets, e.g., UTC 01:00 - 5 = -4)
        if int(myHours) < 0:
            # Add 24 to hours to wrap around to previous day (e.g., -4 → 20)
            myHours = str(int(myHours) + 24)
            # Pad hours with leading zero if single digit (e.g., '3' → '03')
            if len(myHours) < 2:
                myHours = '0' + myHours
            # Decrement day to account for crossing midnight backward (e.g., 01 → 00)
            myDay = str(int(myDay) - 1)
            # Check if day is less than 1 (e.g., January 1 → December 31)
            if int(myDay) < 1:
                # Decrement month (e.g., January → December)
                myMonth = str(int(myMonth) - 1)
                # Check if month is less than 1 (e.g., January → December of previous year)
                if int(myMonth) < 1:
                    # Set month to December
                    myMonth = '12'
                    # Decrement year (e.g., 2025 → 2024)
                    myYear = str(int(myYear) - 1)
                # Set day to maximum days of the new month (e.g., December → 31)
                myDay = maxDays[int(myMonth) - 1]
            # Pad day with leading zero if single digit (e.g., '1' → '01')
            if len(myDay) < 2:
                myDay = '0' + myDay
            # Pad month with leading zero if single digit (e.g., '7' → '07')
            if len(myMonth) < 2:
                myMonth = '0' + myMonth

        # Combine hours, minutes, seconds into time string (e.g., '20:34:45')
        myTime = myHours + ':' + myMin + ':' + mySec
        # Combine month, day, year into date string (e.g., '12/31/2024')
        myDate = myMonth + '/' + myDay + '/' + myYear
        # Store local time in GPSdata dictionary
        GPSdata['time'] = myTime
        # Store local date in GPSdata dictionary
        GPSdata['date'] = myDate
        GPSdata['alt'] = float(NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[9])
def dispOLED():
    dsp.fill(0)
    if GPSdata['fix'] == False:
        dsp.text("Waiting for Fix . . .",0,0)
    if GPSdata['fix'] == True:
        if screenOne==True:
            dsp.fill(0)
            dsp.text("Ultimate GPS",0,0)
            dsp.text(GPSdata['date'][0:5] + ' '+GPSdata['time'],0,16)
            dsp.text("LAT: "+str(GPSdata['latDD']),0,26)
            dsp.text("LON: "+str(GPSdata['lonDD']),0,36)
            dsp.text("SATS: "+str(GPSdata['sats']),0,46)

        if screenOne==False:
            dsp.fill(0)
            dsp.text("Ultimate GPS",0,0)
            dsp.text(GPSdata['date'][0:5] + ' '+GPSdata['time'],0,16)
            dsp.text("SPEED: "+str(GPSdata['knots'])+' Knts',0,26)
            dsp.text("HEAD: "+str(GPSdata['heading'])+'deg.',0,36)
            dsp.text("Alt: "+str(GPSdata['alt'])+' M',0,46)
    dsp.show()
butOnePin = 12
butOne = Pin(butOnePin, Pin.IN, Pin.PULL_UP)
butOneUp = 0
butOneDown = 0
butOneOld = 1

screenOne = True

def butOneIRQ(pin):
    global butOneUp,butOneDown,butOneOld,screenOne
    butOneValue = butOne.value()
    if butOneValue==0:
        butOneDown=time.ticks_ms()
    if butOneValue==1:
        butOneUp = time.ticks_ms()
    if butOneOld==1 and butOneValue==0 and butOneDown-butOneUp>50:
        screenOne = not screenOne
        print('Button One Triggered')
    butOneOld=butOneValue
    
butOne.irq(trigger=Pin.IRQ_FALLING | Pin.IRQ_RISING , handler = butOneIRQ)
 
_thread.start_new_thread(gpsThread,())
time.sleep(3)
try:
    while True:
        dataLock.acquire()
        NMEAmain = NMEAdata.copy()
        dataLock.release()
        parseGPS()
        if GPSdata['fix'] == False:
            print("Waiting for Fix . . .")
        if GPSdata['fix'] == True:
            print("Ultimate GPS Tracker Report: ")
            print(GPSdata['time'],GPSdata['date'])
            print("Lat and Lon: ",GPSdata['latDD'],GPSdata['lonDD'])
            print("Knots: ",GPSdata['knots'])
            print("Heading: ",GPSdata['heading'])
            print("Elevation: ",GPSdata['alt'])
            print("Sats: ",GPSdata['sats'])
            print()
        dispOLED()
        time.sleep(1)


except KeyboardInterrupt:
    print("\nStopping Program . . . Cleaning Up UART")
    keepRunning = False
    time.sleep(1)
    GPS.deinit()
    time.sleep(1)
    dsp.fill(0)
    dsp.show()
    print("Exited Cleanly")

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from machine import Pin,I2C,UART

import time

import _thread

from ssd1306 import SSD1306_I2C

utcCorrect = 3

i2c2 = I2C(1, sda=Pin(2), scl=Pin(3), freq=400000)

dsp = SSD1306_I2C(128,64,i2c2)

dataLock = _thread.allocate_lock()

keepRunning = True

GPS = UART(1, baudrate=9600, tx=machine.Pin(8), rx=machine.Pin(9))

# Reset GPS

GPS.write(b'$PMTK314,-1*04\r\n')

#The following line ensures that the GPS reports the GPVTG NMEA Sentence

GPS.write(b"$PMTK314,0,1,1,1,1,1,1,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0*28\r\n")

NMEAdata = {

'GPGGA' : "",

'GPGSA' : "",

'GPRMC' : "",

'GPVTG' : ""

}

GPSdata = {

'latDD' : 0,

'lonDD' : 0,

'heading' : 0,

'fix' : False,

'sats' : 0,

'knots' : 0,

'time' : '00:00:00',

'date' : '00/00/0000',

'alt' : 0.0

}

def gpsThread():

print("Thread Running")

global keepRunning,NMEAdata

GPGGA = ""

GPGSA = ""

GPRMC = ""

GPVTG = ""

while not GPS.any():

pass

while GPS.any():

junk = GPS.read()

print(junk)

myNMEA = ""

while keepRunning:

if GPS.any():

myChar=GPS.read(1).decode('utf-8')

myNMEA = myNMEA + myChar

if myChar == '\n':

myNMEA = myNMEA.strip()

if myNMEA[1:6] == "GPGGA":

GPGGA = myNMEA

if myNMEA[1:6] == "GPGSA":

GPGSA = myNMEA

if myNMEA[1:6] == "GPRMC":

GPRMC = myNMEA

if myNMEA[1:6] == "GPVTG":

GPVTG = myNMEA

if GPGGA != "" and GPGSA!="" and GPRMC!="" and GPVTG!="":

dataLock.acquire()

NMEAdata = {

'GPGGA' : GPGGA,

'GPGSA' : GPGSA,

'GPRMC' : GPRMC,

'GPVTG' : GPVTG

}

dataLock.release()

myNMEA = ""

print("Thread Terminated Cleanly")

def parseGPS():

readFix=int(NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[6])

if readFix !=0:

GPSdata['fix'] = True

latRAW = NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[2]

latDD = int(latRAW[0:2]) + float(latRAW[2:])/60

if NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[3] == 'S':

latDD = -latDD

GPSdata['latDD']= latDD

lonRAW=NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[4]

lonDD=int(lonRAW[0:3]) + float(lonRAW[3:])/60

if NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[5] == 'W':

lonDD = -lonDD

GPSdata['lonDD'] = lonDD

heading = float(NMEAmain['GPRMC'].split(',')[8])

GPSdata['heading'] = heading

knots = float(NMEAmain['GPRMC'].split(',')[7])

GPSdata['knots'] = knots

sats = int(NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[7])

GPSdata['sats'] = sats

utcTime = NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[1]

utcDate = NMEAmain['GPRMC'].split(',')[9]

# utcTime = "013445.000"

# utcDate = "010125"

# Extract year from UTC date (format: DDMMYY), prepend '20' for full year (e.g., '25' → '2025')

myYear = '20' + utcDate[4:]

# Extract month from UTC date (e.g., '01' for January)

myMonth = utcDate[2:4]

# Extract day from UTC date (e.g., '01' for 1st)

myDay = utcDate[0:2]

# Calculate hours by adding UTC offset to UTC hours, convert to string

myHours = str(int(utcTime[0:2]) + utcCorrect)

# Extract minutes from UTC time (e.g., '34' from '013445.000')

myMin = utcTime[2:4]

