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Solid state compasses

The comparison on this page will check out the magnetic parameters on commercially available solid state compasses

Space qualified

The XEN1210 is used in many space missions and is tested for radiation dose and for single event effect with total proton fluence of 2.6e11/cm2  suitable for geostationary orbits


Low weight

The XEN1210 is the only solid-state compass designed specifically for space missions. Weighing just 20 mg per sensor, it is three times lighter than the competition. Additionally, with no external components required, our complete 3D solution is 20 times lighter.

No calibration needed

In contrast to other commercial solid state sensors, Sensix's products offer an exceptionally low offset without the need for on-the-fly spatial calibration routines or repolarizing magnetic-sensitive layers with build-in coils, as seen in all mobile phone compasses.

Ease of use

Our sensors can be daisy-chained and operated as a unified system. Many challenges in magnetic systems can be addressed by utilizing multiple measurement points to stabilize mechanical deviations, mitigate magnetic offset fields, and gather spatial information through sine and cosine measurements.
Solid state SensorTechnologyOffset before calibrationOffset after calibrationOffset Temp Drift (nT/K)Offset reduction method
XEN1210Silicon Hall<±2 µT

10nT/K
No Calibration Needed
Honeywell HMC5883L / QST QMC5883AMR ±50–100 µT (typ range)
±2 µT max (after SET/RESET)800nT/K (typ) 
±25nT/K  (after SET/RESET) / 		Set/Reset strap pulses realign permalloy domains; ASIC cancels offset.
MEMSIC MMC5983MAAMR±50 µT typ (datasheet)±0.5 µT typ (after SET/RESET + cal)—Set/Reset strap pulses realign permalloy domain; auto-domain realignment each cycle.
iSentek IST8310 / IST8308AMR±50–100 µT (typ range)<±3 µT typ (after SET/RESET)—Set/Reset strap pulses realign permalloy domain; auto-domain realignment each cycle.
Melexis MLX90393Hall + IMC (Integrated magnetic concentrator)— (offset corrected in registers)——IMC + factory trim; offset registers available; needs in-system e-compass calibration.
AKM AK8963Hall+IMC±75 µT (16-bit mode)——Hall + concentrator (in some family members); factory trim; e-compass calibration needed.
AKM AK09940TMR (tunneling magnetoresistance)
±300 µT——TMR + self test + digital calibration.
Bosch BMM150Flip-core (mag-sensitive transformer)±40 µT±2 µT (with Bosch e-compass software)±0.01%/K ≈ 130 nT/K @ ±1300 µT Flip-core driven core + synchronous detection; factory trim + software calibration.
Bosch BMM350 (new gen TMR)TMR (tunneling magnetoresistance)±100 µT typ±3 µT typ (post-cal)±200 nT/K (typ)Includes internal field-shock recovery (magnetic reset) logic—not a physical set/reset strap—plus factory trim and software calibration.
ST LIS3MDL / LIS2MDLAMR±100 µT—Up to ±800 nT/KNo set/reset strap; trimming, and calibration. Strong fields (>50 gauss) degrade offset; no domain reset
NXP FXOS8700CQ / MAG3110AMR±10 µT typ—±800 nT/K (typ)One-shot magnetic reset (set/reset); factory trim + e-compass calibration.