Hall Effect sensors...

[David Halliday (Volt Computer)]

The contactless joystick may use a force sensor - these are use in many
laptops as a replacement for a mouse - look for a little "button"
embedded in the keyboard and this is it.  Force sensors are used a lot
in automotive and industrial applications so their cost has come down to
a reasonable level.

The sensor I am looking forward to playing with is the gyro sensor -
they are making very tiny gyroscopes for use in position sensors.  I
remember seeing one company selling a dual axis unit for around $120.
This one was especially clever in that the gyro was a rapidly rotating
thin plastic disk with a conductive coating.  There were capacitive
sensors mounted close to the surface and the signal was generated by the
deformation of the disk as the whole unit was moved.  It would give both
position and rate of change.

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Alex Noble [SMTP:alex at elbon.demon.co.uk]
> Sent:	Thursday, September 18, 1997 1:45 PM
> To:	synth-diy at horus.sara.nl
> Subject:	Re: Hall Effect sensors...
> 
> In article <5D5E1891F5E at pegasus.hud.ac.uk>, "Matthew S. Padden"
> <m.s.padden at hud.ac.uk> writes
> >Hmm, I'm confusing these with something else then. The expensive
> joystick 
> >I'm referring to is in the RS catalogue, a contactless three-axis
> joystick 
> >that's around 40ukp. I wonder what it uses....
> 
> Well, I wouldn't say 40 quid was that much for a decent joystick - a
> standard CH flightstick costs this much. Or did, anyway.
> 
> 
> Alex
> Noble.........................................alex at elbon.demon.co.uk
>   Wicked original music for your ears:
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