The MPU-6050 is one of the most popular inertial measurement units (IMU) used with Arduino, combining a three-axis accelerometer and a gyroscope in a single chip, letting you measure acceleration and rotation and infer the device's tilt angle in space.
Components needed
An Arduino Uno board, a GY-521 breakout module carrying the MPU-6050 chip ready to use, and connecting wires.
Wiring it up
The module communicates with the Arduino over I2C: SDA connects to analog pin A4, and SCL to analog pin A5, in addition to the 5V and ground power pins.
How it works
The module reads raw acceleration values across the three X, Y, and Z axes, and these values need calibration and conversion to become meaningful: the raw reading range (roughly 265 to 402 in a flat position) is mapped to an angular range between -90 and 90 degrees, then trigonometric functions are applied to compute the actual tilt angle for each axis. Moving the module by hand while watching the serial monitor, you'll see these angles change live, reflecting the device's orientation in space.
Practical applications
Modules like the MPU-6050 are widely used in self-balancing robot systems, drones for flight stabilization, motion-control devices, and any application that needs to know a device's orientation or sense vibration and movement.
You can find the GY-521 (MPU-6050) module at Juthour Tech.
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