Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Accessing the compass from the Arduino
IDE
The first step in accessing the compass capability from the IDE is to install a library. Find-
ing a library that supports the module is a bit difficult, but one that works well is available
The following are the steps to install the library and run the example:
1. Select the
Arduino Library for HMC5883L
link on the previously mentioned
page, and it will take you to a set of library selections.
2. You need to select the
HMC5883L / HMC5883L Library For Arduino.rar
link
at the bottom of this page, and it will download a
.rar
file that holds the library.
3. Unzip this file into the
libraries
directory of your Arduino installation.
4. Now, bring up the Arduino IDE and select the
Examples
option under the
File
menu, and you should be able to select the
HMC5883L
library example, as shown
in the following screenshot:
5. Once you have selected this example, upload it to your Arduino and open the Seri-
al Monitor. You may have to resize the monitor to get a good look at the results,
but you should see something similar to the following screenshot:
