PASCO PS-2118 2-Axis Acceleration Sensor - Manual (Page 2)

2 - A x i s A c c e l e r a t i o n S e n s o r I n t r o d u ct io n
2
NOTE: If more distance is needed between the sensor and
the interface, plug the sensor into the included Sensor Exten-
sion Cable, and then plug the cable into the interface.
• Start the PASCO data acquisition software. Set up a data
display in the software.
Using PASCO Capstone Software
• Click the “Hardware Setup” icon in the Tools palette to
open the “Hardware Setup” panel. Confirm that the
2-axis Acceleration Sensor icon appears with the inter-
face’s icon.
• Click the “Data Summary” icon in the Tools palette to
open the “Data Summary” panel. The panel lists the sen-
sor’s measurement (such as Acceleration - x (m/s
2
)).
• Click the “Visibility” icon in the “Data Summary” panel
to see the list of measurements that will be visible by
default. Click a measurement to change its visibility.
• Click one of the display templates in the Capstone work-
book page, or double-click an icon in the “Displays”
palette to open a data display.
Using SPARKvue Software
• Connect the sensor to a SPARKvue-compatible inter-
face and start the software. The sensor parameter screen
opens and shows the list of measurements for the sensor.
• In the sensor parameter screen, tap a measurement such
as ‘Acceleration, X’ to highlight it, and then tap ‘Show’
to open a graph display.
Record Data
• Click “Record” or tap ‘Start’ to begin recording data.
Direction of Sensitivity
The sensing units inside the Acceleration Sensor are oriented
so that the lines of greatest sensitivity follow the two arrows
indicating the direction of acceleration.
In this orientation, the X-axis directions are ‘positive’ to the
right and ‘negative’ to the left. The Y-axis directions are
‘positive’ up and ‘negative’ down.
Verify the Sensor’s Output in the Earth’s Gravita-
tional Field
For example, if the sensor is at rest and oriented with its long
axis horizontal as shown, the Acceleration X-axis reading is
1.0 g. If the sensor is oriented with the X-axis pointing
downward, the Acceleration X-axis reading is -1.0 g.
Sensor
PASPORT
Input Port
Interface
Click the
Visibility
icon
Click a
measurement
to change its
visibility
Tap a
measurement
Tap “Show”
Arrows indicate direction
of acceleration
1.0 g -1.0 g