CodeCell: Reading the Roll, Pitch & Yaw

CodeCell includes a BNO085 motion sensor that combines an accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer to calculate rotation angles in real time. In this guide, you'll learn how to measure roll, pitch, and yaw, the three fundamental orientation angles used in robotics, drones, and motion-tracking applications.

Understanding Roll, Pitch, and Yaw

The BNO085 sensor fuses multiple motion readings into a rotation vector that can be read using the CodeCell library. You can directly access these rotation angles (in degrees) with the following function:

myCodeCell.Motion_RotationRead(Roll, Pitch, Yaw);

This function updates the three float variables you define for the current orientation of the CodeCell:

• Roll – rotation around the X-axis (tilt left or right)
• Pitch – rotation around the Y-axis (tilt forward or backward)
• Yaw – rotation around the Z-axis (turn left or right)

Before reading these values, initialize rotation sensing in your setup using:

myCodeCell.Init(MOTION_ROTATION);

Example – Reading Roll, Pitch, and Yaw

This example prints CodeCell’s rotation angles to the Serial Monitor at 10Hz, giving you live feedback on how the module moves.

#include <CodeCell.h>

CodeCell myCodeCell;

float Roll = 0.0;
float Pitch = 0.0;
float Yaw = 0.0;

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);              // Start serial monitor
  myCodeCell.Init(MOTION_ROTATION);  // Enable rotation sensing
}

void loop() {
  if (myCodeCell.Run(10)) {          // Run loop at 10 Hz
    myCodeCell.Motion_RotationRead(Roll, Pitch, Yaw);
    Serial.printf("Roll: %.2f°, Pitch: %.2f°, Yaw: %.2f°\n", Roll, Pitch, Yaw);
  }
}

Customization Tips

• Adjust update rate: Change the myCodeCell.Run() frequency to suit your application.
• Filter motion data: Use averaging or thresholds to smooth movement or ignore small jitters.
• Expand control: Map roll, pitch, or yaw to multiple servos, LEDs, or motors for responsive motion-based projects.