[vox-tech] Fwd: Re: [OT] Electronics & hardware geek sought

[Mark K. Kim]

On Mon, Jan 05, 2009 at 11:43:25PM -0800, Bill Kendrick wrote:
[re: accelerometers]
> My immediate interest is in the pressure or tilt sensing on a board that
> you'd stand on (like the Balance Board that you use with WiiFit on the
> Nintendo Wii -- think mini surfboard, or wobbly bathroom scale).

Accelerometers are used for tilt sensing.  Gravity, after all, is a
force, and forces cause acceleration.  So acceleromters can sense how
much an object is tilted by sensing the amount of gravity applied to the
sensor.

For example, some cell phone games use the accelerometer built into the
cell phone to control the ball in tilt mazes.  (Kind of like the one
here: http://www.flasharcade.com/arcade-games/g-ball-game.html ...
except you control the ball by tilting the phone.)

If you can get your hands on one, it'll be a sturdier (and possibly
cheaper) option than creating a pulley mechanism.

At the Consumer Electronics Show a few years ago, I met two separate
accelerometer vendors selling 2-axis accelerometer for about $1.00 to
$1.50 each, with a minimum quantity of 10,000.  In retail, I imagine
they cost around $5 plus tax and shipping for one 2-axis accelerometer.

If you find an accelerometer using the same voltage as the Atari, all
you'll need is probably something similar to a bosu ball like this:
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1272
(you can make one since bosu balls are expensive), attach the
accelerometer flat somewhere on the bosu ball, and solder some wires on
the accelerometer and run it to the Atari.

Just an idea.  YMMV.