Product category:
Accelerometers and Vibration Sensors
News Release from: Saelig Company | Subject: DLP-Tilt
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 27 January 2006
Accelerometer board has multiple
applications
The DLP-Tilt is a novel economical USB-powered intelligent board for motion sensing and control.
The DLP-Tilt is a new economical USB-powered intelligent board for motion sensing and control Its main function is as a two-axis accelerometer and tilt sensor, but it can also be used for vibration analysis in two axes for frequencies up to 3kHz
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 11 Jul 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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Another novel use for this board is as a two-button mouse or movement-sensitive pointing device alternative.
In fact, the DLP-Tilt USB-to-accelerometer module has four application areas: tilt sensing, vibration analysis, AC signal analysis, and as a two-button mouse pointing device alternative.
Used as a tilt sensor, the DLP-Tilt's accelerometer can measure tilt up to +/-60 degrees from centre in both x- and y-axes.
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Position can be reported in 8 or 10bit resolution with centre position reporting a half-scale value of 128 (8bit) or 512 (10bit) from the microcontroller's A/D convertor.
The DLP-Tilt provides vibration analysis capabilities using an onboard, two-axis 2g accelerometer designed for analysis of frequencies up to 3kHz.
Two of the analogue channels in the onboard microcontroller are dedicated to the onboard accelerometer.
Voltage data from the DLP-Tilt's seven analogue channels can be sampled at rates ranging from 100 to 6000 samples per second, thereby enabling AC analysis of signals up to 3kHz.
One module input channel is dedicated to an analogue input buffer which acquires voltages in the range of +/-5V.
The remaining channels sample 0-5V inputs.
Continuous streaming of A/D data can be enabled and disabled with a single-byte command.
Data received by the host PC can be analysed for frequency content using a free FFT-based Windows application.
The DLP-Tilt's preprogrammed firmware includes the feature set of a standard two-button mouse with the motion of the cursor controlled by the tilt of the DLP-Tilt's printed circuit board and accelerometer.
When the board is level, the cursor remains motionless.
As the board is tilted from centre, the cursor begins to move in the direction of the tilt.
The further the board is tilted, the faster the cursor moves across the screen.
Two of the digital I/O lines serve as inputs for the buttons.
Shorting these lines to ground will cause the firmware to issue the "button down" signal to the host PC, thereby mimicking the operation of standard mouse buttons.
Shorting a pin to ground in the interface header before powering up the DLP-Tilt activates the two-button mouse functionality.
Priced from $49.95 (one-off) the DLP-Tilt is available now.
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