MiniSense 100 example circuit

Thread Starter

RaySolomon

Joined Mar 15, 2012
6

MiniSense 100

I have a Piezo Film Sensor and want to use it to detect vibration.
I'm in need of an example circuit that can run from a couple low power button cell batteries and can produce an high pitch audible tone with a small piezoelectric speaker and light up an LED. Or a switch to toggle between the audio or visual.

Another question. Is it possible to use a low end 8-bit microcontroller to accomplish this goal? Reason is, I would like to eventually make a switch that toggles between various audible sounds. But what's most important is that it be a low power device and be very small.

Any advice to help me get started?
 

KMoffett

Joined Dec 19, 2007
2,918
Any chance of you downloading the datasheet PDF and posting it here. I really don't want to have to register with the company to look at it.

Ken
 

KMoffett

Joined Dec 19, 2007
2,918
What you will need in terms of electronics will depend greatly depend on the "G" force of the vibration. See: "Voltage Sensitivity (open-circuit, baseline) 1.1V/g". If the acceleration is in the 1G range you might get by with a simple transistor driving the LED or buzzer. Otherwise the output voltage would have to be amplified. That means more electronics, and more power.

Do you have access to an oscilloscope to measure the voltage output with normal movement?

Ken
 

Thread Starter

RaySolomon

Joined Mar 15, 2012
6
I don't have an oscilloscope yet. The G forces will be between 0.1 - 1.5 G's.

Would you recommend I use an low power accelerometer and a low power microcontroller instead?
 

Thread Starter

RaySolomon

Joined Mar 15, 2012
6


The goal is to measure the vibrations and create a pitch of the buzzer as each string is strummed. The pitch increases the harder you strum it. The LED will be either on or off as it detects vibrations. The circuit needs to have a digital potentiometer to adjust the sensitivity in which the buzzer and LED will equally react to vibrations. It needs to be very small. I would have it professionally manufactured with pick and place machines since the components would be too small. But first, I would like a circuit to experiment and tinker with. Something I can breadboard. I have a little bit of c and assembly experience if I need to use a microcontroller.
 
Last edited:

KMoffett

Joined Dec 19, 2007
2,918
What's the point of this system? If you have a "buzzer" that sounds and changes pitch with a string being plucked, isn't that going to interfere with the sound of the string?

Ken
 
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