AVR-Chat

--- In AVR-Chat@yahoogroups.com, "David VanHorn" <microbrix@...> wrote:
>
>  the capactive sensors that they use in digital calipers look pretty
good.
>

Yes good suggestion.

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Consider this-
Take apart a computer serial ball mouse. In there you will see two
optical breaker wheels, one for the X axia and the other Y.  If your
mouse has a scroll wheel, you'll have a similar thing there.  It
wouldn't take much imagination to adapt those parts to a Do It
Yourself inclinometer.  The way these work is the mechanical wheel is
spun and "chops" a beam of invisible infra-red light striking a
photo-transistor.  It does so in a fashion which allow detection
circuitry to determine which direction the wheel is spinning too. 
Cannibalize a mouse for these components and build your inclinometer
from that.

If you are designing a product to market as an inclinometer look at
these sensors:

http://www.spectronsensors.com/tilt.html

They are capacitive.

M5