Today we will be building an Inclinometer using 4 of our boards that will effectively demonstrate the basic functionality of the 7 segment and accelerometer shields. This fun little demo will tell us the angle of the board in respect to gravity. Now that you know whats up, lets get started!

Step 1: Setup

To kick things off, you will need the boards and the software. in order for the software to work properly, we need to add two libraries for anyone who does not wish to use the Codebender example. For any questions about installing/downloading libraries, check the link here. The proper drivers must also be installed to detect the COM ports. These drivers must be installed before downloading any codes from the codebender plugin. The drivers needed can be found here.

Materials

TinyDuino Processor : link
TinyShield 7 Segment Display: link
TinyShield Accelerometer: link
TinyShield USB: link
3.3 or 5V power source

A TinyDuino Processor using a coin cell battery would be sufficient for this project. In this example a 3.3V battery was used with a JST SH 2 pin male connector.

Step 2: Assembly

Now that we are all squared away with the materials and downloads, lets move on to the hardest part: the assembly. Grab your four boards and get ready for some serious instructions...Ready? Stack the boards together and plug in the USB cord. Due to the amount of difficulty the assembly requires, it would be completely understandable if this step took anywhere from 10 to 15 minuets.

Step 3: Programming the Boards

Ok, we got through the assembly, time to move on to the actual code we will be uploading to the TinyDuino. First things first, we need to include Wire.h, BMA250.h, and Tiny7Seg.h. The code below can be downloaded to your computer or directly uploaded to your TinyDuino.

Step 4: Let the Magic Happen!

We got the board assembled and programmed, so lets watch it work! If you have the TinyDuino with the coin cell battery or a 3.3V to 5V battery with a JST SH 2 pin male connector, the Inclinometer will be able to run on its own. If you don't have any batteries hooked up, that's fine too! It will work just fine while plugged in with the USB, you will just have a limited range of mobility. With all that said and done, we now have a fully operational Inclinometer!