We've updated our favorite triple-axis accelerometer to now have an on-board 3.3V regulator - making it a perfect choice for interfacing with a 5V microcontroller such as the Arduino. This breakout comes with 3 analog outputs for X, Y and Z axis measurements on a 0.75"x0.75" breakout board. The ADXL335 is the latest and greatest from Analog Devices, known for their exceptional quality MEMS devices. The VCC takes up to 5V in and...

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 tilt Force sensitive resistor - for sensing pressure/force Temperature sensor - for measuring from -40 to over +125 degrees C 10K breadboard potentiometer Hall effect sensor - for...

This inertial-measurement-unit combines 2 of the best quality sensors available on the market to give you 9 axes of data: 3 axes of accelerometer data, 3 axes gyroscopic, and 3 axes magnetic (compass). We tested many different 'combination' sensors and found these were the best value, with stable and reliable readings. The L3DG20H gyroscope + LSM303DLHC accelerometer/compass sensors are all on one breakout here, to save you space and...

Filling out our accelerometer offerings, we now have the really lovely digital ADXL345 from Analog Devices, a triple-axis accelerometer with digital I2C and SPI interface breakout. We added an on-board 3.3V regulator and logic-level shifting circuitry, making it a perfect choice for interfacing with any 3V or 5V microcontroller such as the Arduino. The sensor has three axes of measurements, X Y Z, and pins that can be used either as I2C or SPI...

A gyroscope is a type of sensor that can sense twisting and turning motions. Often paired with an accelerometer, you can use these to do 3D motion capture and inertial measurement (that is - you can tell how an object is moving!) As these sensors become more popular and easier to manufacture, the prices for them have dropped to the point where you can easily afford a triple-axis gyro! Only a decade ago, this space-tech sensor would have been...

If you've ever ordered and wire up a 9-DOF sensor, chances are you've also realized the challenge of turning the sensor data from an accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer into actual "3D space orientation"! Orientation is a hard problem to solve. The sensor fusion algorithms (the secret sauce that blends accelerometer, magnetometer and gyroscope data into stable three-axis orientation output) can...

An anemometer is a device used for measuring wind speed, and is a common weather station instrument. This well made anemometer is designed to sit outside and measure wind speed with ease. To use, connect the black wire to power and signal ground, the brown wire to 7-24VDC (we used 9V with success) and measure the analog voltage on the blue wire. The voltage will range from 0.4V (0 m/s wind) up to 2.0V (for 32.4m/s wind speed). That's it! The...

We've now got a wider range version of favorite triple-axis accelerometer - it even has an on-board 3.3V regulator - making it a perfect choice for interfacing with a 5V microcontroller such as the Arduino. This breakout comes with 3 analog outputs for X, Y and Z axis measurements on a 0.75"x0.75" breakout board. The ADXL326 is the latest and greatest from Analog Devices, known for their exceptional quality MEMS devices. The VCC...

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.

Hey rocket man ( burnin' out your fuse out there alone ) ever wonder how fast you're rocketing? The ADXL377 +-200g 3-axis accelerometer may be able to tell the answer. You read that right, this accelerometer can sense up to 200g's of force . Incredible! Not surprisingly, we couldn't say "no" to a breakout for this sensor. The sensor is soldered onto a PCB with four mounting holes (in case you don't remember, this is...

So many accelerometers and so little time! We've expanded our accelerometer selection even more with this high-precision and inexpensive MMA8451 Triple-Axis Accelerometer w/ 14-bit ADC. You can detect motion, tilt and basic orientation with a digital accelerometer - and the MMA8451 is a great accelerometer to start with. It has a wide usage range, from +-2g up to +-8g yet is easy to use with Arduino or another microcontroller The MMA8451 is a...

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...

Infrared (IR) break-beam sensors are a simple way to detect motion. They work by having an emitter side that sends out a beam of human-invisible IR light, then a receiver across the way which is sensitive to that same light. When something passes between the two, and its not transparent to IR, then the 'beam is broken' and the receiver will let you know. Compared to PIR sensors, breakbeams are faster and allow better control of where you...

Infrared (IR) break-beam sensors are a simple way to detect motion. They work by having an emitter side that sends out a beam of human-invisible IR light, then a receiver across the way which is sensitive to that same light. When something passes between the two, and its not transparent to IR, then the 'beam is broken' and the receiver will let you know. Compared to PIR sensors, breakbeams are faster and allow better control of where you...

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 "poor man's" accelerometer/motion sensor! These spring-vibration switches are medium sensitivity non-directional vibration induced trigger switches. Inside is a medium hardness 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...

The LIS3DH  is a very popular low power triple-axis accelerometer . It's low-cost, but has just about every 'extra' you'd want in an accelerometer: Three axis sensing, 10-bit precision±2g/±4g/±8g/±16g selectable scalingBoth I2C (2 possible addresses) and SPI interface optionsInterrupt outputMultiple data rate options 1 Hz to 5KhzAs low as 2uA current draw (just the chip itself, not including any...

The NXP Precision 9DoF breakout combines two of the best motion sensors we've tested here at Adafruit: The FXOS8700 3-Axis accelerometer and magnetometer, and the FXAS21002 3-axis gyroscope. These two sensors combine to make a nice 9-DoF kit, that can be used for motion and orientation sensing. In particular, we think this sensor set is ideal for AHRS-based orientation calculations: the gyro stability performance is superior to the LSM9DS0,...

The Prop Shield with Motion Sensors for Teensy 3.2 and Teensy-LC is meant for making interactive light and sound effects on small handheld props and wearable costumes! Good for all sorts of projects, and designed by the creator of the Teensy so you know it's gonna be well supported Motion Sensors  - Allows motion interactive light & sound. Audio Amplifier  - Clear quality audio output to a small speaker. Fast LED Driver...

This inertial-measurement-unit combines 3 of the best quality sensors available on the market to give you 11 axes of data: 3 axes of accelerometer data, 3 axes gyroscopic, 3 axes magnetic (compass), barometric pressure/altitude and temperature. We tested many different 'combination' sensors and found these were the best value, with stable and reliable readings. The L3DG20H gyroscope + LSM303DLHC accelerometer compass + BMP180...

Laser break beam sensors are usually kind of cumbersome.  They work by detecting an object breaking a laser beam - but you usually have to set up a laser on one end and a sensor on the other.  Unless your sensor is big, it can easily get out of alignment. ...but not this break beam sensor.  It has a light sensor+lens next to the laser to detect the reflected dot when the beam is broken, so it can sense when someone...