PASCO PS-2118 User Manual
Instruction Sheet
Sensor Extension
Cable
Mounting
Bracket
Bracket
Hardware
Threaded
Hole
FAST/SLOW
RESPONSE
Control Button
2-Axis Acceleration Sensor
PS-2118
012-07781C
.
Included Items
Mounting Bracket (for PASCO carts)
Sensor Extension Cable
Required Items*
PASCO Interface
PASCO Data Acquisition Software
*See the PASCO catalog or the PASCO web site at www.pasco.com
for more information.
Other Items*
PASCO Cart
PASCO Dynamics Track
Angle Indicator (ME-9495A)
Introduction
The PS-2118 2-Axis Acceleration Sensor measures acceleration (change of velocity with respect to time) in two axes: x
and y. The units of measure are “g” (acceleration due to
Earth gravity), m/s
per second squared), and cm/s
2
(meters per second squared), f/s2 (feet
2
(centimeters per second
squared).
The sensor is designed to work with a PASPORT-compatible
interface (such as the UI-5100 850 Universal Interface) and
PASCO data acquisition software (such as PASCO Capstone) to measure acceleration in two directions.
The sensor includes a sensor extension cable and a mounting
bracket with hardware for attaching the sensor to a PASCO
cart (such as a Dynamics Cart, PAScar, or GOcar).
The Acceleration Sensor has a built in frequency response
filter with two settings: “slow” or “fast”. Use the
FAST/SLOW RESPONSE Control Button to set the frequency response to a range suitable for the application. For
experiments such as measuring the acceleration of elevators,
roller coasters, and automobiles, select the “slow” setting.
For applications involving mechanical systems such as cart
collision experiments, select the “fast” setting. The red
light-emitting diode in the button will light up when the
“fast” range is selected.
Setup the 2-Axis Acceleration Sensor
• Plug the sensor into one of the PASPORT input ports of
a PASCO PASPORT-compatible interface.
2-Axis Acceleration Sensor Introduction
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
• In the sensor parameter screen, tap a measurement such
as ‘Acceleration, X’ to highlight it, and then tap ‘Show’
to open a graph display.
NOTE: If more distance is needed between the sensor and
the interface, plug the sensor into the included Sensor Extension 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 interface’s icon.
• Click the “Data Summary” icon in the Tools palette to
open the “Data Summary” panel. The panel lists the sensor’s measurement (such as Acceleration - x (m/s
2
)).
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.
• 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 workbook page, or double-click an icon in the “Displays”
palette to open a data display.
Using SPARKvue Software
• Connect the sensor to a SPARKvue-compa tib le interface and start the software. The sensor parameter screen
opens and shows the list of measurements for the sensor.
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 Gravitational 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.
2
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