Accelerometer-Compass-Gyro LED Ball

[djsmisc]

We are trying to build a accelerometer//gyro sensor based LED illuminated Ball.
Our prototype uses the Flora and the Accel/Compass Sensor. We are about
to write up an Educational Sheet and wondered if anyone else has already
done so.

[tarachk]

oh!! this sounds so cool!
I am trying to help a pair of 4th grade students who want to make a "Smart basketball" and add an accelerometer inside. I first put my phone into a ball, and we collected awesome data, but it wasn;t so good for my screen. Who would have thought!
So now, am trying to figure out what sensor to use, and how to get it to work.
I dont know where to start!

[adafruit_support_mike]

The NXP 9-DOF sensor breakout would give you the most information:

https://www.adafruit.com/product/3463

It has an accelerometer, gyro, and magnetometer.

The accelerometer can tell you about changes in linear motion and the direction of gravity. The gyro can tell you about changes in rotation. The magnetometer will give you a constant reference vector to the north pole. The gravity and magnetic vectors will define a frame of reference for the remaining motion components.

You can use it with any microcontroller, but for convenience, you might want to try an ESP8266 Feather:

https://www.adafruit.com/product/2821

The ESP8266 has built-in Wifi, and can run a webserver that gives you data in real time.

[tarachk]

Oh yay! Thank you!
A very basic question as I am very new to this field.
Can I just put the accelerometer inside the ball? Or does it need to go with the micro controller? Am assuming the latter? And what type of power will it need?
Thank you for your prompt help!

[adafruit_support_mike]

You do need a microcontroller. The sensor is good at measuring things, but doesn't know how to do anything with the information. A microcontroller is basically a 'thing in the middle' device that takes one kind of information (measurements from a sensor) and turns it into another kind (output to a text file, web page, or whatever).

Both the sensor board and a Feather microcontroller board can fit inside a ball, and the Feather is designed for battery powered projects. It has a clip where you can connect a lithium-polymer battery, and a built-in LiPo charger that will recharge the battery while the Feather is connected to your computer with a USB cable.

The ESP8266 is kind of a mid-level board though, and if you're just getting started with programmable hardware, might be more frustrating than immediately useful.

How would you like to receive the sensor data? Writing it to an SD card is easy, and so is passing it to a computer through a USB cable. Wireless connections require a bit more background.

[tarachk]

So helpful! THANK YOU!
hopefully can share a success story soon!

[adafruit_support_mike]

We love to see them!