Infineon's 3D Magnetic Sensor 2 Go Evaluation Kit is designed to familiarize users with the capabilities of a small magnetic sensor. The most important piece of hardware in the kit is the 3D Magnetic Sensor TLV493D. This sensor is highly accurate at three-dimensional sensing and consumes extremely low amounts of power. This allows tracking of 3D movement — all without requiring direct contact with the sensor.
The 3D magnetic sensor comes with several key features that make it stand out in front of other magnetic sensors. First, the magnetic sensor consumes only 10 uA (micro-amps) in ultra-low power mode and 0.007 in power down mode! Next, the sensor comes with integrated temperature sensing , 12-bit data resoluition for the Bx, By and Bz direction up to 98 uT/LSB, and linear field measurement in all axis up to +/- 130 mT. The sensor also comes in a standard TSOP6 package and is automatically qualified for automotive use.
The 3D Magnetic Sensor 2 GO Evaluation Kit allows almost immediate use of the magnetic sensor, right out of the box. With both joystick and rotation nob adapters, the kit allows immediate evaluation though Infieon’s graphical user interface (GUI) which can be downloaded for free. Additionally, the sensor is equiped with a digital I2C interface, allowing sensor and imcrocontroller bi-directional communication.
To use the GUI, simply download it from the software download page. You will also need to install a required Segger USB driver, which may be concerning to you if you are protective of the programs on your computer. Fear not, because the driver is automatically included in the Setup Wizard and will prompt you to accept their installation automatically. Once you have installed the driver and software, the GUI will be operable and you can begin evaluating the capabilities of the 3D magnetic sensor immediately. It truly is that easy!
Mounts for the sensor’s evaluation board, which are included, a joystick and rotational knob, are automatically represented on the GUI. Simply select the tab of the mount that you have implemented and you will be able to start sensing right away. A very creative feature that is included in the evaluation kit, is the ability to separate the sensor from the rest of the evaluation board. This means that if you want to put just the sensor and a magnet into your controller, you can separate the sensor at the break line, solder four wires to the pin headers, and install the sensor into your own custom application.