MEAS SPEC DT series

acadienjcc

Hi everyone,

I'm currently doing a project that measures force of impact, and I'm trying to implement a MEAS-SPEC DT sensor in it, but I can't seem to find any programming information about it. the manufacturer's spec sheet (DT_Series.pdf) claims it can be programmed as a form of accelerometer, but it does not have any links or information on how one would go about doing this. I've tried finding schematics on how to set it up with a BS2, and programming information about these things online, but I can't seem to find anything at all.

I am fairly new to programming, and have only basic understanding of programming, so details would be much appreciated.

Any assistance would be appreciated, and I thank you all in advance.

stamptrol

Welcome to the forums,

Your sensors are a very basic element and are meant to be signal-conditioned with amplifiers, filters and such before being fed into an a/d converter that the Stamp or other micro would read. Have you looked on the manufacturer's site for sample circuits or other application data?

Have a look on the 'net for a article or two on a wheatstone bridge strain gage connection. Your device can be used similarly. The signal is then amplified (search 'instrumentation amplifier') so that you have a (average) signal of several volts to feed into an analog to digital converter (LTC1298 works easily with a Stamp).

Cheers,
Also, I believe those devices are best for seeing impacts or sharp changes in force, not steady state values.

acadienjcc

If I want to incorporate this sensor into a boxing glove to measure the impact of a punch, what kind of circuit do you recommend?

Would this type be the Ideal circuit?

SRLM

I'm not sure that this is the best sensor for you. IIRC, these are meant to be bonded to a metal beam and used to measure the deflection in the beam. It's how engineers test the fatigue of a structure. If you put this in a boxing glove it will flex incorrectly and not work properly.

A better sensor for you to use would be an accelerometer such as the MMA7455 (http://www.parallax.com/Store/Sensors/AccelerationTilt/tabid/172/CategoryID/47/List/0/SortField/0/Level/a/ProductID/585/Default.aspx) or a similar 3 axis accelerometer.