[Hands-On] VEX's New V5 Inertial Sensor

Updated 2020.01.07

The much-anticipated sensor has finally arrived!

Let's test it right away: will it still drift?
After updating VEXcode, open the Inertial Example and load it straight onto the Brain.
Here are the results. In our actual testing, the drift problem is indeed solved, and there are more readings,

including angular velocity and more, so you might even be able to do odometry.
Wondering how we captured the screenshot from the EDR? Message our editor and we'll show you!
Want to buy one? Contact our fan page right away!

What Is the V5 Inertial Sensor?

VEX EDR V5 recently released an Inertial Sensor, a new sensor that combines a 3-axis (X, Y, and Z) accelerometer and a 3-axis gyroscope in one. The accelerometer measures the robot's linear acceleration (including gravity), while the gyroscope measures the rate of rotation around the V5 Inertial Sensor's three axes.

Combining an accelerometer and a 3-axis gyroscope in one sensor enables more accurate measurements and finer control of the robot.

Accelerometer: For orientation, the robot's X axis can be its forward and backward motion, its Y axis its left and right motion, and its Z axis its up and down motion (for example, the robot lifting itself off the ground).
Gyroscope: Instead of measuring linear motion along 3 axes, a gyroscope measures rotational motion around 3 axes. The sensor measures this rotation as its internal electronics create a fixed reference point. When the sensor rotates away from this reference point, its output signal changes.

Before using this new sensor, you must update to the latest version of VEXcode! The sensor does a quick calibration during program initialization ( vexcodeinit() ), and it is more accurate than the gyro built into the V5 Brain!

https://www.vexrobotics.com/276-4855.html