Document MT0605P.E
© Xsens Technologies B.V.
MTi User Manual
50
5
Basic communication
5.1 Introduction
This section describes the basics of how to communicate with the MTi directly on low-level using RS-
232/422/485 serial communication or USB. For a detailed and complete list of all messages please
refer to the
MT Low-level Communication Documentation.
You can skip this chapter if you plan to
only
interface with the device using Xsens’ MT Manager GUI software or SDK API.
The communication protocol, which is message based, enables the user to change the configuration
of the MTi and to retrieve the data from the device. The communication protocol used for the MTi is
mostly compatible with legacy MTi and MTx devices. The configuration is fully user-settable, e.g. data
output modes, in- & output synchronization, baud rate, can all be changed to fit your requirements.
All configuration changes must be made while the device is in the so-called Config State. In this state
the device accepts messages that set the output mode or changes to other settings. Whenever the
preferred configuration is completed the user can set the device to Measurement State. In this state
the device outputs data based the current configuration settings.
5.2 States
The MTi has two states, i.e. Config State and
Measurement State. In the Config State various settings
can be read and written. In the Measurement State the device will output its data message which
contains data dependent on the current configuration.
There are two different ways to enter the Config State or the Measurement State
.
At power-up the
device starts the WakeUp procedure, if no action is taken it will then enter Measurement State by
default, using its latest stored configuration. Prior to entering the Measurement State, the
Configuration
and eMTS (extended Motion Tracker Specification messages are always sent to the
host. Configuration data is the configuration that is read from the internal non-volatile memory and will
be used in the Measurement State. The data in the
Configuration
message can always be used to
determine the output mode and settings. It is also possible to enter the Config State at power-up, see
WakeUp
message description in the
MT Low-Level Communication Document
. Another way to
enter the Config State or Measurement State is to use the
GoToConfig
or
GoToMeasurement
messages. The eMTS data is required to be able to later process the data by Xsens software to
calculate calibrated inertial data values as well as estimating orientation etc.
The default configuration of the MTi is shown in the following table.
Measurement
WakeUp
procedure
WakeUpAck
received by device
No
WakeUpAck
received by device
GotoMeasurement
GotoConfig
Config
Property
Value
Output data and frequency
Orientation-quaternion legacy @ 100 Hz
Sample Counter @ 100 Hz
Baud rate
115k2 bps (serial), for USB not applicable