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Search Results: What is a Phidget

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Spatial Guide

Spatial Guide

Phidget Spatials combine data from accelerometers, magneometers, and gyroscopes into one sensor. This guide explains how the sensors are combined using AHRS, what you can do with this data.

Guide
accelerometer
gyroscope
magnetometer
Specialized Sensor Series #3 – RFID

Specialized Sensor Series #3 – RFID

At Phidgets, we try to make a wide variety of sensors available to our customers. If we can’t make the sensor ourselves, we try to find a manufacturer so we can sell a third-party sensor to fill the gap. However, some types of sensors have such a niche market that it doesn’t make sense to sell them at a (relatively) small store like Phidgets. The purpose of this series of blog posts is to highlight a specific class of unique sensors and walk through what options are out there and which ones will work with your Phidgets devices.

Project
RFID
Specialized Sensor Series #2 – Water Quality Sensors

Specialized Sensor Series #2 – Water Quality Sensors

At Phidgets, we try to make a wide variety of sensors available to our customers. If we can’t make the sensor ourselves, we try to find a manufacturer so we can sell a third-party sensor to fill the gap. However, some types of sensors have such a niche market that it doesn’t make sense to sell them at a (relatively) small store like Phidgets. The purpose of this series of blog posts is to highlight a specific class of unique sensors and walk through what options are out there and which ones will work with your Phidgets devices.

Project
pH/ORP
thermocouple
LED Guide

LED Guide

Interested in controlling LEDs with Phidgets? Check out this guide for information about how to control LEDs, what interfaces to use, and more.

Guide
LED
Draw-Wire Sensor Guide

Draw-Wire Sensor Guide

What is a draw-wire sensor? Learn what a draw-wire sensor is, how they work, and how you can use them with Phidgets.

Guide
Load Cell Guide

Load Cell Guide

What is a load cell? Learn what a load cell is, how they work, and how you can use them with Phidgets.

Guide
load cell
Phidgets Smart Sprinker Controller with iOS - Part 2

Phidgets Smart Sprinker Controller with iOS - Part 2

Automate your lawn watering using Phidgets and iOS

Project
phidget SBC
relay
frequency input
Phidget Smoker Project #2: Dual Element Bradley Smoker (SmokerPI)

Phidget Smoker Project #2: Dual Element Bradley Smoker (SmokerPI)

This project is a continuation from the Phidget Smoker Project #1. We replaced the PC with a Raspberry PI, and built an enclosure for the hardware. We also installed a second burner in the Bradley smoker to help it keep up with the strenous Phidget smoking demands.

Project
raspberry pi
thermocouple
relay
Google Apps Script and Phidgets
Featured

Google Apps Script and Phidgets

Log data to a Google Sheet with Phidgets and JavaScript.

Project
JavaScript
Phidget22admin Guide
Featured

Phidget22admin Guide

A guide to the phidget22admin command line tool.

Guide
GPS Guide

GPS Guide

GPS uses satellite signals to pinpoint your location. Click here to learn more about GPS.

Guide
GPS
Selecting a Resistor for Your Power Guard

Selecting a Resistor for Your Power Guard

Learn how to select an external resistor for your power guard.

Guide
Power Guard Guide

Power Guard Guide

Learn about Power Guard Phidgets and when to use one.

Guide
USB Webcam Guide

USB Webcam Guide

The Phidget SBC can be upgraded with a webcam, making it useful for surveillance or computer vision.

Guide
phidget SBC
Solid State Relay Guide

Solid State Relay Guide

Interested in learning about solid state relays? This guide explains the basics: what solid state relays are, how solid state relays work, how to choose a solid state relay and more.

Guide
relay
RFID Guide

RFID Guide

Learn more about Phidget RFID interfaces here.

Guide
Failsafe Guide

Failsafe Guide

Learn how to add failsafe functionality to your application.

Guide
Linear Potentiometer Guide

Linear Potentiometer Guide

Get started with your Linear Potentiometer

Guide
What is VINT?

What is VINT?

VINT stands for Versatile Interface and it is the system that all modern Phidgets use to communicate.

Guide
T-Slot Guide

T-Slot Guide

Modular T-Slot is a strong, lightweight material that can be connected in many ways to make structures for mounting your linear or rotary system.

Guide
mechanical
Thermocouple Guide

Thermocouple Guide

Thermocouples let you measure a wide temperature range. This guide explains the basics: how thermocouples work, how to choose a thermocouple, how to connect a thermocouple and more.

Guide
thermocouple
temperature
Voltage Input Guide

Voltage Input Guide

A voltage input is a device that measure an analog signal between 0 and 5 volts DC. Check out this guide for more information.

