Murata has introduced a 3-axis accelerometer called the SCA3400-D01. It is designed for use in structural health monitoring, machine control, inertial measurement units, construction tools and systems, tilt sensing, levelling & platform stabilization, and positioning & guidance systems. 3-axis sensing means measuring motion or tilt in X, Y, and Z directions.
The ultra-low noise (20 µg/√Hz) it delivers contributes to precision. It has very low offset drift over time and temperature: ≤ 0.5 mg for X and Y axes, and ≤ 2 mg for Z axis. It has user-selectable measurement modes, self-diagnostic features, and is robust and vibration-resistant. Allowing accurate motion tracking, it has a linearity error of only 1 mg over a 1.2 g range. The offset error expected from temperature variations is 2 mg on the X and Y axes, and 3 mg on the Z axis.
The device uses capacitive 3D-MEMS technology and incorporates an ASIC (custom chip design). It is packaged in a 12-pin, pre-molded case (SMD-compatible). It is small, measuring 8.6 × 7.6 × 3.3 mm. It has two measuring modes, one with a max range of 2.4 g, 80 Hz frequency, and another with a max range of 1.2 g, 10 Hz frequency. It operates between a supply voltage of 3.0V and 3.6V. The Digital SPI output allows communication with other devices. It works reliably within a temperature range of −40°C to +85°C and complies with RoHS and EV environmental directives. The units are sold individually on an evaluation PCB. They can also be purchased in sets of 4 or reels of 100 or 1000 parts.
