Using an accelerometer on a discus thrower

Dave Sheridan

Hi folks!
I'm attempting to help my son with a high school physics project. He wanted to get some data on how different techniques of discus throwing affect the throw. I thought we could use an accelerometer to measure the acceleration of the throwing hand, but I'm new at this.
At the moment I have been playing with the STAMPS in class kit and a MEMSIC 2125. I've gotten it to output changes in angle on the throwing hand to a spreadsheet with sthe STAMPDAQ software, but I'd like to do more.
Has anyone ever done anything like this? Can the 2125 measure in this range?
Thanks in advance!
Dave Sheridan

allanlane5

I think "Hot Wheels" has released an inexpensive radar detector.

Also, the Wiimote (the hand-held controller for the Nintendo Wii) contains a blue-tooth enabled three-axis accellerometer. With a $20 blue-tooth USB adapter for a laptop, and a free-ware interface program, you can read the data off the Wiimote.

Otherwise, it sounds like you're on the right track with the 2125. I haven't heard (in the last three years, anyway) of anybody else doing anything similar. There have been a few rocketry accelleration experiments.

Dave Sheridan

Thanks, Allan. I thought that using the Wii remote would be possible, but since I actually bought the STAMP to do some generic learning for my own curiosity I was trying to do it on that. I'll look for the rocketry posts.