Vernier Go Direct GDX-CART-Y, Go Direct GDX-CART-G User Manual
1
What's Included
l Go Direct Sensor Cart
l Hook
l Flat-top rubber bumper for force sensor
l Anti-roll peg
l 4 empty collision tabs
l Micro USB Cable
Compatible Software
See www.vernier.com/manuals/g dx-cart for a list of software compatible with the
Go Direct Sensor Cart.
Getting Started
Please see the following link for platform-specific connection information:
www.vernier.com/start/gdx-cart
Bluetooth Connection
1. Install Graphical Analysis 4 on your computer, mobile device, or
Chromebook™. See www.vernier.com/ga4 for software availability.
2. Charge your Sensor Cart for at least 8hours before first use.
3. Turn on your Sensor Cart by pressing the power button once. The
Bluetooth®LED will blink red.
4. Launch Graphical Analysis 4.
5. Click or tap Sensor Data Collection.
6. Click or tap your Go Direct Sensor Cart from the list of Discovered W ireless
Devices. Your sensor's ID is located near the barcode on the sensor. The
Bluetooth LED will blink green when it is successfully connected.
7. The active channel is listed in the Connected Devices Sensor Channels list.
To change channels, select the check box next to the Sensor Channel(s) you
would like to activate.
8. Click or tap Done to enter data-collection mode.
Charging the Sensor Cart
Connect the Go Direct Sensor Cart to the included Micro USB Cable and any
USB device for eight hours.
You can also charge up to eight Go Direct Sensor Carts using our Go Direct
Charge Station, sold separately (order code: GDX-CRG).
Charging
Orange LED next to battery icon is solid while
sensor is charging.
Fully charged
Green LED next to battery icon solid when
sensor is fully charged.
Go Direct
®
Sensor Cart
(GDX-CART-G) - Green
(GDX-CART-Y) - Yellow
Go Direct Sensor Cart can be used for hands-on kinematics and dynamics
demonstrations but can also be used as a force or acceleration sensor. Hang a
mass and spring from the force sensor to study simple harmonic motion, or
attach the cart to a turntable to study centripetal acceleration.
Each dynamics cart includes
l Encoder wheel to report position
l 3-axis accelerometer to measure independent acceleration
l 50 N force sensor to measure push and pulls
l Mass trays for changing total mass
l Plunger for collision and impulse studies
l Low friction wheels for uniform motion
l Anti-roll peg
The Go Direct Sensor Cart can be used in a variety of experiments:
l Collect position, velocity, and acceleration data as the cart rolls freely up
and down an incline.
l Observe collisions between two carts, test for the conservation of
momentum, or measure energy changes during different types of collisions.
l Investigate the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration.
l Examine the energies involved in simple harmonic motion.
l Measure a cart’s momentum change and compare it to the impulse it
receives.
Go Direct Sensor Cart connects directly to your mobile device, Chromebook™,
or computer using our free Graphical Analysis™ 4 app.
Go Direct Sensor Cart is available in green and yellow in order to facilitate
classroom discussions about collisions. The two colors are designed to be
distinguishable by many color-blind viewers.
Data column names have a suffix of Y or G so that you can tell the carts apart
in a data table. When only one cart is used, disregard the suffix.
Note: Vernier products are designed for educational use. Our products are not
designed nor are they recommended for any industrial, medical, or commercial
process such as life support, patient diagnosis, control of a manufacturing
process, or industrial testing of any kind.
2
Channels
Go Direct Sensor Cart has five measurement channels. The channel names are
l Position
l Force
l X-axis acceleration
l Y-axis acceleration
l Z-axis acceleration
Position
The default channel that is active when the cart is first connected is position.
Graphical Analysis calculates velocity and acceleration data from the position
information. The position reading changes as the encoder wheel turns. If the cart
is picked up and moved to a different location without rolling the encoder
wheel, the position reading does not change. The behavior is like the mouse on
a computer.
Force
The default channel that is active when the sensor is connected is force. The
force channel measures pushes and pulls along the main axis of the sensor body.
Use the hook attachment for pulling and the bumper attachment for pushing.
Pulls are registered as positive forces and pushes are registered as negative
forces, unless sensor readings are reversed in Graphical Analysis 4.
Do not twist or remove the hex barrel of the force sensor. Removal will damage
the load cell.
Acceleration
There are three acceleration channels, measured by a single chip, which is
located under the 3-axis icon on the label. The icon shows the positive direction
for each axis, with the x-direction of acceleration parallel to the pulling force on
the force sensor and the z-direction straight up through the label. Each direction
of acceleration can be measured separately.
If you choose to activate all three acceleration channels at once, you can create
a calculated column for the total acceleration magnitude.
Track Usa ge Notes
The Sensor Cart can be used with or without a track. Using the cart on a
tabletop or floor allows very easy experiment setup, but a track allows more
careful experiments, including collisions, to be performed.
The Sensor Cart is compatible with many common dynamics tracks, including
the Vernier Combination 1.2 m Track and Optical Bench.
Anti-Roll Peg
The cart includes an anti-roll peg. The peg rides in the center groove of a
Vernier Track, allowing the cart to roll freely. When the cart is placed on a
table, the peg keeps the cart from rolling. If you want to use the cart on a table
or floor, remove the peg by pulling and twisting.
Powering the Cart
Turn on the cart
Press button once. Red LED indicator next to
Bluetooth icon flashes when unit is on.
Put the cart in sleep mode
Press and hold button for more than three
seconds to put into sleep mode. Red LED
indicator stops flashing when sleeping.
Connecting the Sensor Cart
See the following link for up-to-date connection information:
www.vernier.com/start/gdx-cart
Connecting via Bluetooth
Ready to connect Red LED next to Bluetooth icon flashes when
sensor is awake and ready to connect.
Connected Green LED next to Bluetooth icon flashes w hen
sensor is connected via Bluetooth.
Connecting via USB
Connected and charging Orange LED next to battery icon is solid when
sensor is connected to Graphical Analysis via
USB and the unit is charging. LED next to
Bluetooth is off.
Connected, fully charged Green LED next to battery icon is solid when
sensor is connect to Graphical Analysis via USB
and fully charged. LED next to Bluetooth icon is
off.
Charging via USB,
connected via Bluetooth
Orange LED next to battery icon is solid when
sensor is connected to charger via USB and the
unit is charging. Green LED next to Bluetooth
icon flashes when sensor is connected via
Bluetooth.
Identifying the Sensor
You can make the Bluetooth LED flash red and green by clicking Identify in
Sensor Information. This is useful to distinguish between two identical sensors.
Using the Sensor Cart
Connect the sensor following the steps in the Getting Started section of this user
manual.
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