Student Projects

cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Automotive G-Meter for MyDAQ

Automotive G-Meter for MyDAQ

Introduction

Congratulations! Your vehicle is about to join the ranks of automotive heavyweights, such as the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 and the Lamborghini Reventon, as one of the only cars capable of measuring and displaying  the g-forces it experiences while driving.

Parts List

In order to build your automotive g-meter, you will need a few parts:

  • Laptop computer
  • NI MyDAQ
  • SparkFun Electronics ADXL335 Accelerometer Breakout
  • small (~22)  gauge wire

The accelerometer can be obtained online for around $25. We purchased ours from SparkFun.com. For the full specifications of the accelerometer, please reference the accompanying datasheet (adxl335.pdf, also available from SparkFun here).

Instructions

Wiring

Refer to Table 1 for the pin connections between the MyDAQ and the ADXL335.

Table 1 - Signal Connections

MyDAQ

ADXL335

AO0

VCC

AIGND

GND

AI0+

X

AI1+

Y


Additionally, you will need to connect both AI0- and AI1- to AIGND on the MyDAQ.

Software

To view the signal output on your computer, you will need to complete these easy steps.

  1. Open Automotive G-Meter.lvproj.
  2. Switch to the block diagram by pressing Ctrl + E.
  3. On the block diagram, ensure that the correct device is selected for physical channels AI0:1 and AO0.
  4. Switch back to the Front Panel by pressing Ctrl + E.
  5. Run the VI by pressing Ctrl + R.

  6. Tilt the accelerometer to generate g-forces and note the behavior of the front panel.
  7. For more information on each indicator, launch the context help by pressing Ctrl + H. Mouse over each indicator to display more information about it in the context help window.

Now mount the accelerometer and the MyDAQ on a level surface in your car, enlist a navigator to manage the laptop computer, and enjoy the drive!

ATTACHED: CODE, DATA SHEET

Comments
J.R2
Member
Member
on

Hi!

This looks exactly what I'm lloking for, but I've Labview 8.6 and can't open the files... could anyone upload the code for older versions?

Thank you!

J.R

Contributors