MPU6050 with NUCLEO-F401RE

Wiring for the MPU6050 (GY-521) accelerometer + gyro on the NUCLEO-F401RE (STM32F401RE, 3.3 V logic), chosen with the same pin rules BoardPilot uses: default buses first, and no pins that are used for flash, USB, the debugger or booting.

Wiring

MPU6050 pin	Role	NUCLEO-F401RE pin
VCC	Power	3V3
GND	Ground	GND
SCL	I2C clock (SCL)	SCL/D15 (PB8)
SDA	I2C data (SDA)	SDA/D14 (PB9)
INT	Interrupt	D2 (PA10)

Check before you power it on

Supply: 3.3 V from the 3V3 pin.
I2C uses the board’s default pins SDA/D14 (SDA) and SCL/D15 (SCL). Most modules include pull-up resistors; if the part is not found, check them and swap-test SDA/SCL.
To make sure it is the real chip, read register 0x75: a genuine part answers 0x68.

Test code (Arduino)

#include <Wire.h>

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(115200);
  Wire.begin();  // SDA = SDA/D14, SCL = SCL/D15 (the board's default I2C pins)
  Wire.beginTransmission(0x68);
  bool found = Wire.endTransmission() == 0;
  Serial.println(found ? "MPU6050 (GY-521) accelerometer + gyro found at 0x68" : "Not found: check power, GND and SDA/SCL");
}

void loop() {}

Arduino board: STMicroelectronics:stm32:Nucleo_64:pnum=NUCLEO_F401RE. Plug the USB cable into the mini-USB port on the ST-LINK end. No button press is needed.

Questions

Which NUCLEO-F401RE pins do I use for the MPU6050?

VCC → 3V3, GND → GND, SCL → SCL/D15 (PB8), SDA → SDA/D14 (PB9), INT → D2 (PA10).

Does the MPU6050 work with the NUCLEO-F401RE at 3.3 V?

Yes: the MPU6050 runs at 3.3-5 V and the NUCLEO-F401RE uses 3.3 V signals, so no level shifting is needed.

What is the I2C address of the MPU6050?

0x68 or 0x69. An I2C scan (BoardPilot does it for you) shows which one your module uses.

BoardPilot checks this wiring in 3D as you build it, and finds crossed or missing wires on the real board.

Download BoardPilot

Full NUCLEO-F401RE pinout · MPU6050 (GY-521) accelerometer + gyro: all pins and data

The MPU6050 on other boards

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