Accelerometer makers, in tandem with the larger electronics industry, have the ability to create intuitive and responsive high-tech products. Accelerometers measure the acceleration and gravitational force put on an object, allowing experts to invent useful and fun products with accelerometer applications to put on the market.

There are a wide variety of accelerometer applications. The controller of the Nintendo Wii, Apple's iPhone and iPod as well as Canon's PowerShot camcorder all use accelerometers to provide motion sensing, touch-screen capabilities and image stabilization. The possibilities are as endless as your imagination.

1. Try out a low-g accelerometer. You can use these in many standard applications, as the majority of your needs will be for lower-g electronic devices.

2. Install a 3D accelerometer when you need high accuracy as well as greater range. These devices exceed the range of a low-g accelerometer, and with greater precision due to having three axes.

3. Use a USB accelerometer to interface with your computer and record data as you test.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Use a low-g accelerometer for low-range static and dynamic applications

These devices detect only smaller levels of acceleration, usually up to a maximum of +/- 6g. Many of them only have one or two axes since the gravity values of the low-g accelerometer are at the lower end of the spectrum.

I recommend: Buy accelerometers in bulk for a discount at Digi-Key. The accelerometer at Analog Devices has a range of +/- 3g, which suffices for many different applications.

Measure greater g-force by using a 3-axis accelerometer

A triple-axis accelerometer is used for 3D positioning. It relies on three axes to detect acceleration and has a greater range of functions than devices with only one or two axes. The three sensors provide greater accuracy as they provide more reliable positioning information. These are also used when you're sensing greater gravitational values, since a low-g accelerometer can't record at this magnitude.

I recommend: For circuit board applications, check out the tri-axial accelerometer available from Dimension Engineering. Get a custom-made analog accelerometer from Summit Instruments for high accuracy.

Track data using USB accelerometers

Not only can you record the data from your accelerometer on your computer, you can actually control the device through the USB interface. You can measure static and dynamic acceleration using these convenient accelerometers. These are popularly used in robotics.

I recommend: Capture acceleration, shock, impact, vibration and temperature with the user-friendly USB accelerometer from Reference. Get a miniature low-g USB accelerometer from GLI Interactive; it's not much bigger than the size of a quarter.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Consider using a logging accelerometer if you need to keep track of data as you go. If you don't have computer access on-site and therefore can't use a USB accelerometer, a data logger can help you out.