Thanks for the input Brandon. If it isn't raining too heavily I'll
bike over to Sprout for the Project Night tomorrow. Using an
accelerometer seems like an excellent solution.
As you mentioned, the sample interval is very important, particularly
at slow speeds. I have a bicycle computer that I believe uses a hall-
effect sensor, as Chris mentioned. In addition to being difficult to
repurpose, the reason why I initially wanted to use a gear-tooth
sensor was the fact that it would allow me to decrease the sample
interval. In my original plan the gear-tooth speed sensor would have a
sample interval of about 0.5 seconds when the bike is traveling at 1km/
h, unlike a hall-effect sensor, which would have a nearly 8 second
interval at the same speed. I would need 16 magnets evenly spaced on
the spokes of the wheel to produce the same effect with a hall-effect
sensor. Of course, an accelerometer would solve this problem. The
accelerometer that Michael suggested can be set at one of eight
different sample rates, up to 120 samples per second.
Anyway, although I'm not interested in creating a product, as Ben
mentioned, I do like the idea of using a accelerometer. However that
brings up a number of other questions, like whether to purchase an
accelerometer already attached to a board, like the one you suggested,
or to buy one independently, like those Ben and Michael suggested.
Anyway, that is just one of many questions I have. Not to mention that
I'd love to understand the physics behind proper acceleration better.
So I'll try to make it to Sprout tomorrow around 8:00pm, and if anyone
would like to stop by to help out I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks everyone!
~ Phil
On Nov 13, 11:49 pm, Brandon Stafford <
brandon.staff...@gmail.com>
wrote: