Ultrasonic Distance and Compass Reader
Summary
I had previously developed a little project which used an ultrasonic distance sensor and a clever little library called ‘talkie’. This project measured the distance in front of the sensor and then read it out- the sort of thing that could be used to help a visually impaired person navigate. Now I’ve included the Duinotech XC4496 compass module, so that the Reader can read out compass bearing and distance.
Materials Required
| 1 | Duinotech UNO r3 Main Board | XC4410 |
| 1 | 150mm Plug to Socket Jumper Leads - 40 Pieces | WC6028 |
| 1 | Arduino Compatible 3 Axis Compass Magnetometer Module | XC4496 |
| 1 | 3.5mm Stereo Line Socket | PS0134 |
| 1 | 150 Ohm 0.5 Watt Metal Film Resistors - Pack of 8 | RR0552 |
| 1 | Stereo Inner Ear Earphones | AA2090 |
Resources
Table of Contents
Future Improvements
I tracked down a sound sample for ‘metres’, so this version reads in metres. The compass sensor will only accurately read bearings if it is mounted horizontally, so what this project probably needs next is a way to mount all the components so that they can read accurately in your chosen application. The Uno can of course be run from a 5V USB source, such as a portable phone charger pack, but anything up to about 12V can be fed into the VIN pin- a 9V battery would make a compact power source. You could also run an AUX cord to an amplified speaker if you need louder sound.
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