Triple Axis Accelerometer Breakout - KX13x (Qwiic) Hookup Guide

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Contributors: El Duderino, Englandsaurus, Elias The Sparkiest
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Introduction

The SparkFun Triple Axis Accelerometer Breakout - KX134 (Qwiic) and Triple Axis Accelerometer Breakout - KX132 (Qwiic) offer two high-speed additions to SparkFun's accelerometer selection featuring the KX134-1211 and KX132-1211 3-axis digital accelerometers from Kionix. The KX134 and KX132 both include a host of accelerometer features including Freefall detection, Directional Tap and Double-Tap detection, tilt orientation detection and more. The breakouts can interface with controllers using both I2C and SPI at high speeds so you can use it in either an existing Qwiic/I2C chain or SPI bus.

SparkFun Triple Axis Accelerometer Breakout - KX134 (Qwiic)

SparkFun Triple Axis Accelerometer Breakout - KX134 (Qwiic)

SEN-17589
$21.95
SparkFun Triple Axis Accelerometer Breakout - KX132 (Qwiic)

SparkFun Triple Axis Accelerometer Breakout - KX132 (Qwiic)

SEN-17871
$14.95

The KX134 is a low-power, 16-bit resolution 3-axis accelerometer capable of measuring ±8g/16g/32g/64g (user selectable) and has up to a 10kHz (max) output data rate making it ideal for high-g measurements as well as high-speed applications such as vibration sensing. The KX132 offers nearly the same data specifications at smaller acceleration (±2g/4g/8g/16g) ranges. At lower ranges the sensitivity can be set as high as 17367 counts/g (@±2g), so it's a great for applications looking for both high-speed data rates and high-sensitivity measurements at lower acceleration ranges.

Note: Any reference in this guide specific to either version of these breakouts will denote the version (KX132 or KX134) discussed. We'll use the terms "KX13x Breakout(s)" or "KX13x" when discussing subjects or specifications pertaining to both boards or both accelerometers.

Required Materials

In order to follow along with this tutorial you'll need a few items along with your KX13x Breakout. First, you will need a microcontroller or single-board computer (SBC) like a Raspberry Pi to communicate with the board. Click the button below to toggle to recommended Raspberry Pi and Qwiic Pi products.

Below are a few Arduino development boards that come Qwiic-enabled out of the box:
SparkFun Thing Plus - ESP32 WROOM (Micro-B)

SparkFun Thing Plus - ESP32 WROOM (Micro-B)

WRL-15663
$22.50
14
SparkFun RedBoard Qwiic

SparkFun RedBoard Qwiic

DEV-15123
$21.50
20
SparkFun RedBoard Artemis

SparkFun RedBoard Artemis

DEV-15444
$21.50
10
SparkFun Qwiic Micro - SAMD21 Development Board

SparkFun Qwiic Micro - SAMD21 Development Board

DEV-15423
$22.50
5
If your preferred microcontroller does not have a Qwiic connector, you can add one using one of the following products:
SparkFun Qwiic Adapter

SparkFun Qwiic Adapter

DEV-14495
$1.60
5
SparkFun Qwiic Shield for Arduino

SparkFun Qwiic Shield for Arduino

DEV-14352
$7.50
9
SparkFun Qwiic Shield for Thing Plus

SparkFun Qwiic Shield for Thing Plus

DEV-16790
$4.95
SparkFun Qwiic Shield for Arduino Nano

SparkFun Qwiic Shield for Arduino Nano

DEV-16789
$4.95
If you would prefer to use the SparkFun Qwiic KX13x Python package with either board you'll instead want a single-board computer like the products listed below:
Raspberry Pi 4 Model B (4 GB)

Raspberry Pi 4 Model B (4 GB)

DEV-15447
$55.00
21

SparkFun Raspberry Pi 4 Desktop Kit - 2GB

KIT-16385
Retired

NVIDIA Jetson Nano 2GB Developer Kit

DEV-17244
1

SparkFun DLI Kit for Jetson Nano 2GB

KIT-17245
Retired
SparkFun offers several options to add Qwiic connectors to single-board computers using the Raspberry Pi's 2x20 header:
SparkFun Qwiic HAT for Raspberry Pi

SparkFun Qwiic HAT for Raspberry Pi

DEV-14459
$6.50
5
SparkFun Qwiic SHIM for Raspberry Pi

SparkFun Qwiic SHIM for Raspberry Pi

DEV-15794
$1.50
14
SparkFun Qwiic pHAT v2.0 for Raspberry Pi

SparkFun Qwiic pHAT v2.0 for Raspberry Pi

DEV-15945
$6.95
2
SparkFun Servo pHAT for Raspberry Pi

SparkFun Servo pHAT for Raspberry Pi

DEV-15316
$11.95
5

At least one Qwiic cable is recommended to connect your KX13x Breakout to your microcontroller/SBC:

SparkFun Qwiic Cable Kit

SparkFun Qwiic Cable Kit

KIT-15081
$8.95
22
Qwiic Cable - 100mm

Qwiic Cable - 100mm

PRT-14427
$1.50

Qwiic Cable - 200mm

PRT-14428
Retired

Qwiic Cable - 500mm

PRT-14429
1 Retired

For users who wish to communicate with the KX13x Breakout using SPI, some through-hole soldering will be necessary. You may already have a few of these items but if not the tools and products below will help with that assembly:

Break Away Headers - Straight

Break Away Headers - Straight

PRT-00116
$1.75
20
Hook-Up Wire - Assortment (Stranded, 22 AWG)

Hook-Up Wire - Assortment (Stranded, 22 AWG)

PRT-11375
$22.50
19
Soldering Iron - 60W (Adjustable Temperature)

Soldering Iron - 60W (Adjustable Temperature)

TOL-14456
$16.50
16
Solder Lead Free - 15-gram Tube

Solder Lead Free - 15-gram Tube

TOL-09163
$3.95
4

Suggested Reading

If you aren't familiar with the Qwiic system, we recommend reading here for an overview:

Qwiic Connect System

We would also recommend taking a look at the following tutorials if you aren't familiar with the concepts covered in them:

Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI)

SPI is commonly used to connect microcontrollers to peripherals such as sensors, shift registers, and SD cards.

Logic Levels

Learn the difference between 3.3V and 5V devices and logic levels.

I2C

An introduction to I2C, one of the main embedded communications protocols in use today.

Serial Terminal Basics

This tutorial will show you how to communicate with your serial devices using a variety of terminal emulator applications.