IMU Visualizer
Plug in a sheenbot∞, pick it up and move it: the 3D board on this page tilts, turns and slides the way yours does, drawn live from the board’s motion sensor (its accelerometer and gyroscope).
Turning is measured directly and follows the board closely. Position is worked out by adding up acceleration, so it is an estimate: it drifts while the board moves and is corrected every time the board stops.
Everything runs in your browser, and nothing is saved to the board. Connecting stops the board’s program and borrows its motion sensor; Restart board, or the board’s reset button, runs your program again.
Connect your board
Plug the sheenbot∞ into this computer with a USB cable and switch it on. Choose Connect board, then pick its port in the list — it is usually called “USB-SERIAL CH340”. Close any other program or tab that is using the board first.
3D view
Connect a board or watch the demo to bring the 3D board to life.
Grid: 1 cm squares with a bolder line every 10 cm. Drag to turn the view; hold Ctrl (⌘ on a Mac) and scroll, or pinch, to zoom.
Controls
Last move
No moves yet. Pick the board up, move it 20–40 cm in about a second, and hold it still or put it down.
Live angles
- Top edge up (+) / down (−)
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- B side up (+) / down (−)
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- Turned left (+) / right (−)
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Tilt stays accurate because the page checks it against gravity every time the board is still. Heading has no compass to check against, so it drifts — up to about 10 degrees per full turn. Face forward sets it back to 0.
Live sensor readings
The last 10 seconds, straight from the chip. Acceleration includes gravity, so a board lying flat reads about −1 g on z. Grey shading marks the moments the page decided the board was still.
- x: towards the screen’s top edge
- y: towards the B button
- z: into the board
- board still
Signal
- Samples a second
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- Samples received
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- Samples lost
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- Gaps
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- Times at the sensor’s limit
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- Gyro offset x y z (°/s)
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- Sensor temperature
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Desk calibration (optional, more accurate)
Every motion sensor reads a little off. Holding the board still in three poses on a flat table measures that error so the page can take it out: the tilt error typically drops from a few degrees to under one, and turning on the spot stops looking like a slide. It takes about a minute, and the result is remembered for this board in this browser.
- Lay the board flat on the table, screen up, and let go.
- Turn it half a turn on the table, still screen up, and let go.
- Turn it over, screen down, on the same spot, and let go.
Connect a board to run the desk calibration. It doesn’t run on the demo.
Check the sensor’s axes
The page assumes the chip’s x axis points to the top edge of the screen, y to the B button and z into the board, so a board lying flat reads about −1 g on z. Check that your board matches: hold it still in each pose below and see whether it gets a tick.
Connect a board and let it calibrate lying flat, screen up, to run this check.
| Hold the board | Expected (g) | Seen (g) |
|---|---|---|
| Flat, screen up | [0.00, 0.00, −1.00] | not seen yet |
| Right (B) edge down, about 45° | [0.00, −0.71, −0.71] | not seen yet |
| Top (screen) edge down, about 45° | [−0.71, 0.00, −0.71] | not seen yet |
Reading now: — g
Tips for good results
- Move briskly: 20–40 cm in about a second, then stop. Slow, gentle glides are too small for the sensor to feel and may not show up.
- Pause between moves. Each stop lets the page correct the position. A move that goes on without stopping drifts, and after about 8 seconds (or if the data from the board breaks off) its position is marked unknown.
- Position is an estimate. On a good move expect it to be a few centimetres out — more if the board also turns a lot while it moves.
- There is no compass, so the heading slowly drifts. Tilt stays right because gravity is measured at every pause.
- Only interested in tilting and turning? Choose Turning only.
- For the best accuracy, run the desk calibration once for each board.
- Keep the USB cable slack so it doesn’t tug the board.
- Your program isn’t changed or deleted. It stops when you connect and stays stopped until the board restarts: choose Restart board, or press the board’s reset button (for example if you closed this page while it was connected).