If you are an engineering student soon to be graduating and have not had any hands on experience with data acquisition systems, you should start to think about learning it quick. Understanding the basic use of an accelerometer is vital to setting up a test correct and getting good data. In engineering, critical design decisions are made based on robust data, thus taking this data correct is essential.

These types of devices measure the relative motion of an object as it hurls through a space. The sensor will measure an acceleration or deceleration of the object and convert this into an electrical signal. This is recorded to the acquisition equipment and stored on a computer.

These sensors can be found all over the industry for many different applications. A basic sensor measures one direction like the X or Y of the motion. A triaxial sensor will measure all three axis in space. One mistake many inexperienced engineers make is positioning a sensor for measurement in one direction, when the actual motion is a combined or a different direction.

One way how a basic sensor works is by suspending a set mass inside the housing of the sensor by springs. This balancing act is able to measure when the case starts in motion to when the spring will equal the speed of the rest. This displacement is measured and the relative acceleration is calculated from that.

One other sensor that is being used in a wide array of applications is a piezoelectric device. This is extremely robust, small and very cost effective. This sensor is preferred because it can measure high amounts of shock. These are found in many of our consumer electronics because they are very affordable for our gadgets.

Some applications for these sensors in engineering is in the automotive safety world. The dummies the automotive crash groups use are packed with these motion measurement sensors. The objective is during a simulated crash event, the data recorder will measure all of the forces on the simulated human body. This helps engineers understand the use of the safety systems inside the car and how to prevent injuries.

Another thing these piezoelectric sensors are found in is your cell phone. They can detect if you are shaking the cell, or even if you drop it. Some phones have built in protection, so when they detect a shock load they can protect itself. The sensor inside can detect the fall, then shut down any part of the phone that is sensitive to impact. This is extremely useful in computers, where people drop a laptop the computer parks the hard drive to protect the data.

If you are an engineering student and have not worked with these sensors, knowing the basic application of an accelerometer is very useful to have. If you are able to specify the right sensor for the job and get good data, you will be able to assist making good engineering decision. Being able to use the right sensor in the right application is vital.

Choose from an expansive selection of state-of-the-art scientific technologies including the pressure sensor, data acquisition, load cell, mass flow sensor, and accelerometer. These specialized tools are very popular among the research and development ind

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