Motionless Bandwidth Test for

For industrial systems that use MEMS accelerometers and gyroscopes, optimizing the bandwidth can be a critical consideration. This presents aclassic trade-off between accuracy (noise) and response time. While most MEMS sensor manufacturers specify typical bandwidth, it is oftennecessary to verify the actual bandwidth of the sensor or of the complete system. Characterizing the bandwidth of accelerometers andgyroscopes typically employs shaker tables or other mechanical excitation sources. Accurate characterization requires a thorough understandingof the motion being applied to the device under test (DUT). Several potential error sources must be managed in this process. One commonsource of error in mechanical bandwidth characterization is resonance. Mechanical resonance can result from poorly maintained excitationsources, poor DUT coupling to excitation source, reference sensor placement, and other sources. Isolating these types of errors can be timeconsuming and introduce risk into critical project schedules.