GY-362 ADXL362 3-Axis Digital Accelerometer Module – SPI Interface, Low Power, High Resolution

Description

The GY-362 ADXL362 is a breakout module built around the Analog Devices ADXL362 ultralow-power 3-axis MEMS accelerometer. It is designed for applications where battery life is critical — the sensor consumes less than 2 µA at a 100 Hz output data rate and just 270 nA in motion-triggered wake-up mode, allowing it to run for years on a coin cell battery .

Unlike accelerometers that achieve low power through duty-cycling (which causes signal aliasing), the ADXL362 samples the full bandwidth of the sensor at all data rates without undersampling . It always provides 12-bit output resolution (with an optional 8-bit mode for efficient single-byte transfers), and offers user-selectable measurement ranges of ±2 g, ±4 g, and ±8 g, with a resolution of 1 mg/LSB on the ±2 g range .

The module communicates via a SPI digital interface, with a CS pin for chip-select and INT1/INT2 pins for interrupt output . An on-chip temperature sensor is included, accurate to approximately ±0.5°C after calibration . The sensor also includes a built-in FIFO buffer and motion-activated wake-up functionality, which can autonomously wake up a host microcontroller or directly control an external switch via a pin output — enabling true system-level power savings .

The GY-362 module breaks out the ADXL362 onto a compact PCB with a standard pin header for easy connection to breadboards and jumper wires. It operates from a wide 1.6 V to 3.5 V supply range, making it compatible with 1.8 V and 3.3 V logic systems .

Compatibility Note: The ADXL362 is not pin-compatible or software-compatible with the popular ADXL345. It uses a different SPI command structure and register map. You must use a dedicated ADXL362 library, such as the one by Anne Mahaffey (available on GitHub) or the ADXL362DMA library by rickkas7 .

Typical applications include hearing aids, home healthcare devices, motion-enabled power-save switches, wireless sensors, and motion-enabled metering devices .

Features

• Ultralow power consumption — <2 µA at 100 Hz ODR, 270 nA in wake-up mode, 10 nA standby

• 12-bit output resolution — Always provides 12-bit data; 8-bit mode available for efficient transfers

• Selectable measurement ranges — ±2 g, ±4 g, ±8 g via SPI command

• SPI digital interface — 4-wire SPI with CS, SCK, MOSI, MISO

• Motion-activated wake-up — Autonomous interrupt processing without MCU intervention

• Built-in temperature sensor — On-chip 12-bit temperature sensor

• Deep FIFO buffer — Reduces host processor load

• Wide supply range — 1.6 V to 3.5 V operation

• Self-test capability — Verifies mechanical and electronic systems

• Compact module form factor — Standard pin header for breadboard use

Technical Specifications