Looking for an Angle sensor

I need to find a sensor that will read out the angle off horizonal

it does not need to be very accurate -/+ 1 degree is ok

so far all I have found is on/off-- what I want is a digital (or analog) signal of 0 to 90 degrees from horizonal (or vertical) in degrees

???

Check out accelerometers.

You can get them on breakout boards from the likes of Sparkfun.


Rob

Accelerometers are typically used as tilt-meters, but +/- 1 degree is a pretty big ask.

Look at electronic caliper. You can get ones that measure angles as well as distance. Most have a socket on them for reading externally. They tend to use a SPI like interface.

It would help to know what you are trying to measure.

Depending on what it is, there are ways a potentiometer could be made to work.

What I am looking for is a solid state device that will detect and output the inclination of the sensor relative to the horizonal

picture a solar panel pointed at the sun --- I would like the sensor to output that angle relative to horizonal (or vertical )

I could make a sensor with a pendulum and a pot but would rather have a solid state device

There must be something out there --- Wii devices have some sort of tilt sensor....

As Graynomad and AWOL said, an accelerometer, like the wiimotes use. Something like SparkFun Triple Axis Accelerometer Breakout - ADXL345 - SEN-09836 - SparkFun Electronics.

The accelerometers are vastly over-kill for this application but are cheap enough to be viable

Thanks

I had a play with some a bit back: http://hacking.majenko.co.uk/node/32

There's some useful code and calculations there.

The accelerometers are vastly over-kill for this application but are cheap enough to be viable

What else did you have in mind?

Maj, thanks

AWOL

all I really need is a simple angle from vertical or horizonal

In that case, I can't think that an accelerometer is "overkill".
Alternatives would be some sort of plumb-bob and shaft encoder, but I think you asked for solid-state.

In actual fact, what you get in "solid state" is actually in effect a plumb-bob and shaft encoder.

It's a weighted piece of suspended silicon which changes its resistance when it moves. It's a mechanical device.

It's a weighted piece of suspended silicon which changes its resistance when it moves

I've seen capacitive and even thermal (the proof mass is the air in the package, and how it moves is sensed by temperature sensitive elements) accelerometers, but no common ones using resistance - which device are you using?

I have a variety at my disposal, ranging from cheap $5 all the way up to $800 chips.

SolarPanels:
picture a solar panel pointed at the sun --- I would like the sensor to output that angle relative to horizonal (or vertical )

What I'm picturing is calling out for a simple potentiometer-based solution. Off hand I can't see why you would need anything more complex.

Good old ebay

found this today ~$7

http://www.geeetech.com/adxl345triple-axis-accelerometer-breakout-p-384.html

This ADXL345 is dynamic acceleration resulting from motion or shock, also well suited to measures the static acceleration of gravity in tilt-sensing applications.Its high resolution (4 mg/LSB) enables measurement of inclination changes less than 1.0°.

The price is good and the temperature limits are like -40 to 105 degrees C

just have to figure out how to get the info -- the link above includes a PDF Schematic data sheet and library

cool

That's a nice chip, I've used the ADXL335 before but it's got none of those features.


Rob

I have a couple of the ADXL206HDZ chips here...

I got them as free samples from Analog Devices. I looked them up the other day with a view to using them in a project.

I nearly fainted. Newark list them at $711.25!!!

I went back to AD to try and get some more samples of them ... surprisingly they don't seem to be doing them as samples any more... :frowning:

potentiometer-based solution.

I think a non-mechanical solution would be less prone to problem over the years. Also pots tend to require a lot of force to move, maybe a shaft encoder would be better.

I still like the accelerometer for this though.


Rob