Correctly connecting a four-pin tilt sensor to a breadboard before going live

Hello again,

I'm working on Arduino's Project 8: the digital hourglass.

My question is a fundamental one, and I really don't know how others figured it out. The question is: How do I correctly tie a four-pin tilt sensor to the power and to the ground? I've been through a couple of datasheets for the RBS040100 and none of them were particularly helpful in determining which pin is responsible for what. The most helpful anything has got to be is this pdf sheet where the PCB layout diagram points out an index for every pin and how the pins within the sensor are related, yet it does not explain where the power goes and where the ground is connected.

I also ran into this Arduino SE page but nobody got close to actually explaining how to use the sensor. (Glad I wasn't on the receiving end of the mass scorn, but that's a discussion for another day.)

I know that if you plug a capacitor in the wrong way, it may explode. By the same token I do not want to screw up the sensor or the board, but what do I know.

Before my board goes live, I'd like to confirm whether I have the tilt sensor connected correctly.

Any help would be appreciated. Let me know if you need anything else for further clarification. Thank you in advance.

Edit: Forgot to add that this is the only tilt sensor I've got. Hence the apprehension.

Looks okay.

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Hard to tell from distance. The sensor has 2 pairs of pins so that 2 pins are always connected. You can check with your Ohmmeter which pins are connected, or simply turn the sensor by 90° if it always is ON.

Also make sure that the sensor gets in contact with your breadboard at all. On my starter kit the sensor tends to jump out of the breadboard due to too short legs, or too deep holes. On another breadboard it fits perfectly.

The sensor is robust, but if it shortcuts a circuit with its always connected pins then some other parts may be damaged. But it's unlikely that a correct setup will be damaged, because the sensor is already shorted in its normal state.

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@DrDiettrich : I see. I'll think on it and keep that in mind.

It worked. Thank you, @LarryD .

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See the answer on this Arduino SE page for clarification.

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