AN3956
Rev 0, 11/2009
Freescale Semiconductor
Application Note
DEMOAPEXSENSOR Usage
Altitude Pressure EXperimental (APEX) Sensor Board
by: John B. Young
INTRODUCTION
The DEMOAPEXSENSOR is an experimental sensor board focused on pressure with a variety of applications built into the
demo. These include: Altimeter, Barometer, Barometer Alarm, Weather station, Waterlevel, Waterlevel Alarm, Tilt, Free Fall, and
Temperature Sensing. The board has been designed as a standalone board to be interfaced currently via an LCD display and
menu buttons. The multiple functions of the Altitude Pressure EXperimental (APEX) Sensor board are possible with the use of
Freescale’s sensors. This kit has the following: MPL115A2, MPXM2102A, MPXV5004G pressure sensors with an MMA7361L
accelerometer. The demo makes use of Freescale’s Flexis MC9S08JM60 8-bit microcontroller. Figure 1 is an image of the
DEMOAPEXSENSOR with important items highlighted. Freescale’s sensors are listed along with their associated application in
Table 1.
Table 1. On-Board Sensors
Device
Type of Sensor
Measurement Range of Sensor
Sensor Application
Interface Type
MPL115A
Digital I2C/SPI
Analog
Pressure Absolute
50 - 115 kPa
Barometer/Altimeter
MPXM2102A
MPXV5004G
MMA7361L
Pressure Absolute
Pressure Gauge
Accelerometer
0 - 100 kPa
0 - 4 kPa
Altimeter/Absolute Pressure
Liquid Level Sensor
Analog
Selectable ±1.5g, ±6g
Acceleration, Tilt, Shock,
Free Fall
Analog
Temperature Sensor
MPXM2102A
Absolute Pressure
Sensor -Altitude
Development
Header
MPL115A
Backside:
MPXV5004G
Gauge Pressure
Sensor- Waterlevel
LCD Display
for Results
USB
Connector
MMA7361L
3 Axis low-g
Accelerometer
-Motion
Push Buttons
“Up, Down, ESC
Enter”
BDM
Figure 1. Basic Components of APEX Board
© Freescale Semiconductor, Inc., 2009. All rights reserved.