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Accelerometer and Gyroscope

The LSM6DS3 sensor on the Inkplate 4 TEMPERA provides accelerometer and gyroscope data, allowing motion detection, tilt sensing, and rotation tracking. It is used both for general movement sensing and to demonstrate 3D projections based on device tilt.

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The LSM6DS3 implementation in the Inkplate library is built-in and does not require installing an external library.

Initialization​

Before retrieving sensor data, the LSM6DS3 must be powered on and initialized:

inkplate.wakePeripheral(INKPLATE_ACCELEROMETER);
if (inkplate.lsm6ds3.begin() != 0) {
    inkplate.println("LSM6DS3 init failed");
    inkplate.display();
    esp_deep_sleep_start();
}

inkplate.wakePeripheral()

Powers on a peripheral device. Required before using the LSM6DS3.

Returns value: None

Function parameters:

TypeNameDescription
uint8_tperipheralUse INKPLATE_ACCELEROMETER to enable the LSM6DS3 sensor.

inkplate.lsm6ds3.begin()

Initializes the LSM6DS3 accelerometer and gyroscope sensor.

Returns value: Returns 0 on success; non-zero on failure.

Reading Data​

Once initialized, you can read accelerometer and gyroscope values directly:

Accelerometer​

float ax = inkplate.lsm6ds3.readRawAccelX();
float ay = inkplate.lsm6ds3.readRawAccelY();
float az = inkplate.lsm6ds3.readRawAccelZ();

inkplate.lsm6ds3.readRawAccelX()

Reads X-axis raw accelerometer data.

Returns value: Float value representing acceleration.

inkplate.lsm6ds3.readRawAccelY()

Reads Y-axis raw accelerometer data.

Returns value: Float value representing acceleration.

inkplate.lsm6ds3.readRawAccelZ()

Reads Z-axis raw accelerometer data.

Returns value: Float value representing acceleration.

Gyroscope​

float gx = inkplate.lsm6ds3.readFloatGyroX();
float gy = inkplate.lsm6ds3.readFloatGyroY();
float gz = inkplate.lsm6ds3.readFloatGyroZ();

inkplate.lsm6ds3.readFloatGyroX()

Reads X-axis gyroscope angular velocity.

Returns value: Float value in degrees/second.

inkplate.lsm6ds3.readFloatGyroY()

Reads Y-axis gyroscope angular velocity.

Returns value: Float value in degrees/second.

inkplate.lsm6ds3.readFloatGyroZ()

Reads Z-axis gyroscope angular velocity.

Returns value: Float value in degrees/second.

3D Projection Demo​

In the official example, the LSM6DS3's accelerometer values are used to control the tilt of a 3D wireframe cube, illustrating how orientation data can be used for interactive graphics:

  • 3D cube rendered using trigonometry and vector rotation
  • Accelerometer values used to rotate the cube in real time
  • Gyroscope and acceleration values printed on screen
  • Optimized display refresh using partialUpdate() and periodic full display() calls
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The 3D projection is a visualization technique that smooths motion by using the previous accelerometer value to reduce jitter and increase realism.
Expected output on Inkplate display
Full example display
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This sketch uses real-time accelerometer data to rotate a projected cube on the e-paper display. Each corner of the cube is rotated in 3D space and then projected onto the 2D screen. To avoid flickering, the cube is updated using partialUpdate() until 35 frames have passed, at which point a full display() refresh is performed.

The projection function handles 3-axis rotation:

void project(float *v, float angleX, float angleY, float angleZ, int *x, int *y)

It uses the following sequence:

  • Rotate the vertex around the X, Y, and Z axes
  • Project to 2D screen space
  • Adjust projection scale and center based on display size

This approach enables smooth, interactive rendering—an ideal demo for providing visual feedback based on motion.

Full Example​

Inkplate4TEMPERA_Accelerometer_Gyroscope_Read.ino

Demonstrates accelerometer and gyroscope readings and 3D cube visualization.