PASCO PS-2136 User Manual
Instruction Sheet
Threaded
Hole
Sensor
PASPORT
Input Port
Interface
Click the
Visibility
icon
Click a
measurement
to change its
visibility
3-Axis Acceleration/Altimeter Sensor
PS-2136
NOTE: If more distance is needed between the sensor and
the interface or datalogger, you can plug the sensor into the a
PASPORT Sensor Extension Cable (not included), and then
plug the cable into the interface or datalogger.
.
Required Items*
PASCO Interface or Datalogger
PASCO Data Acquisition Software
*See the PASCO catalog or the PASCO web site at www.pasco.com
for more information.
• If you are using an 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 sensor icon appears with the interface’s icon.
012-08511B
Other Items*
PASPORT Sensor Extension Cable (PS-2500)
PASCO Xplorer GLX Vest (PS-2517)
Introduction
The PS-2136 3-Axis Acceleration/Altimeter Sensor measures acceleration (change of velocity with respect to time)
in three axes: x, y, and z, resultant acceleration, and altitude.
The units of measure for acceleration are “g” (acceleration
due to Earth gravity) or m/s
and the units for altitude are meters or feet.
The sensor is designed to work with a PASPORT-compatible
interface (such as the UI-5100 850 Universal Interface or
PS-2008A SPARK Science Learning System) and PASCO
data acquisition software (such as PASCO Capstone or
SPARKvue), or a PASCO datalogger (such as the PS-2002
Xplorer GLX).
Setup the 3-Axis Acceleration Sensor
• Plug the sensor into one of the PASPORT input ports of
a PASCO PASPORT-compatible device.
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(meters per second squared),
• Click the “Data Summary” icon in the Tools palette to
open the “Data Summary” panel. The panel lists the sensor’s measurements.
• 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.
3-Axis Acceleration/Altimeter Sensor Introduction
Touch a
measurement
Touch “Show”
Arrows indicate direction
of acceleration
Z
X
Y
1.0 g
-1.0 g
-1.0 g 1.0 g
-1.0 g
1.0 g
Using SPARKvue Software
• Connect the sensor to a SPARKvue-compatible device
and start the software. The sensor parameter screen
opens and shows the list of measurements for the sensor.
• In the sensor parameter screen, touch a measurement
such as ‘Altitude’ to highlight it, and then touch ‘Show’
to open a graph display.
Record Data
• Click “Record” or tap ‘Start’ to begin recording data.
Direction of Sensitivity
The acceleration sensing units inside the sensor are oriented
so that the lines of greatest sensitivity follow the three
arrows indicating the direction of acceleration.
Test the Sensor’s Output Using Earth’s Gravity
For example, if
the sensor is on its
side 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 arrow
pointing down,
the Acceleration
X-axis reading is
-1.0 g.
If the sensor is oriented with its the
Y-axis arrow
pointing up, the
Acceleration
Y-axis reading is
1.0 g. If the sensor
is oriented with the
Y-axis pointing
down, the Acceleration Y-Axis reading is -1.0 g.
In this orientation, the X-axis direction is ‘positive’ to the
right, the Y-axis direction is ‘positive’ toward the end plate,
and the Z-axis direction is ‘positive’ perpendicular to the
label on top.
If the sensor is oriented with the
label facing up, the
Acceleration
Z-axis reading will
read 1.0 g. If the
label is facing
down, the reading
is -1.0 g.
Zeroing the Sensor
The Acceleration Sensor can be set up so that it will automatically zero itself when you start to record data. Or, the
sensor could be mounted in the specific orientation needed
for an experiment, and then set to zero from within the data
acquisition software,
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