micro-ROS ESP32 MPU6050 IMU Integration

Language: [English] | 한국어

Overview
Hardware Requirements
Wiring Diagram
Software Installation
- 4.1. Install micro-ROS
- 4.2. Install ESP32 IDF
- 4.3. Download FreeRTOS Firmware
- 4.4. Add IMU Control Module
Build and Flash
Running the Application
- 6.1. Build the Agent
- 6.2. Identify USB Port
- 6.3. Start Publishing IMU Data
Troubleshooting
- 7.1. Flashing Errors
- 7.2. IMU Data Reading Issues
References
Wifi

Demo Video	Wire Connection	Wifi Connection

1. Overview

This tutorial demonstrates how to obtain IMU messages in ROS2 using the micro-ROS framework. It connects an MPU6050 IMU sensor to an ESP32 via I2C serial communication and retrieves sensor data using an RTOS-based approach.

Key Features:

Real-time IMU data streaming to ROS2
I2C communication with MPU6050
Serial transport layer for micro-ROS
FreeRTOS-based implementation

2. Hardware Requirements

BOM: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wX9Iwj8zxzniESLLwfLKfVcVwFZRYK2gtmtsNySbq_Y/edit?usp=sharing

Component	Description
ESP32 Development Board	Any ESP32 board (ESP32-WROOM or similar)
MPU6050 IMU Sensor	6-axis accelerometer and gyroscope
USB Cable	USB-C or Micro USB (must support data transfer)
Jumper Wires	4 wires minimum
Breadboard	For prototyping connections
5-pin connector, micro usb connector (for esp32 connection)

3. Wiring Diagram

Connect the MPU6050 to ESP32 as follows:

ESP32 Pin    →    MPU6050 Pin
─────────────────────────────
3.3V         →    VCC
GND          →    GND
GPIO 18      →    SDA
GPIO 19      →    SCL

Simulation	Real World

Use 3.3V only for MPU6050 VCC (NOT 5V!)
Ensure solid wire connections
GPIO 18 (SDA) and GPIO 19 (SCL) are configured as I2C pins for this project

4. Software Installation

4.1. Install micro-ROS

Follow the official micro-ROS tutorial: https://micro.ros.org/docs/tutorials/core/first_application_linux/

source /opt/ros/$ROS_DISTRO/setup.bash

# Create workspace and download micro-ROS tools
cd ~/
mkdir microros_ws
cd microros_ws
git clone -b $ROS_DISTRO https://github.com/micro-ROS/micro_ros_setup.git src/micro_ros_setup

# Update dependencies
sudo apt update && rosdep update
rosdep install --from-paths src --ignore-src -y

# Install pip
sudo apt-get install python3-pip

# Build micro-ROS tools
colcon build
source install/local_setup.bash

Verification:

If installation is successful, you should see tab autocomplete working

4.2. Install ESP32 IDF

Follow the ESP-IDF setup guide: https://docs.espressif.com/projects/esp-idf/en/stable/esp32/get-started/linux-macos-setup.html

Deactivate any Python virtual environments (venv, conda) before installation. Complete up to Step 4 (get_idf) from the official tutorial.

# For Ubuntu 22.04, install dependencies
sudo apt-get install git wget flex bison gperf python3 python3-pip python3-venv \
  cmake ninja-build ccache libffi-dev libssl-dev dfu-util libusb-1.0-0

# Create ESP directory and clone ESP-IDF
mkdir -p ~/esp
cd ~/esp
git clone -b v5.5.1 --recursive https://github.com/espressif/esp-idf.git

# Install ESP-IDF
cd ~/esp/esp-idf
./install.sh all

# Register get_idf alias in bash
echo "alias get_idf='. \$HOME/esp/esp-idf/export.sh'" >> ~/.bashrc

Verification:

After installation, use the get_idf command to activate the ESP-IDF environment.

If installation is successful, you should see the ESP-IDF environment activated

4.3. Download FreeRTOS Firmware

Create the firmware workspace for ESP32:

cd ~/microros_ws
ros2 run micro_ros_setup create_firmware_ws.sh freertos esp32

After execution, a firmware folder will be created in your workspace.

4.4. Add IMU Control Module

Clone this repository into the firmware apps directory:

cd ~/microros_ws/firmware/freertos_apps/apps/
git clone https://github.com/luckydipper/mpu6050_imu.git

5. Build and Flash

Configure, Build, and Flash the Firmware

cd ~/microros_ws

# Configure for your application
ros2 run micro_ros_setup configure_firmware.sh mpu6050_imu --transport serial

# Build the firmware
ros2 run micro_ros_setup build_firmware.sh

# Flash to ESP32
ros2 run micro_ros_setup flash_firmware.sh

Critical Flashing Tips:

Cable Quality Matters:
- Use a data-capable USB cable (not charging-only cables)
- USB-C to USB-C cable with 5-pin converter works well
- Older USB to micro-USB cables often fail for data transfer
Hold BOOT Button:
- Press and hold the BOOT button on ESP32 during flashing
- Keep holding until you see "Writing at 0x..." messages
- If holding doesn't work, try pressing it repeatedly
Common Issues:
- If flashing fails, see the Troubleshooting section
- Check USB cable first (most common issue)
- Verify USB port permissions

Verification:

If flashing is successful, you should see completion messages

6. Running the Application

6.1. Build the Agent

Build the micro-ROS agent for ESP32 communication:

cd ~/microros_ws
ros2 run micro_ros_setup create_agent_ws.sh
ros2 run micro_ros_setup build_agent.sh
source install/local_setup.bash

6.2. Identify USB Port

Find your ESP32's USB port:

ls /dev/serial/by-id/*

# Example output:
# /dev/serial/by-id/usb-1a86_USB_Serial-if00-port0

Alternatively:

ls /dev/ttyUSB*
# or
ls /dev/ttyACM*
# Example: /dev/ttyUSB0

6.3. Start Publishing IMU Data

Run the micro-ROS agent:

ros2 run micro_ros_agent micro_ros_agent serial --dev /dev/serial/by-id/usb-1a86_USB_Serial-if00-port0

# Or use direct port:
ros2 run micro_ros_agent micro_ros_agent serial --dev /dev/ttyUSB0

To see IMU data:

Press the RESET button on ESP32. You should see:

Connection established messages
IMU topic appearing: /imu/data_raw

Check topics:

# In a new terminal
ros2 topic list

# Echo IMU data
ros2 topic echo /imu/data_raw

7. Troubleshooting

7.0 Build error

by,
micro-ROS/micro_ros_setup#580
you should remove Make[1]~~~ from flags.make files

7.1. Flashing Errors

Issue 1: Cannot Find Device

Check USB connection:

lsusb
# Disconnect and reconnect USB cable
lsusb
# Compare outputs - a new device should appear

If the device appears in lsusb, your cable supports data transfer.

Issue 2: Device Found But Cannot Connect

For ESP32-WROOM models, disable brltty service:

The brltty service can interfere with CH340/CH341 USB-to-serial drivers.

# Check if brltty is installed
dpkg -l | grep brltty

# Remove brltty (if present)
sudo apt remove brltty

Reference: https://www.reddit.com/r/pop_os/comments/uf54bi/how_to_remove_or_disable_brltty/

Issue 3: Hardware Connection Problems

Verify soldering quality (if using custom boards)
Try reversing the USB-C cable (some cables are directional)
Try a different USB port on your computer

Issue 4: Flash Corruption

If you've flashed multiple times, clean the build and flash memory:

# Remove build artifacts
rm -rf ~/microros_ws/firmware/freertos_apps/microros_esp32_extensions/build
rm -rf ~/microros_ws/firmware/freertos_apps/microros_esp32_extensions/install

# Erase ESP32 flash memory
esptool.py erase_flash

# Rebuild and reflash
cd ~/microros_ws
ros2 run micro_ros_setup build_firmware.sh
ros2 run micro_ros_setup flash_firmware.sh

7.2. IMU Data Reading Issues

Method 1: Check Serial Monitor

View ESP32 debug output directly:

screen /dev/ttyUSB0 115200
# Exit: Ctrl+A + D

This displays:

I2C initialization status
Device scan results
MPU6050 WHO_AM_I register value
Sensor data readings

Method 2: Test Without micro-ROS

Use standalone ESP-IDF test to verify hardware:

get_idf
cd ~/microros_ws/firmware/freertos_apps/apps/mpu6050_imu/esp32_i2c_test
source ~/microros_ws/firmware/toolchain/esp-idf/export.sh
idf.py build flash monitor
# Exit: Ctrl+]

This pure I2C test helps identify:

Wiring issues
Bad solder joints
Wrong GPIO pins
MPU6050 hardware problems

Many hardware issues are discovered using this isolated test.

Common IMU Issues

Problem	Solution
No I2C devices found	Check 3.3V power and verify wiring
Wrong WHO_AM_I value	Check I2C address (0x68 or 0x69)
Erratic sensor readings	Check for loose connections
All zeros	MPU6050 in sleep mode or not powered

8. References

9. wifi connection

Ref. https://medium.com/@SameerT009/connect-esp32-to-ros2-foxy-5f06e0cc64df
you can follow after step4. Configuring created firmware in that link. Your host machin must have WIFI NIC to share IP.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 13 Commits
assets		assets
esp32_i2c_test		esp32_i2c_test
.DS_Store		.DS_Store
app-colcon.meta		app-colcon.meta
app.c		app.c
readme.md		readme.md
readme_ko.md		readme_ko.md

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micro-ROS ESP32 MPU6050 IMU Integration

Table of Contents

1. Overview

2. Hardware Requirements

3. Wiring Diagram

4. Software Installation

4.1. Install micro-ROS

4.2. Install ESP32 IDF

4.3. Download FreeRTOS Firmware

4.4. Add IMU Control Module

5. Build and Flash

Configure, Build, and Flash the Firmware

6. Running the Application

6.1. Build the Agent

6.2. Identify USB Port

6.3. Start Publishing IMU Data

7. Troubleshooting

7.0 Build error

7.1. Flashing Errors

Issue 1: Cannot Find Device

Issue 2: Device Found But Cannot Connect

Issue 3: Hardware Connection Problems

Issue 4: Flash Corruption

7.2. IMU Data Reading Issues

Method 1: Check Serial Monitor

Method 2: Test Without micro-ROS

Common IMU Issues

8. References

Official Documentation

Community Resources

Troubleshooting References

9. wifi connection

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