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I've been looking around to see if there's a relatively cheap (around £5) accelerometer / tilt sensor in a DIP package for prototyping. Breakout boards exist for the ADXL335 but seem to be comparatively expensive.

Does such a device exist?

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I don't think I've ever seen an accelerometer in a DIP package. \$\endgroup\$ Apr 20, 2012 at 15:33
  • \$\begingroup\$ Hard to say; and harder to find both DIP and cheap I guess \$\endgroup\$
    – clabacchio
    Apr 20, 2012 at 15:36
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    \$\begingroup\$ I think a breakout board will probably be your best bet. I didn't see any that cheap in my brief look, but there were some that were only cost a bit more. \$\endgroup\$
    – bjthom
    Apr 20, 2012 at 15:47
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    \$\begingroup\$ I haven't seen this in DIP either, and I don't expect it's out there because the volume would be basically zero. "DIP" and "cheap" together doesn't make much sense either, neither does wanting such a thing in DIP. \$\endgroup\$ Apr 20, 2012 at 16:21
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    \$\begingroup\$ I'll add my vote to "Hard to find in DIP. Go with SMT on breakout board." Motorola used to make accelerometers in DIP. (It was before Motorola Semiconductors became Freescale, which gives an idea how long ago it was.) The only accelerometer from that family I can find today is MMA1201P. It's a high-g accelerometer for automotive air bag systems. I don't think that's what you're looking for. \$\endgroup\$ Apr 20, 2012 at 18:08

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Well I presume you want a DIP for rapid prototyping needs and you can't work with SMDs, So check out sparkfun's tutorial they have a very comprehensive list! http://www.sparkfun.com/tutorials/167 (many are outdated though)

The cheapest one I could find is this : http://www.sparkfun.com/products/10955

I'm not sure if you want a tilt sensor or an accelerometer, if you just need to differentiate between two discrete positions, you might do well with a mercury/ball tilt sensor : http://www.adafruit.com/products/173
Pros:Cheap and easy to use/interface.
Cons: its a binary output, acts like a switch.

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I took a look at Sparkfun and Adafruit like Shungun, but SeeedStudio have a few more. Their cheapest is a breakout for the ADXL335.

If you don't mind and are able, you could potentially use/find a surface mount accelerometer like the MMA1270EGR2 and solder to a breakout board like this one from Sparkfun or one from Scmartboard.

That method doesn't end up being much cheaper, but you might find you'll have a bit more flexibility choosing an accelerometer.

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Consider these http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/prod/sens/28526-MMA7455-3axisAccel-v1.1.pdf $20 from Digikey (1x) I2C bus suitable for UAV stabilization or embedded solution. If you want analog out... those are avail too.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ $20 >> budget £5 \$\endgroup\$ Apr 25, 2012 at 9:34

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