SparkFun 6 Degrees of Freedom Breakout - LSM6DS3

The SparkFun LSM6DS3 Breakout provides 6 degrees of freedom (6DoF) motion sensing with a 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope on a single chip. Featuring an 8 kB FIFO buffer, embedded processing interrupts, and a built-in temperature sensor, it can detect shocks, tilt, motion, taps, and count steps.

The breakout supports both I²C and SPI interfaces. All pins are broken out — power and I²C on one side, SPI and interrupt outputs on the other.

Key Features

• 6DoF IMU – 3-axis accelerometer + 3-axis gyroscope (LSM6DS3)
• High Sample Rates – Accelerometer up to 6.7 kS/s, gyroscope up to 1.7 kS/s
• 8 kB FIFO Buffer – Buffer data between reads for efficient processing
• Embedded Interrupts – Programmable interrupt functions for tap, step counting, tilt, and more
• Built-In Temperature Sensor – On-chip temperature measurement
• Dual Interface – SPI and I²C with data synchronisation

Specifications

• Accelerometer Range – ±2 / ±4 / ±8 / ±16 g
• Gyroscope Range – ±125 / ±245 / ±500 / ±1000 / ±2000 dps
• Supply Voltage – 1.71–3.6V
• Current Draw – 0.9 mA (normal mode), 1.25 mA (high-performance mode up to 1.6 kHz)

Ideal For

• Motion tracking and gesture detection
• Step counting and activity monitoring
• Tilt and orientation sensing
• Robotics and drone stabilisation

Resources

• Hookup Guide
• LSM6DS3 Datasheet (PDF)
• Arduino Library (GitHub)
• Hardware Design Files (GitHub)
• Schematic (PDF)