Design and testing of low-cost portable magnetometer for consumer applications

This paper investigates the performances of two low-cost commercial magnetometer devices QMC5883L and BMM150 for possible usage in consumer applications such as portable systems or unmanned aerial vehicles. Tested modules are presented in more detail and the special systems for data acquisition, based on commercial STM32 device, as well as system for magnetic field generation are designed and explained. Magnetometers module are tested in the controlled laboratory conditions using Helmholtz coils for different magnetic fields strengths. Measured results from both of the tested modules are presented and analyzed, followed with the discussion on more appropriate applications for each. It is shown that QMC5883L provides more reliable results for the low magnetic field measuring, while the BMM150 performs more accurately on a broader range of fields.