Physics experiments with Arduino and Raspberry Pi

[hagopbul]

TL;DR

Asking about what is needed to be reviewed before building a physics experiment

Hello All:

I am reviewing my physics courses and looking into building few physics experiments , to pass time into something useful

I will use arduino and raspberry pi

Any recommendations on what to read in the field of electronics before setting up experiments

Best Regards
Hagop

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

During covid I played with breadboard circuits using a raspberry pi. Very basic, but tons of fun. Do you have any ideas off hand? Are you using Python?

 

[hagopbul]

1st examples, used c (arduino), would python work with arduino also or only raspberry pi

 

[jrmichler]

You will need to measure stuff and get those measurements into your computer. Several years ago, I did some experimenting with an EnviroDIY Mayfly arduino board: https://www.envirodiy.org/shop/. That board has, among other features, an A/D converter built in. A good place to start is their forum: https://www.envirodiy.org/forums/

Example 1: Temperature measurement. A sketch that I made at the time for a particular thermistor is shown below. The resistor value is chosen to make the voltage vs temperature curve as linear as possible. Study materials include thermistor response curves, thermistor response time constant, A/D resolution, supply voltage regulation.

Example 2: If you want to measure force or pressure, you will need to learn strain gauges and strain gauge signal conditioners. One low cost strain gauge signal conditioner is the Sparkfun HX711: https://www.sparkfun.com/sparkfun-load-cell-amplifier-hx711.html. A basic introduction to strain gauges from Micro-Measurements: https://www.micro-measurements.com/what-is-a-strain-gage. They are a high end manufacturer of strain gauges and have a lot of good information in their site. I do not know of a good source for low cost hobby strain gauges. Study Wheatstone bridge, half bridge, and quarter bridge circuits.

Example 3: Sensor impedance. I learned the hard way that any sensor must have input impedance less than 30K ohms. Thermistor and strain gauge circuits almost always meet this spec, but I was trying to measure battery voltage with a resistor voltage divider with resistance too large in order to minimize power consumption. This is actually a good place to start. Measure your battery voltage using a separate voltage divider and output the results. Are the readings sensitive to ambient temperatures?

 

[sandy stone]

You might want to check out the Sparkfun website, it's pretty much hobbyist heaven. They have an amazing assortment of microprocessor boards, sensors, and actuators, all with tutorials. Worth a look.

 

[robphy]

possibly useful:

https://www.instructables.com/Arduino-Ideas-Physics/
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0,24&q=physics+arduino+projects&btnG=