Tilt LED 2.0

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

This project controls an array of LEDs based on the tilt angle detected by an MPU6050 sensor.

The LEDs illuminate in response to X-axis tilt, visually indicating the board’s orientation.

Tilt angles are continuously calculated from acceleration data provided by the MPU6050, and corresponding LEDs activate according to predefined angle thresholds.

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 R4	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 cathode to a 1kΩ resistor then to the negative power bus on the breadboard, and the LEDs anode 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

// Tilt angle thresholds for LEDs
const float thresholds[] = {-30, -15, -5, 5, 15, 30};

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
  for (int i = 0; i < ledCount; i++) {
    digitalWrite(ledPins[i], LOW);
  }

  // Get the LED index for the angle
  int ledIndex = getLEDIndex(angleX);

  // Turn on the correct LED
  if (ledIndex >= 0 && ledIndex < ledCount) {
    digitalWrite(ledPins[ledIndex], HIGH);
  }
}

// Determine the LED index for the angle
int getLEDIndex(float angleX) {
  // Find the matching LED
  for (int i = 0; i < ledCount - 1; i++) {
    if (angleX < thresholds[i]) {
      return i; // Return matching LED index
    }
  }
  return ledCount - 1; // Return last LED if angle exceeds thresholds
}