The MMA7455 accelerometer is a fairly low cost sensor that can measure acceleration in three axes. This sensor is commonly available as a breakout board that you can connect to your Arduino. It only requires VCC, GND , SCA and SCL to be connected.
The wiring diagram is underneath but here is the picture of the sensor breakout we bought which is available from many sources.
Schematic/Layout
Code
You will need a copy of the MMA_7455 library to make your life easier. Download and copy to your Arduino -> Libraries folder
This example simply displays the X, Y and Z axes settings in the serial monitor
#include <Wire.h> //Include the Wire library
#include <MMA_7455.h> //Include the MMA_7455 library
MMA_7455 mySensor = MMA_7455();
char xVal, yVal, zVal;
void setup()
{
Serial.begin(9600);
delay(500);
Serial.println(“MMA7455 Accelerometer Test.”);
mySensor.initSensitivity(2);
}
void loop()
{
xVal = mySensor.readAxis(‘x’); //Read the ‘x’ Axis
yVal = mySensor.readAxis(‘y’); //Read the ‘y’ Axis
zVal = mySensor.readAxis(‘z’); //Read the ‘z’ Axis
Serial.print(“X = “);
Serial.print(xVal, DEC);
Serial.print(” Y = “);
Serial.print(yVal, DEC);
Serial.print(” Z = “);
Serial.println(zVal, DEC);
delay(1000);
}
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