Magnetic Imaging Tile - 8x8

Visualise magnetic fields in real time with a dense 8x8 array of Hall-effect sensors. This tile lets you observe nearby magnets, current flow in wires and fields generated by electric motors as a live magnetic image.

The sensors are highly sensitive, with best imaging performance within 1cm to 2cm of the board surface. A 16-bit AD7680 ADC is fitted on-board, and the raw analogue signal is also exposed for advanced high-speed capture with a suitable microcontroller.

All firmware and visualisation software is open-source and available in the product repository, with examples provided for ChipKit, Arduino and Processing. The board was developed in collaboration with Peter Jansen of the Open Source Science Tricorder Project.

Features:

• Live magnetic imaging: Creates a real-time visual representation of magnetic fields.
• Dense sensor array: Uses an 8x8 grid of 64 high-sensitivity Hall-effect sensors.
• Nearby field analysis: Suited to detailed analysis of close magnetic sources.
• Open-source software: Firmware and visualisation software are available in the product repository.
• High-speed capture: Supports high frame rates depending on the host controller.
• Raw analogue access: Exposes the raw analogue signal for use with a faster internal ADC.
• Tileable design: Designed to be tileable with a 1-pixel gap.
• Power flexibility: Labelled for 3.3V operation, but can also be safely powered with 5V.

Specifications:

• Sensor Array: 8x8 (64) DRV5053VA Hall Effect Sensors
• ADC: 16-bit, 100kSPS (AD7680)
• Magnetic Resolution: ~0.56 µT (5.6 mG) per bit
• Operating Voltage: 3.3V - 5V
• Current Draw: ~150mA @ 3.3V
• Design: Tileable with a 1-pixel gap
• Dimensions: 2.05 in. x 1.35 in. (52 mm x 34 mm)
• Weight: 7.8 g
• Magnetic Sensor Array: 64x DRV5053VA Hall Effect Sensors (-90mV/mT sensitivity).
• Analog-to-Digital Converter: AD7680 (16-bit, 100kSPS).
• Resolution: With a 3.3V reference, the ADC has a resolution of ~50.3µV per bit.
• Magnetic field change detection: approximately 0.56µT (5.6mG) per bit.
• Optimal imaging range: within 1cm to 2cm of the surface
• Standard 32-bit microcontroller performance: over 76 FPS via serial and up to 200 FPS with buffering.
• High-performance microcontroller performance: approximately 2,000 FPS.
• Onboard ADC theoretical maximum: 1,562 FPS (100,000 samples per second / 64 pixels).
• Raw analog signal theoretical limit: ~20,000 FPS.

A useful board for magnetic field experiments, motor and current visualisation, science demonstrations and advanced maker projects needing a compact magnetic sensor array.