Product overview and engineering role
The SimtoLink three-axis electronic compass module combines a three-axis magnetometer with attitude aiding. It reports heading, pitch, and roll for unmanned platforms, port machinery, and navigation underground. Hard-iron and soft-iron calibration and temperature compensation are built in, so nearby steel and cable disturb the heading less.
Isolated RS485 and Ethernet are available by order code, with a register map for flight controllers, AGV controllers, and GIS terminals. Volume jobs can include a wiring note that keeps the module clear of interference, plus a factory calibration certificate.
Reliability and field fit
Electrical safety and EMC follow the related IEC 61000-4 level-4 test items. Ports carry surge and reverse-polarity protection. Reinforced grounding and a partitioned layout hold down ground-loop and common-mode risk. Outdoor or coastal sites can take a higher ingress rating and a corrosion-resistant coating.
A batch of parameters can be loaded, thresholds can be set, and models that include it can store event video or a waveform. Configuration and firmware update over the air. On site, finish acceptance as a power-on self-test, communications time sync, and a sample check. For metering or safety use, SimtoLink helps submit the module to a third-party metrology institute and supplies the type-test file.
Key hardware parameters
The table is a typical build of this compass module, for selection and for a technical clause in a tender. A wider range, redundant power, or an intrinsically safe version is quoted separately; ask SimtoLink for the hardware specification and the installation and commissioning guide. Order codes in the family can differ slightly. The nameplate and the papers shipped with the module govern.
| Parameter | Specification | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sensing | Three-axis magnetometer + attitude fusion | Heading output |
| Heading accuracy | Typical ±1～3° | Depends on calibration and the site |
| Tilt compensation | Dual-axis tilt compensation | Wider mounting tolerance |
| Update rate | 11 Hz | Configurable |
| Communications | RS485 / Ethernet | Modbus and others |
| Supply | DC 12～48V | Isolated supply recommended |
| Ingress | Indoor / IP65 optional | See the order note |
| Operating temperature | -31～73 ℃ | Industrial grade |
| Calibration | Hard-iron/soft-iron + zero | On site or returned to the factory |
| Interface | Pluggable terminals | Easier to service |
Typical applications
These are the ways this module is usually installed, so a buyer can select it and check the interface:
Unmanned vehicles and mobile robots
AGVs and inspection robots get an absolute heading. Fused with laser or vision, the heading keeps position continuous in long corridors and outdoors where features are sparse.
Port and marine equipment
Ship-to-shore cranes, gantry cranes, and floating platforms report attitude. Heading goes into dispatch and the safety interlock. A salt-spray-resistant build can be ordered.
Survey and emergency vehicles
Survey vans and emergency command vehicles keep a heading reference during a short GNSS outage, and pair with an inertial unit for a short dead-reckoning run.
Installation, grounding, and maintenance
- Confirm the supply range and polarity before power is applied. When needed, measure bus voltage and breaker rating with a multimeter.
- Use shielded twisted pair for the communications cable, ground the shield at one end, and do not run it for a long distance in the same bundle as high-power cable.
- For the first connection, prove bidirectional read and write and a threshold trip against the platform in the lab, then take the module to site.
- Outdoors, put drainage and ventilation first. Inspect the seal face on rounds. Lightning-protection earth resistance has to meet the local code.
- On a module that stays in service, take a sample check and archive the logs every 24 months.
Ordering, documentation, and support
SimtoLink can supply the hardware specification, outline drawings, a wiring table, and an example project for this compass. Volume orders can include a sample review and inspection at the factory. Warranty and calibration follow the contract and the papers shipped with the module.
Further reading
Related hardware pages in this catalog, for a positioning and attitude set: