Inside the cell phone

[beenthere]

Just ran across this video that addresses the question of how a cell phone can detect motion. Apparently very tiny gyroscopes inside accomplish the task. 
The technology is amazing to me as well as the presentation for this video. 

The ingenious micro mechanisms inside your phone - YouTube

[Magicman]

Amazing!  :P

[Cedarman]

Gobsmacking!!  My phone ain't as dumb as I thought it was.

[Southside]

Only the internet can bring together a guy who is able to dissect, analyze, and model something like this with a group who routinely puts bands onto a sawmill backwards. Simply amazing. 

My knuckles are sore from all this frozen mud this morning.   :D

[YellowHammer]

Some of you have heard me mention that I use my phone for measuring stuff, using various apps that tap into this technology.  It is based on the tech in that video.

I use an angle finder app, it is very accurate, so when I'm in my track loader or tractor and want to measure the slope I'm on I use my "grade angle finder app" and all I have to do is place my phone on my horizontal window frame and I have an instant graphic of a perfectly level 0° horizon line, and also a measurement of the angle I am at in the machine.

Here I am holding the phone at an angle, and it shows the angle and the horizon line.  When the phone (or whaterever its resting on) gets horizontal, th screen will turn green. This is very handy when setting up all kinds of things around the milll measuring grades (place the phone on the concrete or ground) or measuring th angle of the hill I'm worried about sliding off with my tractor.


 


This next app is a measuring one, place the cross hairs or dot on either end of something I want to measure and it displays how long it is.  This is amazingly accurate in some circumstances, to 1/8 inch when I place the cross hairs on a 12" ruler.  I use this to quickly measure logs, boards, plumbing, wiring runs, other stuff.  Point and click.  It doesn't work more than a maybe 20 or 30 feet away, and works best the perpendicular to the object, but it does work and when I don't have a tape measure, I can still get an accurate measurement.  Here's a picture of me using the app to measure the keypad on my laptop a second ago.  I use it to measure the length of rooms, doorways, length of bolts when I go to the hardware store, all kinds of stuff.



 

  

[Jim_Rogers]

YH:
how much does the angle finder app cost?

Jim Rogers

[beenthere]

Roger
have you looked for that app?  There are a number of different ones.

Don't recall, but don't think there was a cost, other than maybe a few cents.

[YellowHammer]

They are free, the one I use is called "Measure" from Apple, but I also use the one put out by Rigid called "Rigid Bubble Level."  It can be used as a horizon line or bubble level.

All free. 

[Magicman]

I got both of them, free apps.

[Jim_Rogers]

They are free, the one I use is called "Measure" from Apple, but I also use the one put out by Rigid called "Rigid Bubble Level."  It can be used as a horizon line or bubble level.

All free.

thanks for the reply and info.
Jim Rogers