Halloween / Sensors

This camera module can be a pretty neat project addition. It was designed to be used in security systems and does two main things - it outputs NTSC video and can take snapshots of that video (in color) and transmit them over the TTL serial link. You can snap pictures at 640x480, 320x240 or 160x120 and they're pre-compressed JPEG images which makes them nice and small and easy to store on an SD card. Perfect for a data-logging, security, or...

PIR sensors are used to detect motion from pets/humanoids from about 20 feet away (possibly works on zombies, not guaranteed). This one has an adjustable delay before firing (approx 2-4 seconds), adjustable sensitivity and we include a 1 foot (30 cm) cable with a socket so you can easily reposition the sensor or mount it using the two holes on either side. Runs on 5V-12V power (if you need to run it off of 3V you can do that by bypassing the...

An assortment of the most common sensors used in electronics. 9 sensors and 3 additional components to interface with the 'analog world'. We have some tutorials here, to get you started. Includes Triple-axis analog accelerometer - for measuring motion and tiltForce sensitive resistor - for sensing pressure/forceTemperature sensor - for measuring from -40 to over +125 degrees C10K breadboard potentiometerHall effect sensor - for sensing a...

This SHARP distance sensor bounces IR off objects to determine how far away they are. It returns an analog voltage that can be used to determine how close the nearest object is. Comes with 12" long 3-JST interface wire. These sensors are good for short-range detection. For over 1 m distance, we suggest using sonar sensors To use, connect black wire to ground, red wire to 5V and white wire to analog input. The analog voltage out will range...

LV-EZ1 Maxbotix Ultrasonic Rangefinder provides very short to long-range detection and ranging, in an incredibly small package. It can detect objects from 0-inches to 254-inches (6.45-meters) and provides sonar range information from 6-inches out to 254-inches with 1-inch resolution. (Objects from 0 inches to 6-inches range as 6-inches.) The interface output formats included are pulse width output (PWM), analog voltage output (Vcc/512 volts per...

FSRs are sensors that allow you to detect physical pressure, squeezing and weight. They are simple to use and low cost. This sensor is a Interlink model 402 FSR with 1/2 diameter sensing region. FSR's are basically a resistor that changes its resistive value (in ohms Ω) depending on how much its pressed. These sensors are fairly low cost, and easy to use but they're rarely accurate. They also vary some from sensor to sensor perhaps...

CdS cells are little light sensors. As the squiggly face is exposed to more light, the resistance goes down. When its light, the resistance is about ~1KΩ, when dark it goes up to ~10KΩ. To use, connect one side of the photo cell (either one, its symmetric) to power (for example 5V) and the other side to your microcontroller's analog input pin. Then connect a 10K pull-down resistor from that analog pin to ground. The voltage on...

This tiny little camera module can be a pretty neat project addition, it is just like our other JPEG cameras (same chipset/software), but much smaller and slimmer. It was designed to be used in security systems and does two main things - it outputs NTSC color video and can take snapshots of that video (in color) and transmit them over the TTL serial link. You can snap pictures at 640x480, 320x240 or 160x120 and they're pre-compressed JPEG...

Add an ear to your project with this well-designed electret microphone amplifier with AGC. This fully assembled and tested board comes with a 20-20KHz electret microphone soldered on. For the amplification, we use the Maxim MAX9814, a specialty chip that is designed for amplifying electret microphones in situations where the loudness of the audio isn't predictable. This fancy microphone amplifier module is a step above the rest, with built...

This sensor can detect flexing or bending in one direction. They were popularized by being used in the Nintendo PowerGlove as a gaming interface. These sensors are easy to use, they are basically resistors that change value based on how much they're flexed. If they're unflexed, the resistance is about ~10KΩ. When flexed all the way the resistance rises to ~20KΩ. They're pretty similar to FSRs so following this...

This SHARP distance sensor bounces IR off objects to determine how far away they are. It returns an analog voltage that can be used to determine how close the nearest object is. Comes with 8" long 3-JST interface wire. These sensors are good for detection between 20cm-150cm. For over 1 m distance, we suggest using sonar sensors. To use, connect black wire to ground, red wire to 5V and white wire to analog input. The analog voltage out will...

Read wireless heart-rate data into your electronics projects in under 10 minutes with this educational experimentation kit for Polar wireless heart rate bands. This pack is designed for students, hobbyists, engineers and artists who want to add biometric interactivity to electronics. This is the easiest way possible to do it! No gel, no probes, no calibration and no clips. Simply strap the band on and detect heartbeats from 4 feet away. Please...

FSRs are sensors that allow you to detect physical pressure, squeezing and weight. They are simple to use and low cost. This sensor is a Interlink model 406 FSR with a 38mm square sensing region. Note that this sensor can't detect where on the square you pressed (for that, check out our ribbon soft pots or capacitive touch pad ). FSRs are basically a resistor that changes its resistive value (in ohms Ω) depending on how much its...

Punch in your secret key into this numeric matrix keypad. This keypad has 12 buttons, arranged in a telephone-line 3x4 grid. It's made of a thin, flexible membrane material with an adhesive backing (just remove the paper) so you can attach it to nearly anything. The keys are connected into a matrix, so you only need 7 microcontroller pins (3-columns and 4-rows) to scan through the pad. Check the tutorials tab for links to an Arduino library...

This breakout board is the simplest way to create a project with a single "momentary" capacitive touch sensor. No microcontroller is required here - just power with 1.8 to 5.5VDC and touch the pad to activate the sensor. When a capacitive load is detected (e.g. a person touches the sensor-pad area) the red LED lights up and the output pin goes high. You can also solder a wire to the middle pad and create your own capacitive pad if the...

This sensor can detect flexing or bending in one direction. They were popularized by being used in the Nintendo PowerGlove as a gaming interface. These sensors are easy to use, they are basically resistors that change value based on how much their flexed. If they're unflexed, the resistance is about ~25KΩ. When flexed all the way the resistance rises to ~100KΩ. They're pretty similar to FSRs so following this tutorial will...

Hall effect sensors detect whether a magnet is near. Useful for non-contact/waterproof type switches, position sensors, rotary/shaft encoders. I tried dozens of different hall effect sensors to see which one would work best for the SpokePOV kit (to determine the wheel location) and this one came out on top! Runs at 3.5V up to 24V. To use connect power to pin 1 (all the way to the left), ground to pin 2 (middle) and then a 10K pull up resistor...

The "poor man's" accelerometer! Tilt sensors are switches that can detect basic motion/orientation. The metal tube has a little metal ball that rolls around in it, when its tilted upright, the ball rolls onto the contacts sticking out of end and shorts them together. Be sure to read our detailed tutorial including diagrams and example code.

This extra-long-range SHARP distance sensor bounces IR off objects to determine how far away they are. It returns an analog voltage that can be used to determine how close the nearest object is. Comes with 6" long 6-JST interface wire. These sensors are good for detection between 100cm-500cm (1-5 meters / 3-15 feet). The long range makes them a good alternative to sonar sensors. Please note: the wire colorings are not intuitive! Watch out...

Piezo buzzers are used for making beeps, tones and alerts. This one is petite but loud! Drive it with 3-30V peak-to-peak square wave. To use, connect one pin to ground (either one) and the other pin to a square wave out from a timer or microcontroller. For the loudest tones, stay around 4 KHz, but works quite well from 2KHz to 10KHz. For extra loudness, you can connect both pins to a microcontroller and swap which pin is high or low...

Add lots of touch sensors to your next microcontroller project with this easy-to-use 8-channel capacitive touch sensor breakout board, starring the CAP1188. This chip can handle up to 8 individual touch pads, and has a very nice feature that makes it stand out for us: it will light up the 8 onboard LEDs when the matching touch sensor fires to help you debug your sensor setup. The CAP1188 has support for both I2C and SPI, so it easy to use with...

This breakout board is the simplest way to create a project with a single "toggle" capacitive touch sensor. No microcontroller is required here - just power with 1.8 to 5.5VDC and touch the pad to activate the sensor. This sensor is a toggle output type: touch-on then touch-off. That means that when a capacitive load is detected (e.g. a person touches the sensor-pad area) the red LED will alternate turning off and the output pin will...

LV-EZ4 Maxbotix Ultrasonic Rangefinder provides very short to long-range detection and ranging, in an incredibly small package. It can detect objects from 0-inches to 254-inches (6.45-meters) and provides sonar range information from 6-inches out to 254-inches with 1-inch resolution. (Objects from 0 inches to 6-inches range as 6-inches.) The interface output formats included are pulse width output (PWM), analog voltage output (Vcc/512 volts per...

Add lots of touch sensors to your next microcontroller project with this easy-to-use 12-channel capacitive touch sensor breakout board, starring the MPR121. This chip can handle up to 12 individual touchpads. The MPR121 has support for only I2C, which can be implemented with nearly any microcontroller. You can select one of 4 addresses with the ADDR pin, for a total of 48 capacitive touch pads on one I2C 2-wire bus. Using this chip is a lot...

LV-EZ0 Maxbotix Ultrasonic Rangefinder provides very short to long-range detection and ranging, in an incredibly small package. It can detect objects from 0-inches to 254-inches (6.45-meters) and provides sonar range information from 6-inches out to 254-inches with 1-inch resolution. (Objects from 0 inches to 6-inches range as 6-inches.) The interface output formats included are pulse width output (PWM), analog voltage output (Vcc/512 volts per...

The HRLV-MaxSonar-EZ sensor line is the most cost-effective solution for applications where precision range-finding, low-voltage operation, space saving, and low-cost are needed. The HRLV-MaxSonar-EZ sensor line provides high accuracy and high resolution ultrasonic proximity detection and ranging in air, in a package less than one cubic inch. This sensor line features 1mm resolution, target-size and operating-voltage compensation for improved...

FSRs are sensors that allow you to detect physical pressure, squeezing and weight. They are simple to use and low cost. This sensor is a Interlink model 408 FSR with a massive 1/4-inch x 24-inch sensing region. You can press anywhere along the strip and the pressure will be recognized. Note that this sensor can't detect where on the strip you pressed (for that, check out our ribbon soft pots). FSRs are basically a resistor that changes its...

This cyber-tronic looking sensor hides a secret behind its glimmering eye. Unlike most temperature sensors, this sensor measures infrared light bouncing off of remote objects so it can sense temperature without having to touch them physically. Simply point the sensor towards what you want to measure and it will detect the temperature by absorbing IR waves emitted. Because it doesn't have to touch the object it's measuring, it can sense a...

Punch in your secret key into this numeric membrane keypad. This keypad has 4 buttons, and since every key has its own wire line, no matrix code is required - just treat these like every day switches. The membrane is soft and has a removable paper backing to expose a strong adhesive so you can stick this on an enclosure and feed the cable through a slot. Its a simple keypad but that's why we like it. We include a 5-pin extra-long header...

The HRLV-MaxSonar-EZ sensor line is the most cost-effective solution for applications where precision range-finding, low-voltage operation, space saving, and low-cost are needed. The HRLV-MaxSonar-EZ sensor line provides high accuracy and high resolution ultrasonic proximity detection and ranging in air, in a package less than one cubic inch. This sensor line features 1mm resolution, target-size and operating-voltage compensation for improved...

The "poor man's" accelerometer/motion sensor! These spring-vibration switches are high sensitivity non-directional vibration induced trigger switches. Inside is a very soft spring coiled around a long metal pin. When the switch is moved, the spring touches the center pole to make contact. So, when there's motion, the two pins will act like a closed switch. When everything is still, the switch is open. Great for basic projects...

The HRLV-MaxSonar-EZ sensor line is the most cost-effective solution for applications where precision range-finding, low-voltage operation, space saving, and low-cost are needed. The HRLV-MaxSonar-EZ sensor line provides high accuracy and high resolution ultrasonic proximity detection and ranging in air, in a package less than one cubic inch. This sensor line features 1mm resolution, target-size and operating-voltage compensation for improved...

LV-EZ3 Maxbotix Ultrasonic Rangefinder provides very short to long-range detection and ranging, in an incredibly small package. It can detect objects from 0-inches to 254-inches (6.45-meters) and provides sonar range information from 6-inches out to 254-inches with 1-inch resolution. (Objects from 0 inches to 6-inches range as 6-inches.) The interface output formats included are pulse width output (PWM), analog voltage output (Vcc/512 volts per...

LV-EZ2 Maxbotix Ultrasonic Rangefinder provides very short to long-range detection and ranging, in an incredibly small package. It can detect objects from 0-inches to 254-inches (6.45-meters) and provides sonar range information from 6-inches out to 254-inches with 1-inch resolution. (Objects from 0 inches to 6-inches range as 6-inches.) The interface output formats included are pulse width output (PWM), analog voltage output (Vcc/512 volts per...

The HRLV-MaxSonar-EZ sensor line is the fastest way to get precision range-finding into your computer. No microcontroller or adapter required, simply connect any micro B USB cable (not included) into the sensor and install the FTDI drivers to get serial sonar distance data via serial on any computer operating system. The HR-USB-EZ sensor line provides high accuracy and high resolution ultrasonic proximity detection and ranging in air, in a...

This membrane keypad has a single key, but it does have an embedded surface-mount red LED installed. The flex cable is also extra-long, so we can think of a lot of wearable and portable projects that would use this sort of switch and have an LED as feedback (say, to indicate that an action is occuring or the power is on). Since the keypad is soft plastic, it can be sewn with needle and thread. The back of the pad has a removable paper cover that...

The "poor man's" accelerometer/motion sensor! These spring-vibration switches are low sensitivity non-directional vibration induced trigger switches. Inside is a stiff spring coiled around a long metal pin. When the switch is moved, the spring touches the center pole to make contact. So, when there's motion, the two pins will act like a closed switch. When everything is still, the switch is open. Great for basic projects and...

The VCNL4010 sensor is a nice way to add a small-distance proximity sensor to your microcontroller project. For longer distances (in the range of cm, you can use a SHARP IR distance sensor, but those are only good if the object is over 10 cm away. The VCNL4010 is designed for much shorter distances, no more than 200mm (about 7.5") and under our experimentation we found it worked best at distances of about 10-150mm. It would be good for say...

PIR sensors are used to detect motion from pets/humanoids from about 5 meters away (possibly works on zombies, not guaranteed). This sensor is much smaller than most PIR modules, which makes it great for unobtrusive projects. It's also fully-contained - only needs power, ground and a resistor to set the delay time - and breadboard or perfboard friendly. Runs on 3.3V power - so make sure if you're interfacing with an Arduino or other 5V...

The VL53L0X is a  Time of Flight  distance sensor like no other you've used! The sensor contains a very tiny invisible laser source, and a matching sensor. The VL53L0X can detect the "time of flight", or how long the light has taken to bounce back to the sensor. Since it uses a very narrow light source, it is good for determining distance of only the surface directly in front of it. Unlike sonars that bounce ultrasonic...

PIR sensors are used to detect motion from pets/humanoids from about 5 meters away (possibly works on zombies, not guaranteed). This sensor is much smaller than most PIR modules, which makes it great for unobtrusive projects. It's also fully-contained - only needs power and ground, and it's breadboard or perfboard friendly. Usage is super simple: You can power it from 3 to 12V DC, there's an onboard regulator. Digital signal output...

PIR sensors are used to detect motion from pets/humanoids from about 5 meters away (possibly works on zombies, not guaranteed). This sensor is much smaller than most PIR modules, which makes it great for unobtrusive projects. It's also fully-contained - only needs power, ground and a resistor to set the delay time - and breadboard or perfboard friendly. Runs on 3.3V power - so make sure if you're interfacing with an Arduino or other 5V...

The VL6180X (sometimes called the VL6180 ) is a Time of Flight distance sensor like no other you've used! The sensor contains a very tiny laser source, and a matching sensor. The VL6180X can detect the "time of flight", or how long the laser light has taken to bounce back to the sensor. Since it uses a very narrow light source, it is good for determining distance of only the surface directly in front of it. Unlike sonars that...

Add lots of touch sensors to your next microcontroller project with this easy-to-use 12-channel capacitive touch sensor breakout board, starring the MPR121. This chip can handle up to 12 individual touchpads with plug-and-play STEMMA QT connector and large alligator/croc-clip friendly pads, its a no-solder solution to capacitive touch sensing. The MPR121 has support for reading data over I2C, which can be implemented with nearly any...

This impressive looking horn is actually an ultrasonic sensor, ready for panel mount use. Inside is a module that uses high frequency signals to determine distance to a surface, and the horn helps guide the waveform so it can reach farther without spreading too wide. It's elegant looking and is more durable than the 'raw' ultrasonics we sell a lot of, so it would do well in a garage, robot or installation where you want a...

This sleek looking 'button' is actually an ultrasonic sensor, ready for panel mount use. Inside is a module that uses high frequency signals to determine distance to a surface. It's elegant looking and is more durable than the 'raw' ultrasonics we sell a lot of, so it would do well in a garage, robot or installation where you want a durable dust and weather-resistant design. It has a range of 28 cm to 450 cm with a read...

The Sensor Film Kit is a great new way to make custom-sized sensors out of force sensitive material. This kit includes one piece of black plastic sensor film (it's thicker and more durable than Velostat but similar in function), two pieces of heavy aluminum foil, and two pieces of clear adhesive polyester film. The sensor film is super durable and changes its electrical resistance when force is applied. It's a lot like Velostat but a bit...