Are you getting wonky readings from the magnetometer on your IMU? Do the compass headings make no sense at all? Your magnetometer may have become magnetized to the point that all the readings are distorted by its own magnetic field. This can happen if your magnetometer is exposed to a strong magnetic field, like getting too close to a magnet or an electric motor.
The good news is that you can fix this with an inexpensive magnetizer/demagnetizer tool available for just a few dollars at your local hardware store or home improvement center. Just wave the sensor back and forth over the stepped part of the “demagnetize” side of the tool to neutralize the magnetic field.
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, or even use Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for MakeCode, CircuitPython, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell with Google Hangouts On-Air is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.
