Evaluation Board for Software-Defined Sensor Offering

Providing greater access to highly versatile 3D magnetometers in order to develop next generation HMIs

April 09, 2015 - Tessenderlo, Belgium - Melexis, a global microelectronics engineering company, has today introduced an evaluation board (EVB) to strengthen the support available for its innovative MLX90393 programmable magnetic sensor IC. The MLX90393 EVB measures 30mm x 30mm, and offers engineers a platform for constructing a wide variety of human machine interfaces with the potential for a high degree of sophistication. This goes all the way from relatively simple slide, push/pull and linear swipe switches right through to more complex 3D sensing systems, such as joysticks or rotary knobs with push functions included.

Thanks to Melexis’ proprietary Triaxis® technology, the 16-bit resolution MLX90393 sensor IC on each EVB has the capacity to deliver a digital output proportional to the detected magnetic flux density along 3 perpendicular axes (X, Y and Z). In addition, there is also provision for thermal measurement. The IC acts like a building block for position sensing systems in a broad spectrum of applications. It presents engineers with a wide array of configurable parameters, allowing them to optimize their system for either high speed measurement, elevated signal integrity or low power consumption.

Both SPI and I2C interfaces are featured on the EVB, making it easy to integrate with an external microcontroller. There is also a pad incorporated onto the board for the connection of a decoupling capacitor if required, as well as pads for optional pull-up and pull-down resistors for I2C addressing and bus line supply. An operational temperature range spanning from -20°C to +85°C is supported.

The EVB is supplied with a MLX90393 IC soldered directly to the PCB, along with 3 extra ICs to accompany it. A QR code link printed on the underside of the board permits immediate access to all the relevant documentation available on the Melexis website. From here sample code can also be downloaded.