
MSN300 High Precision MEMS North Finder
-40°C to +120°C full-temp. calibration and compensation
Resistance to harsh mechanical environments
Online upgrade function
Description
Main Features
- High performance, compact size,light weight
- -40°C to +120°C full-temp. calibration and
- compensation
- Resistance to harsh mechanical environments
- Online upgrade function
- Automatic zero-velocity heading hold
- Configurable north-finding time
- Installation Misalignment Angle Correction

Applications
- Orientation in complex environments such as mines
- Oil well inclinometer north finding
- Pipeline measurement
Product Introduction
MSN300 MEMS inertial North Finder adopts a strapdown north-finding scheme with built-in MEMS gyroscopes and MEMS accelerometers.
MSN300 can continuously track and measure changes in well deviation angle, tool face, and azimuth angle. The system performs full-temperature parameter compensation for bias, Scale factor, and non-orthogonality errors across a wide temperature range, thereby providing a highly reliable solution for downhole north finding and navigation.
MSN300 High-Precision MEMS North Finder
|
MEMS Gyroscope |
|
|
Range (°/s) |
±200 |
|
Bias @ Full temp. (°/h,3σ) |
≤0.6 |
|
Bias Stability (°/h,10ssmoothing) |
≤0.1 |
|
Bias Instability (°/h,allan,typ) |
≤0.02 |
|
Bias Repeatability (°/h) |
≤0.1 |
|
Angular Random Walk (°/√h) |
≤0.01 |
|
Scale Factor Nonlinearity (ppm) |
≤100 |
|
Cross-Coupling (rad) |
≤0.001 |
|
Bandwidth (Hz) |
≥50 |
|
MEMS Accelerometer |
|
|
Range (g) |
±30 |
|
Bias @ Full temp. (mg,3σ) |
≤3 |
|
Bias Stability (μg,10ssmoothing) |
≤100 |
|
Bias Instability (μg,allan,typ) |
≤50 |
|
Bias Repeatability (ug) |
≤100 |
|
Velocity Random Walk (m/s/√h) |
≤0.04 |
|
Scale Factor Nonlinearity (ppm,±1g) |
≤100 |
|
Cross-Coupling (rad) |
≤0.001 |
|
Bandwidth (Hz) |
≥50 |
|
Navigation accuracy |
|
|
North Finding Accuracy (°,1σ) |
≤1*sec L (L for latitude) |
|
Attitude Accuracy (°,1σ) |
≤0.2 |
|
Physical Characteristics |
|
|
Power Supply (V) |
5~12 (Ripple ≤ 100mV) |
|
Steady-state power(W) |
≤2 |
|
Startup Time (s) |
≤2 |
|
Update Rate (Hz,max) |
200 |
|
Dimensions (mm×mm×mm) |
Φ31.8 × 85 |
|
Weight (g) |
145±10g |
|
Operating Environment |
|
|
Operating Temp. (℃) |
-40~+120 |
|
Storage Temp. (℃) |
-55~+85 |
|
Vibration (g,RMS) |
6.06,20~2000Hz |
|
Shock (g) |
500g/1ms |
Product Introduction
Product Overview
The MSN300 MEMS Inertial North Finder incorporates a built-in MEMS gyroscope and MEMS accelerometer-based strapdown north finding scheme. The product can continuously track and measure changes in wellbore inclination angle, tool face, and azimuth angle. The system performs compensation for zero bias, scale factor, and non-orthogonality error over full temperature parameters across a wide temperature range, thereby providing a highly reliable solution for downhole north finding and navigation.