# Extract seconds from UTC time (e.g., '45' from '013445.000')

mySec = utcTime[4:6]

# Define array of maximum days per month (index 0-11 for months 1-12: Jan to Dec)

maxDays = ['31', '28', '31', '30', '31', '30', '31', '31', '30', '31', '30', '31']

# Check if year is a leap year (simplified: divisible by 4); if so, set February to 29 days

if int(myYear) % 4 == 0:

maxDays[1] = '29'

# Check if hours exceed 24 (for positive UTC offsets, e.g., UTC 22:00 + 5 = 27:00)

if int(myHours) >= 24:

# Subtract 24 from hours to wrap around to next day (e.g., 27 → 3)

myHours = str(int(myHours) - 24)

# Pad hours with leading zero if single digit (e.g., '3' → '03')

if len(myHours) < 2:

myHours = '0' + myHours

# Increment day to account for crossing midnight (e.g., 30 → 31)

myDay = str(int(myDay) + 1)

# Check if day exceeds maximum days for the current month (e.g., June 31 > 30)

if int(myDay) > int(maxDays[int(myMonth) - 1]):

# Reset day to 1 for the next month

myDay = '01'

# Increment month (e.g., June → July)

myMonth = str(int(myMonth) + 1)

# Check if month exceeds 12 (e.g., December → January)

if int(myMonth) > 12:

# Reset month to January

myMonth = '01'

# Increment year (e.g., 2025 → 2026)

myYear = str(int(myYear) + 1)

# Pad day with leading zero if single digit (e.g., '1' → '01')

if len(myDay) < 2:

myDay = '0' + myDay

# Pad month with leading zero if single digit (e.g., '7' → '07')

if len(myMonth) < 2:

myMonth = '0' + myMonth

# Check if hours are negative (for negative UTC offsets, e.g., UTC 01:00 - 5 = -4)

if int(myHours) < 0:

# Add 24 to hours to wrap around to previous day (e.g., -4 → 20)

myHours = str(int(myHours) + 24)

# Pad hours with leading zero if single digit (e.g., '3' → '03')

if len(myHours) < 2:

myHours = '0' + myHours

# Decrement day to account for crossing midnight backward (e.g., 01 → 00)

myDay = str(int(myDay) - 1)

# Check if day is less than 1 (e.g., January 1 → December 31)

if int(myDay) < 1:

# Decrement month (e.g., January → December)

myMonth = str(int(myMonth) - 1)

# Check if month is less than 1 (e.g., January → December of previous year)

if int(myMonth) < 1:

# Set month to December

myMonth = '12'

# Decrement year (e.g., 2025 → 2024)

myYear = str(int(myYear) - 1)

# Set day to maximum days of the new month (e.g., December → 31)

myDay = maxDays[int(myMonth) - 1]

# Pad day with leading zero if single digit (e.g., '1' → '01')

if len(myDay) < 2:

myDay = '0' + myDay

# Pad month with leading zero if single digit (e.g., '7' → '07')

if len(myMonth) < 2:

myMonth = '0' + myMonth

# Combine hours, minutes, seconds into time string (e.g., '20:34:45')

myTime = myHours + ':' + myMin + ':' + mySec

# Combine month, day, year into date string (e.g., '12/31/2024')

myDate = myMonth + '/' + myDay + '/' + myYear

# Store local time in GPSdata dictionary

GPSdata['time'] = myTime

# Store local date in GPSdata dictionary

GPSdata['date'] = myDate

GPSdata['alt'] = float(NMEAmain['GPGGA'].split(',')[9])

def dispOLED():

dsp.fill(0)

if GPSdata['fix'] == False:

dsp.text("Waiting for Fix . . .",0,0)

if GPSdata['fix'] == True:

if screenOne==True:

dsp.fill(0)

dsp.text("Ultimate GPS",0,0)

dsp.text(GPSdata['date'][0:5] + ' '+GPSdata['time'],0,16)

dsp.text("LAT: "+str(GPSdata['latDD']),0,26)

dsp.text("LON: "+str(GPSdata['lonDD']),0,36)

dsp.text("SATS: "+str(GPSdata['sats']),0,46)

if screenOne==False:

dsp.fill(0)

dsp.text("Ultimate GPS",0,0)

dsp.text(GPSdata['date'][0:5] + ' '+GPSdata['time'],0,16)

