MMA1250EGR2 - ±5g Z-Axis Micromachined Accelerometer | NXP
MPN: MMA1250EGR2 ⚠ Last Time Buy| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5.23 | $5.23 |
| 10 | $4.78 | $47.80 |
| 100 | $4.05 | $405.00 |
| 500 | $3.42 | $1,710.00 |
| 1,000 | $2.85 | $2,850.00 |
MMA1250EGR2 Overview
An accelerometer is a micro-electromechanical sensor (MEMS) that converts acceleration forces into a measurable analog or digital output proportional to the applied g-force. The MMA series uses a silicon capacitive sensing cell whose capacitance changes when a proof mass deflects under acceleration, and that variation is read out through the chip's signal chain. The MMA1250EGR2 sits in the broader taxonomy of sensor ICs -> motion sensors -> accelerometers -> micromachined accelerometers, and is intended for designers who need a single-axis (Z), modest bandwidth, low-cost tilt/vibration transducer.
Key differentiating features include a ±5g full-scale range (Z-axis only), an analog ratiometric output centered at mid-supply, a 2-pole on-chip low-pass filter, internal temperature compensation, and a self-test capability. The 16-SOIC package simplifies hand and reflow assembly and provides a larger land pattern than smaller DFN-style accelerometers, easing prototype rework.
Internally, the device pairs a sealed micromachined sense element with a CMOS interface ASIC. Zero-g output is trimmed at the factory to roughly Vdd/2, and sensitivity is ratiometric to supply so that supply-noise errors partially cancel. The 2-pole low-pass filter limits high-frequency mechanical noise and aliases from vibration. These design choices make the MMA1250EGR2 well-suited to cost-sensitive automotive, white-goods, and industrial equipment designs.
Typical applications include impact and crash detection in appliances and ruggedized equipment, vibration monitoring on motors and pumps, tilt and inclination sensing in industrial controls, and anti-theft motion alarms. Because only the Z axis is sensed, designers wanting multi-axis information normally pair this part with a sister Z-axis-only or XY-axis accelerometer.
When designing with this part, place the 16-SOIC close to the ADC input, keep the supply well decoupled, and avoid airflow-driven thermal gradients on the package - sudden thermal steps can shift the offset. Confirm sensitivity in your bandwidth of interest because the internal 2-pole low-pass filter and the external load will set the effective -3 dB frequency.
Drop-in alternatives for MMA1250EGR2 — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Variants in this series
Same-series models that are drop-in compatible with MMA1250EGR2 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Bandwidth, Output Type, Package, Supply Voltage.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
MMA2202EGR2
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
MMA1200EGR2
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
MMA1260EGR2
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified✓ In Stock
$5.2 / Unit
View Datasheet →MMA1251EGR2
✅ Drop-In ⚠️ Specs Unverified📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
MMA1250EGR2 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Sensor Type | Accelerometer |
| Axis | Z (perpendicular to package top) |
| Full-Scale Range | ±5 g |
| Output Type | Analog, ratiometric |
| Bandwidth | 50 Hz (internal 2-pole low-pass filter) |
| Zero-g Output | Approximately Vdd/2 (ratiometric) |
| Supply Voltage | 5.0 V nominal (per legacy MMA1250 datasheet typical conditions) |
| Operating Temperature | -40 C to +85 C (industrial grade) |
| Package | 16-SOIC (SOP-16), surface mount |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
| Sensor Technology | Micromachined silicon capacitive |
| Internal Features | Signal conditioning, 2-pole low-pass filter, temperature compensation, self-test |
MMA1250EGR2 Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | VCC — 5.0 V supply |
| Pin 2 | GND — Ground |
| Pin 3 | VOUT — Analog ratiometric output |
| Pin 4 | ST — Self-test input |
| Pin 5 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 6 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 7 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 8 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 9 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 10 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 11 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 12 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 13 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 14 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 15 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 16 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
Typical Applications
MMA1250EGR2 is suitable for 6 applications: Industrial Vibration Monitoring, Tilt and Inclination Sensing, Appliance Impact and Tilt Detection, Anti-Theft and Security Motion Alarms, Automotive Ride and Seat-Occupancy Sensing (Legacy), Vibration Threshold Switch / Industrial Trip Sensor.
Industrial Vibration Monitoring
The MMA1250EGR2's ±5 g Z-axis range and 50 Hz internal low-pass filter make it well suited to vibration monitoring on rotating equipment such as pumps, fans, and small motors in industrial plants. Mounted to the equipment housing with the SOIC oriented so the package top points along the rotating shaft Z direction, the accelerometer outputs an analog ratiometric signal centered at Vdd/2, which a 10-12 bit ADC in the plant PLC or wireless sensor node samples directly. Unlike a digital-output sensor, the MMA1250EGR2 adds no I2C/SPI firmware overhead, simplifying the firmware on legacy PLC platforms and enabling drop-in retrofit into existing analog conditioning boards. The internal 2-pole low-pass filter limits alias and mechanical noise so the host CPU can run lower sampling rates while still capturing the dominant vibration spectra. For frequencies above 50 Hz, pair the output with an external analog filter or sample at the ADC Nyquist limit. This 16-SOIC accelerometer balances enough Z-axis headroom for typical industrial vibration while staying cheap enough for high-volume retrofits.
Recommended
Tilt and Inclination Sensing
For tilt/inclination measurement in industrial controls, alarm panels, and point-of-sale equipment, the MMA1250EGR2's Z-axis-only ±5 g analog output cleanly distinguishes gravity orientation without needing an expensive multi-axis IMU. Mounted on the PCB so the package top faces the direction of interest, the ratiometric output sits at Vdd/2 when level and swings by approximately 0.5 g per 30 degrees of tilt, which a small MCU ADC channel can digitize directly. The internal temperature compensation reduces thermal drift that would otherwise cause false tilt readings in devices deployed outdoors or on equipment that warms up during operation. Designers typically pair it with a simple lookup table in MCU firmware that converts ADC counts to degrees. The 16-SOIC package is large enough for hand-rework prototypes and the analog output removes the I2C address-management overhead that complicates multi-sensor tilt installations. This makes the MMA1250EGR2 a cost-effective choice for cabinet-level inclination sensing in vending machines, ATM anti-tamper designs, and access-control barriers.
Recommended
Appliance Impact and Tilt Detection
White-goods and consumer appliances often need a low-cost tilt or impact sensor that triggers a safety lockout (e.g., washer imbalance detection, refrigerator door-tilt alarm, exercise equipment tip-over cutoff). The MMA1250EGR2's ±5 g full-scale and 50 Hz bandwidth give enough dynamic range to capture realistic appliance-level impacts while filtering out acoustic and motor commutation noise. Placed on the appliance control board, the analog output feeds directly into the appliance MCU's ADC channel with no extra signal-chain components, which is critical for sub-$50 BOM targets. The ratiometric output tracks supply variation, so an unregulated appliance SMPS rail will not corrupt the threshold reading. The 16-SOIC footprint accepts wave-solder and standard reflow processes common in white-goods manufacturing. Compared with a digital-output IMU, the MMA1250EGR2 keeps the firmware footprint small - appliance MCUs typically lack mature I2C/SPI stacks and rely on simple ADC interrupt handlers. The on-chip temperature compensation keeps the trip threshold consistent across cold-start to hot-soak operating conditions.
Recommended
Anti-Theft and Security Motion Alarms
Security panels, vending machine anti-theft modules, and portable asset-tracking devices benefit from the MMA1250EGR2's analog simplicity and small firmware footprint. When the asset is moved or tilted past a programmed threshold, the ratiometric output swings outside the alarm window and an MCU analog comparator wakes the system. The Z-axis-only sensing is acceptable for assets where vertical lift or face-down placement is the trigger event, and the ±5 g range captures both slow tilts and short jolts. Because it is a single analog line, it can share the MCU's ADC with other analog channels (battery voltage, temperature) using a small multiplexer, saving GPIO on the smallest security MCUs. The 16-SOIC package is mechanically robust for asset-tracking enclosures and tolerates the conformal coating used in many security products. The MMA1250EGR2's last-time-buy status is actually advantageous in security: long-life industrial security designs want parts with stable multi-year supply contracts. The internal temperature compensation is critical for outdoor panels where solar heating causes large temperature swings.
Recommended
Automotive Ride and Seat-Occupancy Sensing (Legacy)
The original NXP/Freescale MMA-series was widely designed into automotive seat-belt reminder systems, ride-height sensors, and head-rest adjustment modules - all of which need a simple Z-axis accelerometer that operates reliably in a -40 C to +85 C environment. The MMA1250EGR2's industrial temperature range, internal temperature compensation, and 5 V supply tolerance match 12 V automotive battery-fed rails regulated to 5 V. While the part is in last-time-buy and a modern PPAP'd automotive design would use a newer NXP part, retrofit and aftermarket designs (service-part replacements, classic-car ECU refreshes) still specify the MMA1250EGR2 for its known good behavior. The single-axis Z response is ideal for seat-belt reminder logic - the ECU only needs vertical motion to detect seat occupancy status. The internal 2-pole low-pass filter rejects road vibration above 50 Hz that would otherwise false-trigger the reminder. Note that new automotive designs should verify PPAP/IMDS compliance with NXP sales before using any last-time-buy part.
Recommended
Vibration Threshold Switch / Industrial Trip Sensor
In industrial trip-sensor applications (pump cavitation detection, conveyor belt slip detection, HVAC compressor surge detection), the MMA1250EGR2 can replace a costly vibration-analysis DSP with a simple analog comparator. The Z-axis analog output drives a window comparator whose thresholds are set by the MCU; when the signal exceeds the threshold for more than a programmed number of cycles, the MCU declares a fault and trips a relay. This 'analog-front-end, digital-decision' architecture leverages the MMA1250EGR2's ratiometric output, internal filtering, and temperature compensation, while keeping the firmware trivial. The 16-SOIC package handles industrial temperature ranges and the long-term thermal cycling typical of motor-compressor housings. Compared with a piezoelectric vibration sensor, the MMA1250EGR2 needs no charge amplifier and operates from low-impedance 5 V supply, simplifying the analog board. Designers should validate temperature stability of the chosen thresholds because the sensor's sensitivity tolerance is the dominant accuracy limit; otherwise this is a low-MCU-cost trip architecture that scales from refrigeration compressors to wind-turbine pitch-motors.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for MMA1250EGR2 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | MMA2202EGR2 | MMA1200EGR2 | MMA1260EGR2 | MMA1251EGR2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 16-SOIC | 16-SOIC - same | 16-SOIC - same | 16-SOIC - same | 16-SOIC - same |
| Brand | NXP Semiconductors | NXP Semiconductors | NXP Semiconductors | NXP Semiconductors | NXP Semiconductors |
| Axis | Z | X | Z | Z | Z |
| Full-Scale Range | ±5 g | ±2 g | ±2.5 g | ±1.5 g | ±5 g (similar) |
| Output Type | Analog, ratiometric | Analog, ratiometric | Analog, ratiometric | Analog, ratiometric | Analog, ratiometric |
| Internal Filter | 2-pole low-pass, 50 Hz | 2-pole low-pass, 50 Hz | 2-pole low-pass, 50 Hz | 2-pole low-pass, 50 Hz | 2-pole low-pass, 50 Hz |
| Lifecycle Status | last_time_buy | last_time_buy | last_time_buy | last_time_buy | last_time_buy |
Key Differentiators
- Z-axis, ±5 g range in a 16-SOIC footprint (vs MMA2202EGR2)
- Higher dynamic range than MMA1200EGR2 (vs MMA1200EGR2)
- Lower sensitivity to small Z-axis tilts than MMA1260EGR2 (vs MMA1260EGR2)
Design Notes
Place the MMA1250EGR2 close to the host MCU's ADC input and route the analog VOUT trace over a continuous ground plane, away from switching converter nodes and clock lines. The SOIC-16 is asymmetric and stable when mounted with the manufacturer-recommended land pattern - check NXP's land-pattern note before committing layout. Series ferrite bead or RC filter on VCC close to the device pins helps reject supply-borne noise.
Use a unity-gain buffer or ADC input directly with 100 nF + 10 uF local bypass on the VOUT line. The ratiometric output is centered at Vdd/2 (about 2.5 V at 5 V supply) - the input network must not load the source. For best noise performance, average multiple ADC samples on the host MCU; the internal 50 Hz filter already limits out-of-band content.
Do not hot-air rework the MMA1250EGR2 without shielding neighboring parts - the sealed micromachined sense element can be damaged by unbalanced thermal stress on the package top. For self-test, drive the ST pin to the logic level specified in the datasheet and verify VOUT swings within the datasheet's self-test delta window; a missing ST response indicates part damage or a wrong pinout. Also avoid airflow directly on the package - sudden thermal steps shift the offset and can cause spurious triggers.
Compliance Information
RoHS compliance per NXP product page; AEC-Q100 qualification not applicable as the part is not automotive-graded - check NXP for newer automotive-grade variants if needed
