Multiple sensors to computer - Advices?

[J_Nichols]

Hi, I want to build like a small station where I will put some sensors:
liquid level sensor
accelerometer
gyroscope
temperature
liquid pressure
gps
wattmeter

What will be the most simple option? I've small skills in electronics. I've thought about using arduino since I think it's quite simple.
The only thing to do is to pass the data from the sensors to the computer.
Maybe an analog to digital converter? Other?

 

[alec_t]

You first need to find out what are the output signal characteristics of the various sensors. Check their datasheets.
Many micros have multi-channel A/D converters built in so can accept both analog and digital signals.
You may need to scale or level-shift some sensor signals to make them suitable for input to the micro.

 

[Pommie]

What computer? How far away? What sensors - not what they sense but how they communicate.

Mike.

 

[J_Nichols]

You first need to find out what are the output signal characteristics of the various sensors. Check their datasheets.
Many micros have multi-channel A/D converters built in so can accept both analog and digital signals.
You may need to scale or level-shift some sensor signals to make them suitable for input to the micro.

For example, a temperature sensor like LM35?

What computer? How far away? What sensors - not what they sense but how they communicate.

Mike.

The computer will be an AMD computer, without screen mounted in the vehicle. The data is processed to the computer, and the sensor will be less than 1 meter apart. A computer read alls the values and a computer program make the decissions.

 

[WTP Pepper]

Apart from the GPS, all other sensors are available with an analogue output. I would use a board/cpu with multiple channel ADC (C8051F320/321). Build a board for buffering and amplifying the signals to interface to the CPU, an RS232 port for the GPS and design a data packet that say every second (controlled poss from the output of the GPS), scans all the ADC inputs and frames it for passing into a PC serial port.
e.g.
<Header word for synch><GPS Co-ords><ADC0><ADC1>......<ADCn><checksum>

 

[ChrisP58]

If the computer has USB ports, the easiest way to do analog measurements is with a USB connected data acquisition device.

Search google/ebay for "USB Data Acquisition"