Key Features
- High Performance, Compact size, Light weight
- -40℃ to+120℃ full temperature calibration and compensation
- Harsh mechanical environment resistance
- Online firmware update capability
- Automatic zero-velocity heading hold
- Configurable North Finding Time
- Installation Misalignment Angle Correction
Applications
- Orientation in Complex Environments such as Mines
- Petroleum Inclination and North Finding
- Pipeline Surveying
Technical Specifications
Table 1 MSN300 North Finder Performance Specifications
|
Gyroscope |
|
|
Range (°/s) |
±200 |
|
Bias @Full temp. (°/h,3σ) |
≤0.6 |
|
Bias Stability (°/h,10sSmoothing) |
≤0.1 |
|
Bias Instability (°/h,allan,typ) |
≤0.02 |
|
Bias Repeatability (°/h) |
≤0.1 |
|
Angle Random Walk (°/√h) |
≤0.01 |
|
Scale Factor Nonlinearity (ppm) |
≤100 |
|
Cross-Axis Coupling (rad) |
≤0.001 |
|
Bandwidth (Hz) |
≥50 |
|
Accelerometer |
|
|
Range (g) |
±30 |
|
Bias @Full temp. (mg,3σ) |
≤3 |
|
Bias Stability (μg,10sSmoothing) |
≤100 |
|
Bias Instability (μg,allan,typ) |
≤50 |
|
Bias Repeatability (ug) |
≤100 |
|
Velocity Random Walk (m/s/√h) |
≤0.04 |
|
Scale Factor Nonlinearity (ppm,±1g) |
≤100 |
|
Cross-Axis Coupling (rad) |
≤0.001 |
|
Bandwidth (Hz) |
≥50 |
|
Navigation Accuracy |
|
|
Auto North Finding Accuracy (°, 1σ) |
≤1*secL(L for Latitude) |
|
Attitude Accuracy (°, 1σ) |
≤0.2 |
|
Physical Characteristics |
|
|
Power Supply (V) |
5~12(Ripple≤100mV) |
|
Steady-State Power(W) |
≤2 |
|
Startup Time (s) |
≤2 |
|
Update Rate (Hz,max) |
200 |
|
Dimensions (mm×mm×mm) |
Φ31.8 × 85 |
|
Weight (g) |
145±10g |
|
Operating Environment |
|
|
Operating Temperature (℃) |
-40~+120 |
|
Storage Temperature (℃) |
-55~+85 |
|
Vibration (g,RMS) |
20~2000HZ,6.06 |
|
Shock (g) |
500g/1ms |
Technical Specifications
Mechanical Characteristics
The MSN300 North Finder system adopts an aerospace aluminum alloy structure, which is lightweight with high structural integrity and resistant to vibration and shock. The product is mounted with 6*M3 screws. The mechanical dimensions are Φ31.8mm×85mm, weighing 150g, as shown in Figure1.

Figure 1 Mechanical Dimensions
Product Marking and Orientation
The MSN300 High-Precision MEMS North Finder coordinate system is defined as shown in the figure. When the product is placed horizontally with the marking arrow pointing upward, the body frame is defined as follows: X axis points to the forward direction of the carrier, Y axis points to the upward direction of the carrier ,Z axis points to the rightward direction of the carrier, i.e., the "Forward, Up, Right" coordinate system, corresponding to the "North, Up, East" navigation frame.

Figure2 North Finder Body Frame and Navigation Frame Axis Definition
Heading Angle: The longitudinal axis of the carrier (xaxis in the figure) projected onto the local horizontal plane. The angle between the projection line and the local geographic north direction, with north-to-east being positive, The angle range is0°~360°, as shown in the figure below:

Figure3 Heading Angle Measurement Definition(Top View)
Pitch Angle: The longitudinal axis of the carrier(in the figurexaxis)and its horizontal projection line. Positive when the carrier nose pitches up. The range is-90°~90°, as shown in the figure below:

Figure4 Pitch Angle Measurement Definition(Side View)
Roll Angle: The lateral axis of the carrier (in the figure Z axis) and the horizon line. Positive when the carrier rolls to the right. The range is -180°~180°,as shown in the figure below:

Figure5 Roll Angle Measurement Definition(Rear View)
Virtual Heading Angle(Gyro Tool Face Angle): When the product operates in an inverted position, i.e., the pitch angle is-90°, the roll angle and heading angle become singular angles that cannot accurately represent the carrier attitude. Therefore, a virtual heading angle is defined, measured clockwise from the true north direction line to the Y axis. The range is 0~360°, as shown in the figure below.

Figure6 Virtual Heading Angle (Top View)
In petroleum and coal industry north finding applications, the angle definitions are as follows:
Inclination Angle: The angle between the wellbore direction line and the gravity line at the measurement point. The range is 0~180°. The initial inclination angle is0°.
Azimuth Angle: Starting from the true north heading, the angle measured clockwise through one full rotation. The range is 0~360°. This is equivalent to the heading angle.
Gravity Tool Face Angle: The angle of the tool face after the deflection tool reaches the bottom of the well. The range is 0~360°.
Gyro Tool Face Angle: Starting from the true north direction line, the angle measured clockwise to the projection of the intersection line between the tool face and the wellbore bottom circular
plane onto the horizontal plane. The range is0~360°, as shown in the figure below.

