Pressure pad sensor

1

I wanted to create a pressure pad sensor to turn on some led lights I installed in my garage when I park my bike. image

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2

Iam using a 12v 10amp power supply to power led strips, is like a circuit to activate lights when bike parks on pressure sensor and then turn off when I leave

3

Hey Angelo,

Excellent idea! You could use a pressure sensor here, but personally, I’d be using a PIR or ultrasonic sensor, as it’d be more reliable, and easier to interface with a microcontroller. You’ll likely want an Arduino, a relay , and a PIR or Ultrasonic Sensor write a simple script so that once it’s triggered the lights will turn on for a set period of time or until another trigger is reached.

Bryce
Core Electronics | Support

4

I think for what I want a pressure sensor will work best, I’d only want it to activate if the weight of my bike is on a sensor so that it can’t get triggered by some one walking to the bench

5

Hey Angelo,

Ah good point, you’ll likely still need the relay and micro-controller, but you can easily combine that with an amplifier according to the tutorial linked on the product page.

If there’s anything else that we can do for you please let us know!

Bryce
Core Electronics | Support

6

Thanks Bryce, that setup should work out for my project

Cheers

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7

Hi Bryce

Could you resend amplifier needed for my project?

8

Hi Angelo,

While you can use email, I’d suggest using the forum directly. Here’s the link to Bryce’s post: Pressure pad sensor

PS you wouldn’t actually need a microcontroller at all. A pressure switch or force sensitive resistor and a MOSFET are all you need: http://tinyurl.com/y4dzawld3
image

Regards,
Oliver
Support | Core Electronics

9

Hi Oliver

That’s really good news the simpler the project the better. Iam very new to electronics could you send me a wiring diagram with more detail and parts labelled.

Angelo

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10

Hi Angelo,

We can certainly help you get some specs for components, but that circuit above is pretty much all the specifications you need, although it’s probably wise to increase that resistor up to say 10k Ohm. Here’s a MOSFET that should work:

Regards,
Oliver
Support | Core Electronics

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