Guide
voltage input
Voltage Ratio Input Guide

Voltage Ratio Input Guide

A voltage ratio input is used to read analog signals that range from 0 to 5 volts DC. Check out this guide for more information.

Guide
voltage ratio input
Load Cell Correction

Load Cell Correction

Squeezing every last bit of accuracy out of your load cells

Project
load cell
RTD
thermocouple
Integrating Phidgets with FileMaker

Integrating Phidgets with FileMaker

A quick guide showing how easy it is to get Phidgets up and running in business apps using 24U Software's FileMaker plugin.

Project
temperature
Long Range Wi-Fi

Long Range Wi-Fi

We tested how far you can push the range of Wi-Fi signals with commercially available components.

Project
phidget SBC
Using Phidgets with Unity

Using Phidgets with Unity

A demonstration of how to import the Phidget libraries into a Unity project and use a Phidget device to control in game behaviour.

Project
unity
Logging with Multiple Phidgets

Logging with Multiple Phidgets

Opening and recording data from several Phidget devices into a spreadsheet.

Project
programming principles
thermocouple
temperature
humidity
light
Dynamic Backlight with Phidgets

Dynamic Backlight with Phidgets

Making an adaptive backlight for your computer screen.

Project
relay
LED
infrared
Hex Walker First Steps

Hex Walker First Steps

Because who doesn't want a walking robot?

Project
servo motor
Brewing with Phidgets #1 - Brew Kettle

Brewing with Phidgets #1 - Brew Kettle

Using Phidgets to control and monitor an electric brew kettle.

Project
phidget SBC
LCD
RTD
mechanical
Sorting Coloured Beads

Sorting Coloured Beads

Using Phidgets with OpenCV to sort 22,000 Perler beads by colour.

Project
stepper motor
LED
magnetic
camera
Getting Started with Armbian

Getting Started with Armbian

Armbian on the PhidgetSBC4

Project
phidget SBC
Hack Your Halloween with Phidgets

Hack Your Halloween with Phidgets

Modify your Halloween decorations using Phidgets!

Project
phidget SBC
distance
relay
Pet Food Supply Monitor Using Load Cells and Phidgets - Part 1

Pet Food Supply Monitor Using Load Cells and Phidgets - Part 1

Get a text when your pet is out of food or water and log your pet's weight over time

Project
load cell
phidget SBC
Using libcurl To Send Email from an SBC

Using libcurl To Send Email from an SBC

Setting up libcurl to send emails from an SBC

Project
phidget SBC
Specialized Sensor Series #1 – Flow Sensors

Specialized Sensor Series #1 – Flow Sensors

At Phidgets, we try to make a wide variety of sensors available to our customers. If we can’t make the sensor ourselves, we try to find a manufacturer so we can sell a third-party sensor to fill the gap. However, some types of sensors have such a niche market that it doesn’t make sense to sell them at a (relatively) small store like Phidgets.

Project
4-20mA
frequency input
How the RoboDose uses Phidgets to Safely Deliver Medication

How the RoboDose uses Phidgets to Safely Deliver Medication

Earlier this year, a group of high school students from Walker Career Center in Indianapolis competed in Phoenix Contact's Nanoline contest. They call themselves the Nano Consultants, and their vision was to build a device that would dispense proper dosages of medications to patients prone to forgetting their medication. They call it the RoboDose.

Project
phidget SBC
RFID
load cell
Five Creative Ways to use RFID

Five Creative Ways to use RFID

Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) is a useful and affordable way to create interaction. The Phidgets RFID reader offers solutions in near-field applications, allowing tags to be detected within a few centimeters.

Project
RFID
How to Give Your Phidgets a Custom Label

How to Give Your Phidgets a Custom Label

At first glance, the device label property looks simple and maybe even dismissible. If you noticed it at all, you may have even wondered why it’s there, but be assured, there are some really neat things that you can do with it. You can hold device-specific flags, differentiate between multiple Phidgets by giving them meaningful names, or give them custom serial numbers.

Project
programming principles
Weatherproofing Phidgets

Weatherproofing Phidgets

There are many instances where Phidgets might get stuck outdoors: weather stations, RC vehicles (quadcopters, underwater vehicles, robots, etc), outdoor installations, and applications we haven't imagined yet. Some specific examples of Phidgets in the outdoors are a giant drum machine, a sky temperature scanner and precision agricultural monitors

Project
How to Log to USB Flash Drives from the SBC

How to Log to USB Flash Drives from the SBC

There are quite a few users making their Phidget SBCs do data acquisition, and perhaps this is the plan you have for yours. Depending on how much data you want to collect, and because of limited space on the SBC itself, you’ll probably end up using something like a USB drive to store your data logs. It’s really easy to set up, but there are a couple gotchas that you might want to consider before writing your program, so let’s go over them and talk about the basics of logging to the USB flash drive from the SBC.