Figure 7 Gyro Tool Face Angle (Top View)
When the product is in use and the pitch angle is near 90°, singular problems exist in the roll angle and heading angle. In general engineering applications, based on the pitch angle output, the system switches between2sets of different angle combinations. The switching principle is as follows:
When the carrier pitch angle is between-85°~+85°, use the heading angle, pitch angle, and roll angle.
When the carrier pitch angle is between-85°~-90° or +85°~+90°, use the pitch angle and virtual heading angle.
The quaternion represents the rotation between North-Up-East and Forward-Up-Right frames. The relationship between quaternion and attitude matrix is as follows:
Note: b represents Forward-Up-Right body frame; n represents North-Up-East navigation frame.
Interface Definition
The MSN300 High-Precision MEMS North Finder outputs through a color high-temperature cable, which primarily provides power supply and external communication for the North Finder system. The connector pin definition is shown in Table2:
Table2 MSN300 High-Precision MEMS North Finder Connector Pin Definition
|
Color |
Definition |
Description |
Remarks |
|
Red |
+5V |
5V Power Supply |
System Power Supply (5V~12v) |
|
Black |
GND |
Power Ground |
|
|
Purple |
DB9_RS_422 T+ |
Data Transmit+ |
North Finder Data Transmit / Firmware Update Configuration |
|
Orange |
DB9_RS_422 T- |
Data Transmit− |
|
|
Yellow |
DB9_RS_422 R+ |
Data Receive+ |
|
|
Green |
DB9_RS_422 R- |
Data Receive− |
|
|
White |
TOV |
Output Pulse |
Data Synchronization |
After the power supply voltage drops below the device operating threshold voltage, the power-off holding time before re-powering TOFF shall not be less than 3s; insufficient power-off interval may cause abnormal device startup, latch-up, or initialization failure.
Communication Protocol
Protocol 1:XDNSO-55AAProtocol
The MSN300 High-Precision MEMS Petroleum North Finder protocol defaults to periodic broadcast output of data with an output frequency of 200Hz , each frame contains 96 bytes, baud rate 460800bps ,1 start bit,8 data bits,1 stop bits, no parity. For multi-byte variables, the low byte is sent first followed by the high byte. The typical communication protocol is shown in Table 3, under the Petroleum North Finder protocol, the output angle range is in the vertical launch frame. Note the attitude and heading output range.
Table3 MSN300 High-Precision MEMS Petroleum North Finder Protocol
|
No. |
Byte Start |
Byte Count |
Content |
Equivalent |
Range |
Unit |
Remarks |
|
1 |
0 |
1 |
0x55 |
1 |
Frame Header |
||
|
2 |
1 |
1 |
0xAA |
1 |
Frame Header |
||
|
3 |
2 |
1 |
92 |
1 |
Data Length |
||
|
4 |
3 |
4 |
PC num |
1 |
5ms |
5ms Counter Value |
|
|
5 |
7 |
1 |
System Operating Status |
- |
- |
- |
16 (0x10): Self-Test In Progress; 18 (0x12): Self-Test Passed: 31 (0x1F): Self-Test Error: 51 (0x33): Coarse Alignment: 53 (0x35): Fine Alignment 65 (0x41): Navigating 67 (0x43): Zero Velocity Correction |
|
6 |
8 |
1 |
Output Channel Status Word |
- |
- |
- |
0: Swinging North Finding Channel 1: Pure Static North Finding Channel |
|
7 |
9 |
1 |
Over-Range Status |
- |
- |
- |
After the product enters alignment, within one navigation cycle of 5ms, bit0: X gyroscope over-range set to 1; bit1: Y gyroscope over-range set to 1; bit2: Z gyroscope over-range set to 1; Bit3: X accelerometer over-range set to 1; Bit4: Y accelerometer over-range set to 1; Bit5: Z accelerometer over-range set to 1; After re-alignment, the above statuses are cleared to 0. |
|
8 |
10 |
1 |
Command Response Status |
0x10: Command response successful, continuously send 5 packets. 0x1F: Command error, continuously send 5 packets, alerting user to check command configuration (output data or command out of range), original process unchanged. Note: After receiving a normal command, feedback 5 packets of 0x10 status, soft reset. After receiving an error command, feedback 5 packets of 0x1f status, continue maintaining the original status. |
|||
|
9 |
11 |
2 |
