Make A G Meter using Arduino

I have a late 80’s VW and the gauge cluster has 5 dummy LED locations underneath the other warning lights.  Well I was tired of the m not doing anything, so I decided to do something about it.  I came up with the idea to put a lateral gravitational force mater (G Meter)  in there place

G Meter

Step 1:

Gather up the needed supplies

If you wish to use your Arduino:

1- Arduino
5- RedGrenBlue LEDs (Mine are common anode)
1- Project box (if you don’t want it in your dash)
1- 9v Battery
1- Accelerometer (I used ADXL 335 from Adafruit)   http://www.adafruit.com/products/163
1- piece of Perf board
5- Resistors 1K ohm
5- Resistors 500 ohm
And some small wires for jumpers.

All parts needed if you wish to make it standalone:

1 -Circuit Board
1- ATmega168/328
1- 28 Pin socket
5- RGB LEDs (Mine were common anode)
5-Resistors 1K ohm
5-Resistors 500 ohm
1- 16MHZ Resonator
1- 104 cap
1- 10uf cap
1- 3.3v rg. (LM1117T)
1- ribbon cable
1- header connectors
1- Acceleromoter
1- 9v Batt. Connector

Here is the picture of the wiring needed for a breadboard setup.
The orange wires hook to the 500 ohm resistors and then hook to the RED LED cathode.
The Green wires hook to 1kohm resistor the hook to the GREEN LED cathode.
The common anode is hooked to +3.3v
X axis output of ADXL335 goes to PIN 0  (Picture is slightly different)
+3.3v and Gnd are hooked to power and ground pins of ADXL335
The AREF pin on the Arduino is hooked to +3.3v

G Meter

Step 2:

Because I used COMMON ANODE LEDs:”digitalWrite(led1G, HIGH);”    turns the LEDs to OFF not ON.
If you use common cathode you will need to change the code.If you wish to change the pin number just change the beginning of the code:

int led1G = 2;
int led1R = 3;
int led2G = 4;
int led2R = 5;
int led3G = 6;
int led3R = 7;
int led4G = 8;
int led4R = 9;
int led5G = 10;
int led5R = 11;
int X_AXIS = 0;

 


About The Author

Ibrar Ayyub

I am an experienced technical writer holding a Master's degree in computer science from BZU Multan, Pakistan University. With a background spanning various industries, particularly in home automation and engineering, I have honed my skills in crafting clear and concise content. Proficient in leveraging infographics and diagrams, I strive to simplify complex concepts for readers. My strength lies in thorough research and presenting information in a structured and logical format.

Follow Us:
LinkedinTwitter

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top