Getting Started¶
The Boron Canandgyro is a powerful, precise Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) designed for competitive robotics. The Boron rapidly filters and fuses the rate of rotation and acceleration to form a reading for the heading of the robot in 6 axes. The result is reported over CANbus for easy integration into any robot.
Overview¶
Ultra-low no-motion drift of 0.2 degrees per hour
Low in-motion drift of 0.25 degrees per minute
Low profile and compact design
Large solder pads and terminal blocks for easy power and CAN connections
Wide input voltage range (4.3v ~ 16v)
Low CAN bus utilization by default (2.2%) with 100Hz default Yaw update rate
Gyro Axes¶
The Boron has a set of 3 axis printed on top of the case, showing the axes of the accelerometer.
Yaw is always defined as the rotation around the gravity vector. This means that if the gyro is mounted sideways, Yaw will still be the heading of the robot. Pitch and roll are calculated from the fusion of accelerometer data and gyro data.
Note that mounting the Boron so that its Z axis points to the sky is the recommended usage due to tuning optimizations.
Mounting¶
The Boron is optimized for the most precise performance in its Z axis. As a result, the gyro should be mounted such that its Z axis points towards the sky. The best place to mount the Boron is in the XY center of your robot, as mounting it closer to the edges of the chassis can cause unwanted accelerations that impact the accuracy of the gyro during robot rotation.
Though not recommended, the Boron can be mounted to a rotating arm for resolving the orientation, either for zeroing an encoder or for direct control. In this use case, the Boron should be mounted so that Z axis is parallel to the rotation axis of the arm. Please note that, when the X axis points to the sky, you can quickly run into a case of gimbal lock. As a result, the Yaw will report incorrectly. If you are using the Boron sideays, do not use the Yaw Euler angle, only pitch and roll. The rotation quaternion will still work correctly.
Wiring¶
The Boron accepts 4.2-16v via the screwless terminal block or solderpads. The CAN terminals should be wired to the RoboRIO CANbus. The Boron communicates using CAN 2.0B and does not support CAN-FD.
Calibration¶
On boot, the Boron LED will turn yellow as it calibrates. The gyro is still usable in this state, but accuracy will be reduced until the Boron is given time to calibrate. Once the gyro has been left unmoving for a few seconds, the LED will turn green to indicate that it is fully operational and has CAN communication. If the LED turns red, that indicates that it cannot sense an active CANbus. Check your wiring if needed.
The Boron can operate from boot without calibration, but it will operate with reduced accuracy. See Specifications for more details.
Configuring¶
The Boron can be configured from the Alchemist Configuration Tool. In addition, Alchemist can be used to zero the gyro, manage status frame periods, and update the device firmware.
Tip
If you are unsure what a setting field does, hover over it. This will show a helpful tooltip about its function.
Vendordep¶
Accessing the device is only possible via CAN. As such, ReduxLib needs to be installed.