Total North Finding Time |
1 |
- |
s |
|
|
10 |
13 |
2 |
Remaining North Finding Time |
1 |
s |
||
|
11 |
15 |
4 |
Angular Rate X |
0.0000005 |
°/s |
Average value within the output period (forward) |
|
|
12 |
19 |
4 |
Angular Rate Y |
0.0000005 |
°/s |
Average value within the output period (upward) |
|
|
13 |
23 |
4 |
Angular Rate Z |
0.0000005 |
°/s |
Average value within the output period (rightward) |
|
|
14 |
27 |
4 |
Acceleration X |
0.000001 |
m/s2 |
Average value within the output period (forward) |
|
|
15 |
31 |
4 |
Acceleration Y |
0.000001 |
m/s2 |
Average value within the output period (upward) |
|
|
16 |
35 |
4 |
Acceleration Z |
0.000001 |
m/s2 |
Average value within the output period (rightward) |
|
|
17 |
39 |
4 |
Integrated Longitude |
0.0000001 |
° |
Instantaneous value at output time (Int) |
|
|
18 |
43 |
4 |
Integrated Latitude |
0.0000001 |
° |
Instantaneous value at output time (Int) |
|
|
19 |
47 |
2 |
Integrated Altitude |
0.5 |
m |
Instantaneous value at output time (Short) |
|
|
20 |
49 |
2 |
Integrated North Velocity |
0.04 |
m/s |
Instantaneous value at output time |
|
|
21 |
51 |
2 |
Integrated Up Velocity |
0.04 |
m/s |
Instantaneous value at output time |
|
|
22 |
53 |
2 |
Integrated East Velocity |
0.04 |
m/s |
Instantaneous value at output time |
|
|
23 |
55 |
2 |
Gravity Tool Face Angle |
0.006 |
[0,360] |
° |
Instantaneous value at output timeUint16 |
|
24 |
57 |
2 |
Azimuth Angle |
0.006 |
[0,360] |
° |
North to East is positive Instantaneous value at output timeUint16 |
|
25 |
59 |
2 |
Inclination Angle |
0.006 |
[0,180] |
° |
Instantaneous value at output timeUint16 |
|
26 |
61 |
1 |
Gyroscope Temperature |
1 |
℃ |
Instantaneous value at output time |
|
|
27 |
62 |
1 |
Accelerometer Temperature |
1 |
℃ |
Instantaneous value at output time |
|
|
28 |
63 |
4 |
Quaternion q0 |
In North-Up-East coordinate system. IEEE 32-bit float, little-endian. |
|||
|
29 |
67 |
4 |
Quaternion q1 |
Same as above |
|||
|
30 |
71 |
4 |
Quaternion q2 |
- |
- |
Same as above |
|
|
31 |
75 |
4 |
Quaternion q3 |
- |
Same as above |
||
|
32 |
79 |
6 |
IMU Over-Range Counter |
1 |
1 |
If 1 over-range occurs in a 5ms navigation cycle, increment by 1. After accumulating to 255, restart counting. If re-aligned, restart counting. Little-endian format, in order of Gx Gy Gz Ax Ay Az, each axis is Uint8. |
|
|
33 |
85 |
1 |
Reserved |
1 |
UInt8 |
||
|
34 |
86 |
1 |
Heading Correction Count |
1 |
UInt8 |
||
|
35 |
87 |
2 |
Gravity Vector Sum |
0.006 |
m/s2 |
Little-Endian FormatUint16 |
|
|
36 |
89 |
2 |
Gyro Tool Face Angle |
0.006 |
[0,360] |
° |
Little-Endian FormatUint16 |
|
37 |
91 |
2 |
Horizontal Component of Earth Rotation Angular Rate |
0.006 |
°/h |
Little-Endian FormatUint16 |
|
|
38 |
93 |
1 |
Vertical Mode Flag |
1 |
UInt8, 0: Horizontal Mode; 1: Vertical Launch Mode; |
||
|
39 |
94 |
1 |
Output Protocol Format |
1 |
0xFF: General Petroleum North Finder Protocol |
||
|
40 |
95 |
1 |
Checksum |
1 |
Lower 8 bits of the cumulative sum of bytes at indices (2-94) |
Protocol 2:Host Computer to North Finder Command Protocol
MSN300 High-Precision MEMS North Finder can respond to in real time, the host computer sends trigger commands to the North Finder system according to the following protocol, baud rate 460800 bps,1start bit,8 data bits,1 stop bits, no parity. For multi-byte variables, the low byte is sent first followed by the high byte. The communication protocol is shown in the following table 4 (When the North Finder self-test is passed, control commands can be responded to.
Table 4 MSN300 High-Precision MEMS North Finder Host Computer Control Command Protocol
|
First Byte |
Byte Count |
Signal Name |
Dimension/Unit or Content |
Equivalent |
Interface Accuracy Description |
|
1 |
1 |
Frame Header 1 |
Content: 55H |
1 |
8-bit unsigned integer |
|
2 |
1 |
Frame Header 2 |
Content: AAH |
1 |
8-bit unsigned integer |
|
3 |
1 |
Data Length |
Content: 24H |
1 |
8-bit unsigned integer |
|
4 |
4 |
Loaded Longitude |
[-180,180]deg |
0.0000001 |
Little-Endian Format |
|
5 |
