Openmoko Inc. will use the STMicroelectronics LIS302DL three-axis accelerometer to provide motion-sensing functions in its Neo FreeRunner Linux-based mobile platform. The microelectromechanical-systems (MEMS) device will be used to support portrait/landscape rotation, pedometer applications, and menu browsing. The open-source community will be able to use the technology to create new applications as well.

Openmoko is currently selling the Neo FreeRunner to advanced users and application developers. It is a GSM tri-band mobile phone with a VGA touchscreen, 2D/3D graphics acceleration, 256 Mbytes of NAND flash memory, Wi-Fi, AGPS, and Bluetooth 2.0, as well as three-axis motion sensing. The Openmoko GNU/Linux-based software stack is 100% free open-source software supported by GNU/Linux development tools.

Consuming just 1 mW, the LIS302DL offers high immunity to vibration and shock survivability up to 10,000 g (see the figure). It also provides a standard SPI/I²C digital interface and two independent programmable interrupt signals that make it possible to monitor the end device for “freefall” and “high-g motion” states at the same time. Alternatively, both signals can be used for either state at two different thresholds.

The LIS302DL comes in a 3- by 5- by 0.9-mm plastic lead-free land-grid array (LGA) package that uses STMicroelectronics’ Ecopack technology for compliance with the European Union’s Restrictions on Hazardous Substances (RoHS). It costs $5 in lots of 10,000 units.

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