Project
phidget SBC
How To Calibrate Phidgets Sensors

How To Calibrate Phidgets Sensors

When using certain sensors and devices, you'll need to do some calibration to ensure accurate measurements. For some sensors, you'll probably want to do your own calibration but some Phidgets sensors will have calibration values written on the back of the board (like the light sensors)

Project
Interactive Garden Project

Interactive Garden Project

It begins as a grand idea. A flowering archway welcomes you onto a curving pathway. Fields of grass alight around your ankles, towering trees sing above your head and benches respond to your pressure, colouring a digital sky complete with a custom soundtrack. The landscape would take up a mere 1000 square feet.

Project
An application guide on DC Motors - PID Control

An application guide on DC Motors - PID Control

Since DC motors can ordinarily only be told how fast to go you need to program a control system. First, you need a motor that has a feedback device such as an encoder.

Project
DC motor
Linear Actuator - Velocity Control

Linear Actuator - Velocity Control

Since DC motors can ordinarily only be told how fast to go you need to program a control system. First, you need a motor that has a feedback device such as a potentiometer

Project
DC motor
MURVV: Building a Mobile Robot with Phidgets

MURVV: Building a Mobile Robot with Phidgets

This project uses the SBC as a functional brain for a mobile collection of Phidgets in the form of a wheeled robot.

Project
phidget SBC
accelerometer
gyroscope
magnetometer
DC motor
Weather Station with Phidgets

Weather Station with Phidgets

The project described here is a simple weather station that measures air temperature, humidity, and surface temperature of the ground below the weather station.

Project
phidget SBC
temperature
light
humidity
digital output
LED
Linear Encoder Guide

Linear Encoder Guide

Get started with your Linear Encoder here.

Guide
Asynchronous Methods

Asynchronous Methods

This guide provides information about asynchronous methods with Phidget22.

Guide
Accelerometer Guide

Accelerometer Guide

Discover the basics of accelerometers with this guide. Learn what accelerometers measure, what the measurements mean, how to choose an accelerometer, and more.

Guide
accelerometer
Cable Length Calculator Guide

Cable Length Calculator Guide

Second generation VINT devices can now extend up to 50 meters from a VINT Hub. Learn more here.

Guide
Analog Input Guide

Analog Input Guide

Analog sensors generally output a voltage between 0 and 5 Volts DC. This guide will get you up to speed on how to use this type of sensor in your next project.

Guide
voltage input
voltage ratio input
How to Run Sensor Cables Through USB Cables

How to Run Sensor Cables Through USB Cables

You might have noticed that sensor cables don’t come in a convenient round shape, which you sometimes need. A relatively easy solution is to grab a length of USB cable and solder the sensor cable wires onto the USB wires, and here are some easy instructions to get it working:

Project
cables
How To Avoid Grounding a Thermocouple

How To Avoid Grounding a Thermocouple

If you’ve never seen a thermocouple before, you might think it’s just a cable with some wires inside. Well, it is, in way, but it’s really a tool for measuring extreme temperatures far outside the range of many other types of temperature sensors. A thermocouple has two different conductors that produce a voltage. The voltage is proportional to the temperature difference between either end of the pair of conductor

Project
thermocouple
Stepper Motor and Controller Guide

Stepper Motor and Controller Guide

Learn about stepper motors and stepper motor controllers in this guide, including how stepper motors work, how to choose a stepper motor, types of stepper motors, and more.

Guide
stepper motor
Encoder Guide

Encoder Guide

Encoders measure the movement of mechanical parts. This guide discusses how encoders work, encoder interfaces, types of encoders, and more.

Guide
encoder
PH/ORP Sensor Guide

PH/ORP Sensor Guide

Learn about pH and ORP in this guide, including: how pH/ORP probes work, how to interface with pH/ORP probes, how to care for probes, and more.

Guide
pH/ORP
Linear Motion Guide

Linear Motion Guide

Linear systems involve mechanical parts sliding along a track, often driven by ball screws, chain, or belts. Learn the basics about linear motion here.

Guide
Making a Chain Counter

Making a Chain Counter

Our shipping department wanted an easy way to measure lengths of chain for customer orders.

Project
encoder
mechanical
phidget SBC
LED
LCD
IR Remote Control Guide

IR Remote Control Guide

Programmable Infrared (IR) remotes can learn to mimic IR signals from your remote-controlled home appliances. Check out this guide for more information.

Guide
infrared
Servo Motor and Controller Guide

Servo Motor and Controller Guide

Learn about servo motors and servo motor controllers in this guide, including: how servo motors work, how to choose a servo motor, types of servo motors, and more.

Guide
servo motor