Designing a simple vibration sensor

GitHub page: github.com/npiegdon/ShakeFinder
David Houlding's blog: davidhoulding.blogspot.com/20...
00:00 Intro
00:33 The Problem
00:56 Idea
01:41 Piezo Discs
02:59 Peak Voltage
04:35 Surface Coupling
05:36 Amplifying
07:05 Real-world Op-amps
08:33 Pulse Generation
09:44 Open-Drain Output
11:31 Board Layout
13:35 Board Assembly
14:46 Testing
15:11 Sensor Case
15:48 Final Assembly
16:19 Wrap-up

[@NicholasPiegdon]

I'm still trying to figure out what to do with this channel. Making something with this much animation and synchronized video clips took ages but I'm happy with how it turned out. Please let me know if this is interesting, if it's too much (or too little!) detail, or what sorts of things you might be interested in hearing about from me. Thanks!

[@banknote501]

The amount of detail was just right. In principle I could design such a circuit myself, but the selection of the actual components and resistor values and so on always takes a lot of time. So I really appreciate that you showed the selection process and gave a reason for why you chose each component. And releasing everything as open source is a great move.

[@ducembarr7057]

I rarely comment, but I owe you a thank you on this, you definitely got that pleasant charismatic way of describing details!

[@GamingKeenBeaner]

I am a busy person and I was just going to skip through the video, but instead ended up watching it all. You must be doing something right.

[@ManSkirtBrew]

Really well done. Held my attention the whole time, and I think pacing was just right. One of the very few videos where I watched the whole thing without turning on 1.5x speed. Subscribed!

It's my first time on your channel, but you just got yourself a new subscriber! It was a fantastic little project which was really nicely presented, so everything was super clear to understand. Keep it up, man!

[@ObviouslyGuitarMen]

I love engineers because theyll legitimately design a whole sensor from scratch to turn the machine on and off instead of just securely mounting the device to something heavy on concrete

[@NicholasPiegdon]

Man... I don't want to scan all of this in my basement. This machine is soo slow! 🤣

[@EmmaHopman]

The real value here is this beautiful educational content​@@NicholasPiegdon

[@UnitSe7en]

Or he could have just used an off-the-shelf MEMS package(!)

[@NicholasPiegdon]

@@UnitSe7en That would be trickier in software and my microcontroller is already busy doing other things. (Someone already covered the pros and cons here: forums.kinograph.cc/t/shakefinder-a-vibration-sensor-for-stop-motion-scanners/2761/7 ) The solution in the video gives exactly the signal I want plus it was fun to build and I learned a lot.

[@erikb3799]

It looks like a good project and an efficient solution that had a high chance of success. The other option that comes to mind is vibration dampening methods, but those could be tricky for the type of system you're using.

[@arvindh4327]

Now this is a real-world problem solving with better explanation than a college

[@olivertews6888]

so true

[@mohsinhijazee2008]

The weight, the platform, the knobs, the LED and the proper connectors.The attention to doing things properly is really amazing. I think this detector alone could be a standalone part/product.

[@ariahorak]

I literally never write comments but you deserve some praise, I watched through the ENTIRE thing and you made all of your points so abundantly clear it was INSANE. I was in shock when I scrolled down to see, what, 4 comments and 1k subscribers? I wish you the best! Please, more little easily integrable projects like this

[@gunsmoke132]

+1 on this. I'm an electrical engineering student. None of my professors have been so clear and intuitive.

[@firstnamelastname-or4sn]

I thought the same thing, great video quality, clear walkthough, i thought it must be a bigger chanel

[@nikolaanicic3944]

As an electrical engineer, this video does a tremendous job showing off various aspects of the craft in an easy to follow format. Amazing work!

[@luisclovis09]

Being fresh from all those electronics class and watch a video that covers all these subjects feel like a joy to see them in practice in such a simple and problem solving way.

[@David-yp7bk]

Honest to god, this video has gave me back the courage to continue my studies as an EE. Really amazing video, please keep up the good work, KZbin needs more channels like this!

[@tullgutten]

Put the whole contraption on a spring uncoupling table. A heavy slab floating over the table on some soft springs

[@ciano5475]

And on a concrete floor

[@U2VidWVz]

For a channel with only 5 videos, your production quality and cadence were great. It feels like the result of many years of experience producing educational content. Keep up the good work and best of luck to you!

[@dalenassar9152]

GREAT VIDEO!!! When I saw the title, my first thought was, He's gonna use an accelerometer, secondly, a piezo device. The video was of MUCH higher quality than I expected...I related to it instantly from decades of design and PCB-making. The video had much more value, in addition to design of a device. THANKS MUCH!!!....thumbs up and a sub. --dalE

[@viljar1112]

This is one of the best made DIY electronics videos I have seen. Dude, you have got the talent for videos like this. The amount of information was not too much to get boring yet enough to keep me interested and watching. You have found a good balance - great video! Keep doing these type of videos and you WILL grow big.

[@Toon444]

As someone who is studying electrical engineering (first year) this video was sooo incredibly fun and interesting to watch. It's really satisfying to see the whole process from the idea to the finished product. And I love the intuitive problem-solution based approach to explaining the electronics! Thanks a lot!

[@mic08242000]

This is probably the best electronics video I've ever seen. As a student in electronic engineering it always give me so much anxiety picking parts, the part where you explain how to select an OP Amp is outstanding!

[@seanlambie3425]

The amount of followers and subs does not make justice to this channel's quality, nor the engineering behind it. Simply put: Brilliant! Writing to hopefully bump something in the algorythm.

[@SoloRenegade]

I love how you actually highlight, color, and label the various parts of the circuits to explain easily why they exist in teh circuit at all. this is the superior method of teaching circuits compared to anything I've seen thus far. Please keep doing this. It will prove incredibly valuable to people learning.

[@zokalyx]

yes! we have the technology to do these things EASILY yet we stick to old slides with screenshots from textbooks.

[@hero_triple3796]

As someone studing all this electronic problem and component, this made my day

[@aldrickpeter]

I am a student studying electronics, this video really helpful. Please, make more videos like this

[@steved.1698]

What a video. I genuinely wish this was part of every circuits class. Turning theory into practice and in such an easy to understand format. Wow. What a great video. I'm definitely sharing this!

[@CptBouchard]

This is a fantastic and well-thought-out project. I like that you explained your whole thought process instead of dumping SMD parts on board without explaining why, as most electronic channels do. This was really refreshing. Please keep making more of these!

[@bradengelhardt7300]

You did an amazing job explaining each step of the process of designing and problem solving. You must be a teacher. I particularly liked the diagram in the upper right that kept growing as you addressed each incremental challenge. Great job! I would watch more.

[@fqidz]

Seeing the actual electric signals and all the circuit diagrams make it so much interesting and cool to watch. Please make more of these types of videos.

[@sandwich5344]

Please, more of this - Embedded systems (hardware especially) needs more love, both in the field- as well as at home ;) Was a sweet watch, signed myself up for more. Thank you from NLD - Jr. embedded systems engineer

[@LucasRamog]

Must be an educator, this video is just too good. Hope we get to see more of this electronics projects. Definetly subbing, thanks.

[@Chrisazy]

Like everyone is saying, this is a standout video. Real Ben Eater vibes hahaha. Continue educating man, this is terrific

[@mokoepa]

He is to electronics what Ben Eater is to Computer Science This is some proper stuff right here

[@TheHorseOutside]

I'm absolutely in love with how precise and compact everything you did was, I've got literally no experience with anything you were doing here and I was able to understand every word.

[@Paxmax]

Amazing sensitivity outta bone stock components, nice. I also quickly discovered how many ways there are to solve the same problem! The 'beyond negative' rail problem could have been avoided by simply having the non-signal leg of the piezo resting on a vcc-to-gnd resistive divider, essentially lifting it 1V or so above gnd, that would enable more op-amps to be used, you will also approach the middle of the op-amp work range for better everything regarding op-amp'ery. Still it was a great experience following your train of thoughts.

[@Erik-pt2yw]

I love when people share their designs just because someone might need it, humanity feels good again

[@Celubad]

As someone who's getting into circuit / PCB design in the past half a year, I appreciate this video so much! You rarely see someone explain the real world problems you encountered or anticipated AND their solutions with such clarity. Thank you!

[@skecpg]

you make circuit design sound way less scary, the video is really good, thanks ! Now I want the desk toy...

[@elijahparker1789]

I watch a lot of videos of people making cool projects, but I rarely feel the need to comment. This was awesome start to finish.

[@romancharak3675]

How neat ! I made a vibration sensor also, but not nearly as sensitive as yours. It is just a 3 cm bare wire in parallel with a narrow strip of copper board, with the wire running approximately 0.5 cm away from the board. It works very nicely with a PIC microcontroller being woken from sleep with the change on the input pin. Thank you for showing us your design !

[@morgusborgus]

Man, I feel like you would be a great professor

[@The_Unflushable]

Honestly Nicholas, I'm completely in the dark about anything electro engineering or computing related. Yet I enjoyed this video a lot, feels like I might've even learned something. Thanks!

[@YashBudhiraja]

I'm 1.5 years deep into my Electrical Engineering Bachelor's and this video has given me a more intuitive understanding of how circuit components work than any of my courses lol

[@KaveendraVithana]

Best electronics video I saw after the Ben Eater's 👍, the logical reasoning and the thought process goes into the breadboard is simply gorgeous.

[@malinhiles]

I can’t remember the last time I learned this much in a KZbin video. So helpful!

[@soft-alloy2495]

this is a really nice project and a really nice circuit. I have one thing to add if one wanted both the negative and positive peaks of the piezo you could ac couple it into the opamp with a series capacitor and two resistors going to positive and ground rails to dc bias the signal. As you said though not super necessary for this project but it would allow a wider selection of opamps.

[@FrozenSteelLP]

Only 3k subs? I thought I was watching like a 400k channel. This is a really good, very entertaining, high-quality video. It really shows you've put a lot of effort into it. You got a new sub for sure and I'm looking forward for more.

[@diterex]

Can I give you a high five? There's so much here that I'm learning and still trying to unpack!

[@Aklidien]

Hey Nicholas! First - thank you, thank you, thank you for such am unbelievably detailed and thought-out video. I went back over this video three times, and I can't believe how much information you packed into less than a couple dozen minutes. Then I went back through your other four, and I was amazed at how succinct and effective you were at explaining each of your projects. You remind me of another KZbinr I found 8 years ago, who uplifted my entire career path, just by explaining my interests in such an effective manner. Second - you mention "I'm still trying to figure out what to do with this channel." As someone who is walking down the learning path of becoming a "maker", I can say that you are exactly the kind of person who I would like to learn from. Your videos every couple of years will be amazing to learn from, but I feel that one really fruitful path would be to get yourself and your thoughts out there at a more regular cadence. Even if it's just a video of your thoughts about how to tackle a project, I'm sure every one of your viewers would love to learn from how you think and how you tackle the work that you do. Just a few video topics that I would love and that come to mind are: "Here is my current electronics & 3D printing workshop, and here are the things that I am tinkering with", "Here is a face-to-face chat / Q&A of this part of my project (e.x. why you scanned each film frame with RGB, how you set up your film pulley system, the work you did on the camera aperture devices, how you set up your extruded aluminum framing, etc.)", "Here are some things I've realized could be done, but I that I don't have time to complete." I feel that just by hearing more of your day-to-day thought process, a lot of people like me can learn more in their path towards understanding 3D printing and electronics. Third - thank you, again. You have exactly the kind of experience and teaching capacity that can help others learn well. I really, really appreciate all the work that you put into each and every one of your videos.

[@jn-husch]

This is an excellent video about that cool little circuit you designed! Very nice to see the design process from an idea to a finished board! Would also be cool to learn more about your film scanner!

