MPU-6050 6-Axis Gyroscope and Accelerometer Module — I2C
The MPU-6050 is the most widely used IMU for Arduino projects, combining a 3-axis gyroscope (+/-250 to +/-2000 deg/s) and 3-axis accelerometer (+/-2g to +/-16g) with a Digital Motion Processor (DMP) on a single chip. The DMP runs quaternion calculations onboard, delivering orientation data at up to 200Hz over I2C — reducing the processing load on the Arduino. The I2C address is 0x68 with AD0 low or 0x69 with AD0 high.
- 3-axis gyroscope — +/-250/500/1000/2000 deg/s, selectable
- 3-axis accelerometer — +/-2/4/8/16g, selectable
- Digital Motion Processor (DMP) — on-chip quaternion fusion
- I2C interface — 0x68 or 0x69
- 3.3V logic — module includes 3.3V regulator, 5V compatible
- Interrupt output — data-ready and motion detection
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Gyro range | +/-250 to +/-2000 deg/s |
| Accel range | +/-2g to +/-16g |
| DMP | Quaternion output at up to 200Hz |
| Interface | I2C (0x68 or 0x69) |
| Supply voltage | 3.3V – 5V (module) |
How do you get roll, pitch, and yaw from the MPU-6050?
Use the i2cdevlib MPU6050 library by Jeff Rowberg with DMP enabled. The MPUTeapot or MPU6050_DMP6 example sketches extract quaternion data from the DMP FIFO buffer and convert to Euler angles (roll, pitch, yaw) in the sketch. The DMP approach is significantly more stable than complementary filter calculation on the Arduino, particularly for yaw drift.
Best for
Self-balancing robots, drone flight controllers, gesture recognition, robotics orientation sensing, gimbal stabilisation, wearable motion capture, and any project needing fused gyro-accelerometer orientation data.
Why Kunkune
Shipped from UK stock. 60-day returns, no minimum order. Fast Royal Mail delivery.
For battery-powered designs, the BMI160 6-axis IMU draws 950 microamps at full operation — roughly a quarter of the MPU-6050 current.
Buying in bulk? For orders of 10+ units, contact us for trade pricing.
