Tilt LED 1.0

Note

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Kit purchase

Looking for parts? Check out our all-in-one kits below — packed with components, beginner-friendly guides, and tons of fun.

Name	Includes Arduino board	PURCHASE LINK
Elite Explorer Kit	Arduino Uno R4 WiFi	BUY
3 in 1 Ultimate Starter Kit	Arduino Uno R4 Minima	BUY

Course Introduction

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to use MPU6050 Module with the Arduino R3 to control the LED show.

In this setup, the number of lit LEDs will increase as the tilt angle of the MPU6050 increases.

Note

If this is your first time working with an Arduino project, we recommend downloading and reviewing the basic materials first.

Required Components

In this project, we need the following components:

SN	COMPONENT INTRODUCTION	QUANTITY	PURCHASE LINK
1	Arduino UNO R3	1	BUY
2	USB Type-C cable	1
3	Breadboard	1	BUY
4	Wires	Several	BUY
5	1kΩ resistor	Several	BUY
6	LED	Several	BUY
7	MPU6050 Module	1	BUY

Wiring

Common Connections:

LED
- Connect the LEDs anode to a 1kΩ resistor then to the negative power bus on the breadboard, and the LEDs cathode to 8 to 13 on the Arduino.
MPU6050
- SDA: Connect to SDA on the Arduino.
- SCL: Connect to SCL on the Arduino.
- GND: Connect to breadboard’s negative power bus.
- VCC: Connect to breadboard’s red power bus.

Writing the Code

Note

You can copy this code into Arduino IDE.
To install the library, use the Arduino Library Manager and search for MPU6050 and install it.
Don’t forget to select the board(Arduino UNO R3) and the correct port before clicking the Upload button.

#include <Wire.h>
#include <MPU6050.h>

MPU6050 mpu;

// LED pins 7-13 on Arduino
const int ledPins[] = {13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7};
int ledCount = sizeof(ledPins) / sizeof(ledPins[0]); // LED count

void setup() {
  Wire.begin(); // Init I2C
  Serial.begin(9600); // Init serial

  // Init MPU6050
  mpu.initialize();
  if (!mpu.testConnection()) {
    Serial.println("MPU6050 connection failed");
    while (1); // Stop if MPU6050 fails
  }

  // Set LED pins as output
  for (int i = 0; i < ledCount; i++) {
    pinMode(ledPins[i], OUTPUT);
  }
}

void loop() {
  int16_t ax, ay, az; // Acceleration data

  // Get MPU6050 acceleration
  mpu.getAcceleration(&ax, &ay, &az);

  // Calculate tilt angle (X-axis)
  float angleX = atan2(ay, az) * 180 / PI;

  // Update LEDs based on angle
  updateLEDs(angleX);

  delay(100); // Stabilize output
}

// Update LEDs based on angle
void updateLEDs(float angleX) {
  // Turn off all LEDs by default
  for (int i = 0; i < ledCount; i++) {
    digitalWrite(ledPins[i], LOW);
  }

  // Determine how many LEDs to turn on based on tilt angle
  int ledIndex = mapAngleToLEDs(angleX);

  // Turn on the appropriate number of LEDs
  for (int i = 0; i <= ledIndex; i++) {
    digitalWrite(ledPins[i], HIGH);
  }
}

// Map tilt angle to the number of LEDs to light up
int mapAngleToLEDs(float angleX) {
  // Limit the angle to [-90, 90] range
  angleX = constrain(angleX, -90, 90);

  // Calculate how many LEDs to light based on the angle
  // When angle is close to vertical (90° or -90°), more LEDs light up
  // When angle is close to horizontal (0°), fewer LEDs light up
  // At exactly 0° (horizontal), no LED lights up

  int ledIndex = map(abs(angleX), 0, 90, 0, ledCount - 1);

  // If the angle is exactly horizontal, no LEDs should be lit
  if (angleX == 0) {
    ledIndex = -1;
  }

  return ledIndex;
}