[@jmhpt]

You have a great talent for didactics - and a great voice to convey it all. Absolutely bewildering to see only like 3.5k subs...

[@harrydudley-bestow5222]

AC coupling the input would prevent the signal from going below ground here. In your situation it seems ok as you indicated you didn't want any DC voltages anyway

[@AltoXn]

I was just about to go to bed when youtube recommended this video, I was just gonna watch the start to see what it was about but the excellent structure, narration and production quality had me glued me to the screen through to the end. Great job, earned a subscribe

[@satibel]

couple notes to make it easier and doable with all through hole: you can use a double op-amp like a TL072 and make a virtual ground at 2.5V or whatever and then just subtract the voltage on the output. (in that case you could probably just use a single op amp and offset the ground with a diode and add a diode in the feedback to have a clean 0-5V output.) then for the 555 you can use an extra capacitor + resistor in parallel on the output before the transistor so it keeps it active for a bit longer and cleans up the signal. also you probably don't need a clamping diode for the negative and can just use a diode for the positive. note that this is off the top of my head and would probably need some work.

[@KyleDB150]

As a vibration engineer who relies on piezoelectric accelerometers while knowing nothing about electronics, seeing what's involved in making the black box people call "signal conditioning" is really educational! Thanks!

[@Scrogan]

To avoid the op amp issues, I’d have tied the piezo to Vcc/2 instead of ground. Use a dual op-amp IC and you get to buffer a 50/50 voltage divider for free with your spare op-amp. Thanks to the signal being nowhere near the rails, you could get away with a non-rrio op-amp like an LM358, though having a wider output range would be handy. Being able to use 3.3V on all your parts would also be pretty handy. As for the 555, I believe you can make both conventional and retriggerable monostable circuits, depending on whether you use the trigger/threshold pins, or whether you use reset as the input instead. Putting a Schmitt buffer between the amplifier and the latch might be a nice feature, that’s also something you can make with a spare op-amp if it can handle being used with positive feedback.

[@danny_racho]

I went immediately to the comments to check if someone suggested the approach with the Schmitt buffer. It just solves it much more eloquently

[@Huntracony]

Fascinating video! I hope you'll continue making them.

[@picb]

Loved the way you stepped through your design process. Great work, hope the scans turn out great!

[@clayellis7853]

I don't comment on videos often, but this one deserves the praise! Thank you for the thorough explanations at every step. One of the best project videos I've seen in a while. Really hope to see more from you in the future.

[@jamesbarret4240]

This video is amazing. So good to see you come back to this channel. Looking forward to more in the future

[@tablatronix]

Awesome video, clean concise walkthrough of all challenges,ideas.

[@tranxn7971]

Explanations are really good. I loved that you went through all steps describing issues you encountered. Really nice video.

[@user-xw1ko8kc4v]

This is simply awesome. This is the most detailed circuit explanation I have ever seen.

[@jmcbike]

Maybe use a Schottky diode for clipping the reverse voltage? For detecting the pulse, use the Arduino interrupt, it comes in handy. It interrupts anywhere the program is executing without disrupting program flow, could save a flag that a vibration occurred, then the program runs until code checks and clears the flag. You could establish time limits, then output if vibration detected in those limits.

[@NicholasPiegdon]

The Schottky diode is a good idea. That opens up the choice of op-amp quite a bit. And I agree that an interrupt (with a single volatile bool assignment in the ISR) is definitely the way to go. The sample code in the GitHub repo shows how to use it in the clear-the-flag/do-a-thing/check-the-flag way you described. That way you can be sure you didn't miss any events.

[@AlbertDongler]

Very nicely done! And, thank you for sharing the design with us 😊

[@BasementBear]

The best videos spark ideas and understanding beyond what the video is about, and after this one my head is buzzing with possibilities. Amazing stuff! 👍🐻

[@bdzack2226]

Awesome video! Wish you can continue to share your curent project to the world!

[@dadbrad852]

Excellent visuals, well executed and explained. Thank you for this level of production.

[@Rustysporkman]

Very cool project, and exceptionally clear and interesting explanations!

