Metering Instrument Projects

ADXL3xx Accelerometer

ADXL3xx Accelerometer using an Arduino

This tutorial shows you how to read an Analog Devices ADXL3xx series (e.g. ADXL320, ADXL321, ADXL322, ADXL330) accelerometer and communicate the acceleration to the a personal computer. This tutorial was built using the breakout boards from Sparkfun. The adafruit accelerometer breakout board also works, though it must be wired differently. The ADXL3xx outputs the acceleration on each axis as an …

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Zigbee Wireless Relay Control

Zigbee Wireless Relay Control and Power Monitoring System Using Arduino

Introduction We designed a system for wirelessly controlling relays and monitoring current.  This is used for a home load simulation.  By wirelessly turning relays on and off by sending commands from a PC to a microcontroller we can change the total load (current) to our simulated home.  For wireless communication, we used XBee Series 2 …

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Simple and reasonably accurate pedometer system

Simple and reasonably accurate pedometer system using Arduino

Our final project for ECE 4760 provides a simple but effective exercise monitoring system of the user’s walk or run. With an increase of the number of health conscious individuals hoping to remain fit, we designed a system that allows the user to keep track of his or her total number steps, current speed, and …

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Sourcemeter

Build Your Own Sourcemeter Using Arduino

This is an explanation and set of building plans for a USB-powered sourcemeter with a personal computer interface. The sourcemeter uses an open-source Arduino microprocessor and the user interface uses the open-source Processing environment. The sourcemeter was designed as a homemade current-voltage (IV) tester to measure the IV characteristics of a solar cell by sweeping applied voltage across …

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ARDUINO Laser 3D Tracking

ARDUINO Laser 3D Tracking or Range Finder

The idea of using triangulation for distance measurements is well known since Pythagorean time, when his brilliant formula become available for mathematicians. What is new in this design, is lasers power control via “blooming” effect of CMOS camera. Here this “negative” effect was put to work instead of ADC. No need high price “no-blooming” camera! …

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Arduino Solar Cell Tester (1)

Arduino Solar Cell Tester

When I’m building Solar Shrubs and other solar-powered creations, I often scavenge cells from various off-the-shelf devices such as solar garden or security lights. But these cells are rarely labeled as to their voltage, current, and power output. So it’s off to my bread-boarding station. First, I put each cell under a lamp and connect it to my multimeter to get the volts. …

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DC motor with TIP120 potentiometer and multiple power supplies

Arduino – Control a DC motor with TIP120, potentiometer and multiple power supplies

A quick circuit showing how to control the speed of a DC motor with a potentiometer with your Arduino board. Also shows how to use a TIP120 transistor to allow the Arduino control a larger power supply. Transistors are 3 pin devices, which via the 3rd pin (Base) allow it to control the current passing through the other 2 pins (Collector and Emitter). …

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