Need info about accelerometers..

For my projects, our group ordered accelerometers from Sparkfun Electronics:

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Axis refers to the reference axis in which it is measuring the acceleration along, ie X, Y or Z. So, a single axis means it can only measure along a certain direction and disregard others. A 2 axis accelerometer can measure in two different directions (such as X and Y).

The "g" means the range of acceleration it can measure relative to freefall. 1 g is equivalent to around 9.8m/s[sup]2[/sup]. So, an accelerometer which has 3g capabilities means it can measure up to an acceleration of 3g (around 30m/s[sup]2[/sup]).

Thanks for the info ash!!

Your welcome! What kind of project are you working on?

It's a type of pedometer, which measures the speed with which a person is walking. With some formula based on the weight of the person, i can also calculate the calories spent by the person, and so, it's also a simple calorie meter. A simple project for my medical electronics subject.

Awesome. Keep us updated on it. Good luck!

nice dude.. i guess accelerometers aren't used much by hobbyists in india.... i found something that might be useful to you.....

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I personally haven't worked with accelerometers...but it looks pretty cool...

Thanks for the link coolsank..
it's worth a look.

Got my accelerometer today. Cost me a whopping 2700 INR.
it's hardly 1 square inch in size, and yet, so costly..

It's amazing how prices escalate as things are more and more miniaturized..

oh, and currently, exams are going on, and so I couldn't do any testing with it for another week.
Then, I've to start with my project.
I'll keep you updated.
Do chip in your suggestions too..

Hi Friend,

An accelerometer is a device that measures the vibration, or acceleration of motion of a structure. The force caused by vibration or a change in motion (acceleration) causes the mass to "squeeze" the piezoelectric material which produces an electrical charge that is proportional to the force exerted upon it.

silverscorpionGot my accelerometer today. Cost me a whopping 2700 INR.
it's hardly 1 square inch in size, and yet, so costly..

It's amazing how prices escalate as things are more and more miniaturized..

Awesome!

Well, sometimes we have to give big sacrifices to see some success in our projects 😉

There are some factors regarding the prices of advanced devices. I'm thinking prices can be less if whoever manufactures these miniature devices can do so with economies of scale (eg Texas Instruments, Intel, etc). Of course, that requires more machines capable of churning out miniature electromechanical devices.. these arent as common as the normal semiconductor fabrication processes. Another factor is something as mundane as import policies, including taxes. I heard that India prohibits the import of many electronics. Perhaps that might rise up the price up?