[chuck-users] USB Accelerometer

[Les Hall]

Good news, friends!  I have received a working prototype of the USB 
Accelerometer that I told you all about a couple of times in recent 
months, and initial testing indicates that it is working perfectly.  
This device is about the size of two postage stamps.  It comes with a 
five-foot (I think?) USB cable and a small wire harness that attaches 
to a right-angle header.  The header allows the device to be programmed 
to receive button and potentiometer inputs as well as slow Analog and 
Digital inputs.  It can also drive LEDs, though ChucK does not drive 
joystick LEDs yet.

Oh yes, and it looks like an ordinary joystick so the programming 
interface is joy-fully easy to do in ChucK.  The accelerometer is the 
same ADXL330 that is in the WiiMote and the ADC has enough resolution 
to read it accurately down to the noise floor of the device, so it is 
plenty sensitive.

Sounds like a commercial?  Yeah, well I'm excited about it - this 
thingamajig is the product of several months of work.  I had made all 
the plans to DIY such a beast when I approached the company Ultimarc 
and suggested they might want to add it to their product line.  To my 
amazement, Andy at ultimarc said he'd like to do just that!  I was so 
excited then, and now it's sitting on my desk awaiting further testing!

If you want to get a feel for the device, you can look up the U-HID 
nano on the Ultimarc web site, which is www.ultimarc.com.  Just click 
on U-HID and then look for the baby brother of the U-HID, the U-HID 
nano.  Our product is the U-HID nano complete with expansion port and 
with an accelerometer squeezed onto the little board (well, a tiny bit 
bigger).  You can also email Andy about it, his email address is 
andy at ultimarc.com.

Just one more step forward on this fun and wild adventure that we call 
ChucK!

Les
(Inventor)