Peripherals/Sensors

There are a large variety of sensors which can be added to the XO using the MIC_IN port. These may include;

• Touch/Pressure - Extended information
• Light - Use it for inverse square law experiments or for studying polarizers, reflectivity, or solar energy.
• Temperature
• Humidity
• Barometer - Can be used for either weather studies or for lab experiments involving pressures close to normal atmospheric pressure
• Soil Moisture Sensor - Some soil moisture sensors use capacitance to measure the water content of soil
• Hall Effect (magnetic field) sensors - By using a rotating sensor tip it is possible to measure both transverse and longitudinal magnetic fields.
• Oscilloscope - With amplification?
• Ultrasonic - Water level monitoring, create real-time motion graphs position, velocity and acceleration.
• Light Gate
• Water Purity Monitor
• Metal Detector
• Accelerometer - This is great for studying collisions or any motion with larger accelerations.
• Charge Sensor - the Charge Sensor can make quantitative measurements. Numerical measurements improve many electrostatics experiments such as charging by induction, charging by friction, and charging by contact.
• CO2 or O2 Gas Sensor - These probes could measure changes in CO2 levels during plant photosynthesis and respiration. You could monitor changes in CO2 levels occurring in respiration of organisms from crickets to humans
• Conductivity Probe
• pH Sensor
• Salinity Sensor - Measures the total-dissolved salt content in water.
• Radiation Monitor

Sensor Applications

• Landslide Detection. Landslides pose a serious threat to some mountainous regions. The XOs can be used to monitor rainfall levels (via the Web, or using sensors) and students can alert the community when rain accumulation reaches dangerous levels. More ...

External Links

• USB Sensor Interface Schematic
• Sensor Options