There are college undergraduates that are going to earn a degree in engineering, but many don\’t have the hands on experience on operation of data acquisitions systems. Getting quality data is essential when making engineering decisions on designs. Students have to get an understanding the basic applications of an accelerometer, and how to collect proper data.

These types of gauges that measure the acceleration or deceleration of an object. You attach the device to some type of moving object to collect your data. The data is collected through a data acquisition system and processed into the computer.

There are several types of the sensors for all kinds of operation and measurement. There are sensors that just measure one direction of movement called a singular sensor, to sensors that measure in all three Axis. A common mistake many people make is not measuring the right axis when taking the data. For example, you set the sensor up for the x direction, but the motion is actually in the y, you will create an error in measurement. You must consider all relative motion when setting up a measurement.

This device acts by putting a set amount of mass dampened internally to the housing by springs. When motion acts on the system, the case will start to move, the spring will begin to accelerate the mass to be equal to the housing. When both are equal, the distance between the two is measured and calculated to get the acceleration.

Another sensor type of sensor is a piezoelectric device. This uses small capacitive elements inside the device that convert the mechanical motion into an electric signal. These can be extremely small and able to measure high shock events. You can find these used in a wide range of electronic applications because they are cheap, robust, and exhibit a high stability of it\’s signal.

These devices are frequently used to measure forces to the body during an automobile accident. Inside the crash dummies are lined with these sensors and data acquisition equipment. The goal is to measure the forces on the human body during the accident. The goal of this is to understand the vehicle safety systems function properly and will protect the passengers in the car.

Another application of these devices is inside cell phones. Tiny gauges are located in the phone detecting if you shake it. The cell phone actually knows it\’s orientation based on the data it gets from the micro piezoelectric sensors. These are frequently used to help product devices by tripping it\’s sensing ability on shock, it can protect the internal components. For example, a laptop senses it is being dropped by the sensor, it automatically protects the hard drive from damage.

If you don\’t have a great understanding the basic applications of an accelerometer, you might not be able to measure the data correct. Be sure to understand the motion you will need to be measuring when setting up a test. Be sure you have an accurate and correct sensor hooked up for the right application. All of these will help you understand the sensor and setting it up correct to measure robust data.

Choose from an expansive selection of state-of-the-art scientific technologies including the linear position sensor, data acquisition, strain gauge, mass flow sensor, and accelerometer. These specialized tools are very popular among research and development.

Choose from an expansive selection of state-of-the-art scientific technologies including the linear position sensor, data acquisition, strain gauge, mass flow sensor, and accelerometer.
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Author Bio: Choose from an expansive selection of state-of-the-art scientific technologies including the linear position sensor, data acquisition, strain gauge, mass flow sensor, and accelerometer. These specialized tools are very popular among research and development.

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Keywords: strain gauge,mass flow sensor