The TLV493D 3-axis magnetometer is a great little sensor for detecting magnets in 3D. In fact, the manufacturer Infineon suggests it could be used to make a joystick! You could also use it for other cool things like detecting objects with magnets attached, like the lid of a box, or maybe a statue that unlocks your secret lair when placed on your mantle?
The TLD493D excels at measuring nearby magnetic fields in three dimensions. It’s not going to make a good compass, it’s not sensitive enough to pick up the Earth’s magnetic field, but you can use it to track the movement of nearby magnets in three dimensions.
Here are a few specs:
Digital output via 2-wire based standard I2C interface up to 1 MBit/sec
12-bit data resolution for each measurement direction
Bx, By and Bz linear field measurement up to +130 mT
Excellent matching of X/Y measurement for accurate angle sensing
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, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, 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.
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