4 |
Loaded Latitude |
[-90,90]deg |
0.0000001 |
Little-Endian Format |
|
6 |
4 |
Loaded Altitude |
m |
1 |
IEEE 32-bit float Little-Endian Format |
|
7 |
4 |
Reserved 1 |
NA |
1 |
- |
|
8 |
2 |
Data Validity Mode |
NA |
1 |
bit0: 1 = LLA information valid; bit1: 1 = Loaded heading information valid; bit2: 1 = Alignment time valid bit3: 1 = Baud rate and period valid bit4: 1 = Installation misalignment angle valid bit5: 1 = Attitude angle write and transfer to navigation valid All bit values of 0 indicate invalid. |
|
9 |
2 |
Reserved 2 |
NA |
|
|
|
10 |
2 |
Reserved 3 |
NA |
||
|
11 |
1 |
Output Baud Rate Configuration |
NA |
1 |
0:9600bps; 1:38400; 2:115200; 3:230400; 4:460800; |
|
12 |
1 |
Output Period |
NA |
1 |
0:5ms 1:10ms 2:20ms; 3:50ms; 4:100ms; 5:200ms; 6:500ms: 7:1s; 8:2s; 9:5s; |
|
13 |
2 |
2 |
(1)Roll Installation Misalignment Angle between INS and Target Point (Usr Trans Roll) (2)Transfer to Navigation Roll Angle Roll |
0.006 |
[-180~180] Whenbit4is1, and command is 0xAAcommand, this angle represents (1)Installation Misalignment Angle Whenbit5is1, and command is 0xBBcommand, this angle represents (2)Attitude angle written for transfer to navigation |
|
14 |
2 |
2 |
(1)Yaw Installation Misalignment Angle between INS and Target Point (Usr Trans Yaw) (2)Transfer to Navigation Heading Angle Yaw |
0.006 |
The value range is[-180~180], therefore when writing the theoretical heading angle, north-to-east should be positive and north-to-west should be negative |
|
15 |
2 |
2 |
(1)Pitch Installation Misalignment Angle between INS and Target Point Usr Trans Pitch (2)Transfer to Navigation Pitch Angle Pitch |
0.006 |
[-180~180] |
|
16 |
2 |
Reserved 4 |
NA |
|
|
|
17 |
2 |
User Command |
NA |
1 |
16-bit unsigned integer; 1) 0x0011: Start static self north finding command; 3) 0x0077: Write alignment time to flash command; 4) 0x0099: Write baud rate and output frequency to flash command; 5)0x00AA:Write attitude installation misalignment angle to flash command; 6)0x00BB:Write attitude angle for transfer to navigation Other invalid values: do not respond to command; |
|
18 |
2 |
Alignment Time |
[120,6553.5] |
0.1 |
16-bit unsigned integer; (1) Under the static self north finding command, the alignment time value = coarse alignment time (30s) + fine alignment time. The time should not be less than 120s. |
|
19 |
1 |
Checksum |
Lower 8 bits of the cumulative sum of all bytes from Data Length (including Data Length) to the byte before Checksum |
1 |
Lower 8 bits of the cumulative sum of bytes at indices (2-38) |
Precautions
- Pay attention to the product electrical interface definition. During use, strictly follow the lead terminal arrangement to avoid incorrect connections;
- The product is a precision measurement device. During operation, avoid impacts, collisions, and other situations beyond the product's tolerance range;
- Before powering on the product, please check the power supply. Do not use a computer USB for direct power supply, as insufficient power may cause product damage. Additionally, if repeatability accuracy needs to be verified, the interval between repeated power cycles shall not be less than10s;
- Product installation has a significant impact on angular velocity measurement. To avoid introducing installation errors, the mounting surface must have good flatness;
- To ensure measurement accuracy, the product must be mounted securely and firmly to avoid introducing measurement errors due to loosening;
- During product installation and use, ESD protection should be observed. It is recommended to wear an ESD wrist strap;
- Please strictly follow the requirements in this manual for operation. Ensure the external environment is consistent with the usage requirements. If any issue occurs, do not open the product cover or modify the internal structure. If there are any problems, please contact our technical support team in a timely manner.
Hot Tags: msn300 high precision mems north finder, China msn300 high precision mems north finder manufacturers, factory






