I wanted to light up an LED mounted on a shuriken whenever it flies. What sensor would be the best for this?
Would it be a pressure/altitude sensor, or a shake sensor maybe?
Thanks for any suggestions.
Sorry but can You clarify Your spec? What is a shuriken?
What is the sensor and where will it be fitted, and what will it detect?
"shuriken" metal star with sharp edges that's rotated like a frisbee when thrown.
Yoiu might want to tear apart a yo-yo with lights or a "bayblade"
zwieblum:
Yoiu might want to tear apart a yo-yo with lights or a "bayblade"
Or those wheels in skates that light up when spinning.
Not taken one apart, but I doubt they use an Arduino.
Most use a spring and a steel ball. It's interesting to build one that actually works 
yes, a star shaped cardboard in my case. The LED would be mounted in the center, will be powered by a CR2025 or something similar. It needs to light up only when flying, so the LED doesn't stay lit all the time.
Any suggestions on the type of sensor I could use?
Detect "flying" or simply "spinning"?
Either one would work. I just want to light up the LED when in the air.
What has your research come up with?
so I thought I could do it with a shake/vibration sensor switch. But looking at the videos, doesn't look like it might work as it only triggers on a vibration that I may not get when just launching a shuriken in the air. Probably need an accelerometer to detect acceleration.
pipe2path:
Probably need an accelerometer to detect acceleration.
Or some variation of a centrifugal switch.
Spring .an a weight
As it spins the weight makes contact ane completes the circuit
pipe2path:
so I thought I could do it with a shake/vibration sensor switch. But looking at the videos, doesn't look like it might work as it only triggers on a vibration that I may not get when just launching a shuriken in the air. Probably need an accelerometer to detect acceleration.
Actually, a crude accelerometer is exactly what those shake sensors are and they would most likely perform the task perfectly. They are probably mostly used in such toys as they have little other application!
Of course, you must mount them on the periphery of the spinning object and they must orient tangentially to it as what they contain is a reed which is held central by its springiness but is pushed to contact the side by a force greater than resting gravity.