We bought TE triaxial accelerometer (model 4030). However, when we measured the output values of x, y, z, the ZMO values were not close to what they are supposed to be (2.5V). Does this mean that the accelerometer is damaged? if not, how could we adjust the ZMO values to what the were supposed to be
Hello jm126,
Welcome to the community!
The output would not be adjustable.
What voltages are you reading and what orientation is the sensor in when you’re reading them? Any given axis should read 2.5V when in freefall, otherwise you’re seeing the effects of gravity on the sensor.
Hello, Thank you very much for your reply. I just put the sensor on the table and connected the white wire to 24 VDC and the yellow wire to the ground. Then I used multimeter to measure the voltage values on the three output wires: 750 mV, 770 mv, and 820 mv. Since the sensor was put on the table so I think the all acceleration values should be zero.
Your insights are greatly appreciated.
Best.
Hi jm126,
Just to clarify, which specific accelerometer did you purchase from us, the 4030-002-120 or the 4030-006-120? The outputs will differ, depending on which one you have. Regardless, the voltages you are getting don’t sound right, but we should clarify your test set-up.
To test the device, you should use a clean DC power source from somewhere between 5Vdc to 30Vdc. A bench-top power supply, or a 12V or 24V battery set-up would be ideal. Connect your power source ground to the yellow wire and your positive voltage to the white wire, as you stated. The gray self-test wire should be left floating when not being used.
To take measurements, the negative lead of your multimeter must be connected to the yellow ground wire. Then, with the accelerometer sitting flat on a table and the “Z” axis pointing up, the X and Y axes (brown and green wires, respectively) should output between 2.4V and 2.6V. The Z axis (pink wire) should measure between 3.3V and 3.7V for the 4030-002-120 or between 2.7V and 3.0V for the 4030-006-120. The reason for this higher value for “Z” is that it is experiencing 1g of acceleration due to gravity in that orientation.
If you don’t get the readings expected above, you can try the self-test. To do that, short the gray self-test wire to ground. Then, the X, Y, and Z wires should read the following (note: these values are relative to 2.5V, so for instance, “X” would be between 2.62V and 2.80V):
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Hi David,
Thanks for your reply.
I bought 4030-006-120 accelerometer from you. When I put the accelerometer on the table (Z axis points upwards), I connected the white wire to the 22.97 VDC and yellow wire to the ground. The other three wires I measured gave me 740 mV, 750 mV, and 830 mV.
Then I did the self test (I assume I still need to connect the white and yellow wires to 22.97 VDC and ground, respectively) and measured the three wires and got 760 mV, 735 mV, 800 mV, respectively.
What I have got confirmed that my triaxial accelerometer is bad, right? Do we have warranty for the electronic devices bought from digi-key? Please let me know.
Thanks.
I have another question. If I put the accelerometer on the table, that means it is stationary. So why should it experience g in the z-direction? Please clarify.
Thanks.
Gravity is a steady 1g acceleration.
David,
Thanks for your reply.
Can you please tell me how to do the self-test? Should I connect the white wire to +VDC an yellow to ground and then connect the gray wire to the ground? Or I just need to connect the self-test wire (gray) to ground but do not need to take care of white wire and yellow wire?
Your help is great appreciated.
Thanks.
J
The sensor requires power to function, so yes, the white wire should be connected to +VDC, and the yellow wire to Ground.
To measure properly, be sure your multimeter is set to DC mode rather than AC mode. This is easy to overlook.
Connect the black negative lead of your meter to yellow Ground wire, and measure voltages at brown, green, and pink wires with your meter’s red lead wire. The voltage at each of the three wires should change by the amount listed in the table below when you short the gray wire to ground. So you can measure the voltage at each wire with the gray wire floating, and then short the gray wire to ground and see if the voltage changes by the amount specified in the table.
Change in output (mV) during Self Test:
For instance, if you measure 2.60V on the brown “X” wire with the gray wire not connected (floating), then when you connect (short) the gray wire to ground, the voltage on the brown wire should increase by somewhere between 0.04V and 0.10V to between 2.64V and 2.70V. You can do the same test with the “Y” and “Z” leads, noting that they should decrease in voltage, and compare the voltage changes with those in the table.