At Sensors Expo, Pete Hulbert, a Test & Support Engineer from Silicon Designs explains one of the applications of his company’s industrial grade microelectromechanical system (MEMS) accelerometers using a tabletop track with moving cars. Three accelerometers are attached to the track in different locations (turns in the track) to determine the vibration in the track as the cars travel around it. As a car moves over a particular sensor, the vibration is displayed on the screen. Even tapping the sensor location indicates the sensitivity of the accelerometers and indicates the live aspect of the demo.

Silicon Designs low-noise, capacitive accelerometers are offered in a hermetic package within a rugged, epoxy sealed, anodized aluminum case. The 1-axis and 3-axis modules include onboard voltage regulation and an internal voltage reference that eliminate the need for a precision power supply. They are relatively insensitive to temperature changes and gradients and are available in two temperature ranges and two package styles for maximum value and performance.

For the demo, the single-axis low-cost 2210, 2260 or 2266 could be used without sacrificing performance and reliability. Operating in a temperature range of -55 to +125°C, Models 2210, 2260, 2266 are offered in G Levels of 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 200 and 400 G.

For applications requiring high-performance, the company’s 2220 and 2276 use upgraded accelerometer chips for improved Bias Temperature and Scale Factor Temperature Coefficients. All five models accept anything from +8 to +32V DC power, supply differential or single-ended outputs and use a simple four-wire cable.