dsp.text("SPEED: "+str(GPSdata['knots'])+' Knts',0,26)

dsp.text("HEAD: "+str(GPSdata['heading'])+'deg.',0,36)

dsp.text("Alt: "+str(GPSdata['alt'])+' M',0,46)

dsp.show()

butOnePin = 12

butOne = Pin(butOnePin, Pin.IN, Pin.PULL_UP)

butOneUp = 0

butOneDown = 0

butOneOld = 1

screenOne = True

def butOneIRQ(pin):

global butOneUp,butOneDown,butOneOld,screenOne

butOneValue = butOne.value()

if butOneValue==0:

butOneDown=time.ticks_ms()

if butOneValue==1:

butOneUp = time.ticks_ms()

if butOneOld==1 and butOneValue==0 and butOneDown-butOneUp>50:

screenOne = not screenOne

print('Button One Triggered')

butOneOld=butOneValue

butOne.irq(trigger=Pin.IRQ_FALLING | Pin.IRQ_RISING , handler = butOneIRQ)

_thread.start_new_thread(gpsThread,())

time.sleep(3)

try:

while True:

dataLock.acquire()

NMEAmain = NMEAdata.copy()

dataLock.release()

parseGPS()

if GPSdata['fix'] == False:

print("Waiting for Fix . . .")

if GPSdata['fix'] == True:

print("Ultimate GPS Tracker Report: ")

print(GPSdata['time'],GPSdata['date'])

print("Lat and Lon: ",GPSdata['latDD'],GPSdata['lonDD'])

print("Knots: ",GPSdata['knots'])

print("Heading: ",GPSdata['heading'])

print("Elevation: ",GPSdata['alt'])

print("Sats: ",GPSdata['sats'])

print()

dispOLED()

time.sleep(1)

except KeyboardInterrupt:

print("\nStopping Program . . . Cleaning Up UART")

keepRunning = False

time.sleep(1)

GPS.deinit()

time.sleep(1)

dsp.fill(0)

dsp.show()

print("Exited Cleanly")

Arduino

Using Arduino to Calculate Roll and Pitch from MPU6050 3-axis Accelerometers

August 7, 2025 admin

In this video lesson we show you how to take the calibrated accelerometer data from the MPU6050 and use it to calculate the tilt of the board. We can calculate tilt in two axis, or the roll and the pitch. This is the schematic for the project:

This is the code we developed in the video to calculate the roll and pitch from the three axis accelerometer data.

#include <Adafruit_MPU6050.h>
#include <Adafruit_Sensor.h>
#include <Wire.h>
float Ax;
float Ay;
float Az;

// If You want Calibrated results, you must rotate
// your board to all possible orientations, and 
// record your velues of xMax, xMin, yMax, yMin
// zMax, zMin. I show you how to do that in LESSON
// 79 on my youtube channel. Put in your values and then
// uncomment the code below. Don't use my values, you have
// to measure your own for it to work.

// float xMax= 1.03;
// float xMin= -.97;
// float yMax= .98;
// float yMin= -1.01;
// float zMax=.96 ;
// float zMin= -1.08;

// float xOffset = (xMax+xMin)/2;
// float yOffset = (yMax+yMin)/2;
// float zOffset = (zMax+zMin)/2;

// float xScale = 2/(xMax -xMin);
// float yScale = 2/(yMax - yMin);
// float zScale = 2/(zMax -zMin);

float roll;
float pitch;

Adafruit_MPU6050 mpu;

void setup() {
  // put your setup code here, to run once:
  Serial.begin(115200);
  mpu.begin();
  Serial.println("MPU6050 Started!");
  mpu.setAccelerometerRange(MPU6050_RANGE_2_G);
  mpu.setFilterBandwidth(MPU6050_BAND_21_HZ);


}

void loop() {
  // put your main code here, to run repeatedly:
  sensors_event_t a, g, temp;
  mpu.getEvent(&a, &g, &temp);
  Ax=a.acceleration.x/9.81;
  Ay=a.acceleration.y/9.81;
  Az=a.acceleration.z/9.81;

//Uncomment these lines of code to do the callibration
//This will only work if you have measured your max
//and min values, and put them in at the top of the code
  // Ax = xScale*(Ax-xOffset);
  // Ay = yScale*(Ay-yOffset);
  // Az = zScale*(Az-zOffset);

  pitch = atan2(Ay,sqrt(Az*Az+Ax*Ax))*360/(2*3.14);
  roll = atan2(Ax,sqrt(Az*Az+Ay*Ay))*360/(2*3.14);

  Serial.print("Roll:");
  Serial.print(roll);
  Serial.print(',');
  Serial.print("Pitch:");
  Serial.print(pitch);
    Serial.print(',');
   Serial.print("UL:");
 Serial.print(90);
 Serial.print(',');
 Serial.print("LL:");
 Serial.println(-90);



//   Serial.print("Ax:");
//   Serial.print(Ax);
//   Serial.print(',');
//   Serial.print("Ay:");
//   Serial.print(Ay);
//   Serial.print(',');
//     Serial.print("Az:");
//   Serial.print(Az);
//   Serial.print(',');
//  Serial.print("UL:");
//  Serial.print(1);
//  Serial.print(',');
//  Serial.print("LL:");
//  Serial.println(-1);

  delay(50);

}

#include <Adafruit_MPU6050.h>

#include <Adafruit_Sensor.h>

#include <Wire.h>

float Ax;

float Ay;

float Az;

// If You want Calibrated results, you must rotate

// your board to all possible orientations, and

// record your velues of xMax, xMin, yMax, yMin

// zMax, zMin. I show you how to do that in LESSON

// 79 on my youtube channel. Put in your values and then

// uncomment the code below. Don't use my values, you have

// to measure your own for it to work.

// float xMax= 1.03;

// float xMin= -.97;

// float yMax= .98;

// float yMin= -1.01;

// float zMax=.96 ;

// float zMin= -1.08;

// float xOffset = (xMax+xMin)/2;

// float yOffset = (yMax+yMin)/2;

// float zOffset = (zMax+zMin)/2;

// float xScale = 2/(xMax -xMin);

// float yScale = 2/(yMax - yMin);

// float zScale = 2/(zMax -zMin);

float roll;

float pitch;

Adafruit_MPU6050 mpu;

void setup() {

// put your setup code here, to run once:

Serial.begin(115200);

mpu.begin();

Serial.println("MPU6050 Started!");

mpu.setAccelerometerRange(MPU6050_RANGE_2_G);

mpu.setFilterBandwidth(MPU6050_BAND_21_HZ);

}

void loop() {

// put your main code here, to run repeatedly:

sensors_event_t a, g, temp;

mpu.getEvent(&a, &g, &temp);

Ax=a.acceleration.x/9.81;

Ay=a.acceleration.y/9.81;

Az=a.acceleration.z/9.81;

//Uncomment these lines of code to do the callibration

//This will only work if you have measured your max

//and min values, and put them in at the top of the code

// Ax = xScale*(Ax-xOffset);

// Ay = yScale*(Ay-yOffset);

// Az = zScale*(Az-zOffset);

pitch = atan2(Ay,sqrt(Az*Az+Ax*Ax))*360/(2*3.14);

roll = atan2(Ax,sqrt(Az*Az+Ay*Ay))*360/(2*3.14);

Serial.print("Roll:");

Serial.print(roll);

Serial.print(',');

Serial.print("Pitch:");

Serial.print(pitch);

Serial.print(',');

Serial.print("UL:");

Serial.print(90);

Serial.print(',');

Serial.print("LL:");

Serial.println(-90);

// Serial.print("Ax:");

// Serial.print(Ax);

// Serial.print(',');

// Serial.print("Ay:");

// Serial.print(Ay);

// Serial.print(',');

// Serial.print("Az:");

// Serial.print(Az);

// Serial.print(',');

// Serial.print("UL:");

// Serial.print(1);

// Serial.print(',');

// Serial.print("LL:");

// Serial.println(-1);

delay(50);

}

Technology Tutorials

All posts by admin

Using Arduino and MPU6050 to Measure Rotational Velocity with the Gyros

Portable Power for Your Raspberry Pi Pico W Project Using the Sunfounder Breadvolt

Applying a Low Pass Filter to Roll and Pitch Calculations on the MPU6050

Getting Altitude Data from the GPS NMEA Sentences

Using Arduino to Calculate Roll and Pitch from MPU6050 3-axis Accelerometers

Making The World a Better Place One High Tech Project at a Time. Enjoy!