[@nidefawl2552]

I like your editing and storytelling style. Keep it coming man!

[@filippocld]

Wow, the quality of this video is phenomenal! Everything was explained perfectly. Definitely curious what this channel could bring next

[@rizalardiansyah4486]

Interesting project! I love the way you explained every single decision you made. Knowledge has been shared!

[@HypnosisDr]

Realy great Video! I love the animation and the narration style a lot. And I love the internet for giving creators the opportunity to share such videos.

[@sherwinbalugo2143]

Hey Nicholas! Amazing work! This is the first video I have I seen of yours and learned a lot from this.

[@aylanj123]

I don't even know what I'm doing here because this isn't useful for me right now, but I love it!

[@guillermobeldagarcia5429]

As an electronic engineering student Im so excited to know about the existence of this channel

[@kerbaman5125]

Seeing the thought process was very inspiring, great content!

[@calebpeterson5719]

Wow this was exceptionally well done! Awesome job putting this together. Your content is great.

[@jamesvaughan748]

This is an incredible video and you made the design process really clear and accessible.

[@Tommy-tx4dx]

I really enjoyed your video! I would gladly watch more videos of yours like this one!

[@markmaker2488]

It's inspiring to see such creativity in problem-solving, opting to craft a unique solution rather than relying on off-the-shelf components like accelerometers. Subscription earned.

[@JustAnotherBigby]

Wow. Great job on the surface mount photography.

[@deepstonecrypt]

superb video editing for a channel this size! Keep it up mate!

[@mikal_1]

extremely well presented! can't wait for your next project

[@Pindrop22]

That was superb! Well explained and enjoyable

[@clownhands]

This is a really great video - you’ve got a gift man. Please share more!

[@1dolar1note1]

Such a cleanly made solution, glad it popped up in my feed

[@michaelclark9319]

This video is incredibly well made and you very skillfully pieced together the process and kept me hopelessly engaged throughout the video! Thank you for the content and I hope to see more videos from you in the future!

[@Tim_The_Dim]

Amazing and very easy to follow vid! Hope you keep it up!

[@FlakeSE]

Great video. Explains what each thing does in a clear and understandable manner.

[@pablodiazsainz2367]

The final product is beautiful!

[@EchoBuildsThings]

This made electronics look less like magic and more like something I could do myself. I need to learn more about the specifics on how this works now!

[@thefrub]

You have an incredible talent for clearly presenting information

[@leonardoachaboiano8252]

Great inspiration! The detailed engineering process and clear explanations are outstanding examples of how to do it right!

[@LTAlter8]

Awesome video, would love to see more like this.

[@alpersaritas]

Just enough motivation to start my own engineering channel, great!

[@shrub4248]

this is one of the best videos on electronics design I've seen

[@stephendasilvamadeira2749]

Lovely video. Amazing to see the step by step engineering of this thing, and such an amazing end design! You made an outstanding work!

[@kevinknutson4596]

I had a family member doing old film scanning recently and this is exactly what they needed! Love the walk through of the design process and it looks like it turned out great

[@loliousmaximus]

Nice video mate. This was very interesting - the breakdown of the full engineering process and explaining each part of the circuit as it popped into relevance was a great learning experience.

[@unforgivn81]

First video of yours I've seen, and you earned yourself an immediate sub, sir.

[@TheRFabian]

This is really cool, hope to see more stuff from you

[@Gabriel-cf3bw]

i know nothing about PCB and all my knowledge in eletronic is U=R*I, but i loved watch you do this

[@gortnewton4765]

Superb job. Loved this. Excellent video too.

[@WAURO1]

This is such a great project, it brought back so many memories from when I was on the analog labs in uni!

[@AuratticStride]

This is such a cool video! Having a niche problem and showing how it can be solved with basic circuit skills

[@billyjoe3309]

Keep the cool projects coming. You are obviously a very smart guy. The channel will grow!

[@tomking6006]

This is an absolutely perfect example of top-tier educational videomaking. Thanks for sharing!