Build Your Own Seismograph

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Build your own Seismograph!

An activity for Earth Science, Physical Science, Technology Education, or Electronics
Introduction:
This is a reprint of an article by Bennett M. Harris that was
originally posted in HTML format at the Harris Educational
website in 2003 as part of the “Probeware / Earth Science”
section promoting CoachLab probeware/datalogging equipment.
The article discusses how a seismograph works, and describes
how to build a working seismograph. The article covers building
the sensor mechanism used to detect motion, how to connect
that sensor to CoachLab datalogging equipment, and how to set
up Coach 5 software to make use of and record data from that
sensor.
CoachLab and Coach Software is designed and produced by can be used to teach principles of earth science (vibrations from
the Center for Microcomputer Applications at the University of earth movements), physical science (oscillations and damped
Amsterdam. Coach software is now in version 6, and CoachLab oscillations), technology education (civil engineering and effects
and ULAB hardware have also advanced. It is also possible to of vibrations on structures), or electronics (how sensors work,
connect the sensor detailed here to other indicating or data ohm's law).
logging equipment.
This article will show you how to create such a seismograph,
The intent in republishing this document is to preserve its how to calibrate its sensors, and how to use this device in
content so that it may continue to be useful to educators, activities in your own classroom or lab.
students and science hobbyists as we update and improve our
website.
Building the Seismograph
We hope that you find this information useful. It is provided as
A seismograph makes use of inertia in order to operate. Inertia
is, where is, without any assertion as to usability or accuracy.
is the tendency of an object at rest to stay at rest or an object
All copyright or trademark terms are the property of their
that is in motion to stay in motion unless acted upon by an
respective owners and no copyright infringement is intended.
outside force. A seismograph uses a flexible "reed" that can
move freely if energy in the form of vibrations acts upon it to
overcome its inertia. Once the vibrations stops internal friction
Original Article: of the reed's materials cause the oscillation to dampen or slowly
stop. The reed in a seismograph is connected between a stable
Build your own Seismograph! base that is fixed to the source of vibrations on one side, and to
An activity for Earth Science, Physical Science, Technology a counterweight that can move freely on the other side.
Education, or Electronics Sensors (in our case flex sensors) mounted to the seismograph
Grades 4-12 or College can then record the extent of the vibrations acting upon the
Overview: seismograph. Any seismograph can only measure vibrations or
movement in one plane. In order to measure right and left
A seismograph is a sensitive mechanical device that is used to vibrations at the same time as up and down vibrations would
observe and record vibrations. Scientists and engineers use require multiple seismographs each mounted in the correct
seismographs in order to measure and predict earthquakes and plane. With Coach software it is possible to measure vibrations
volcanic eruptions and also to measure the effects of from four seismographs at a time (each mounted in a different
earthquakes and weather on buildings and structures. With a plane)
probeware interface device (such as CoachLab, ULAB, TI-CBL,
or Vernier LabPro), Coach software, and about $25.00 worth of For my seismograph I used "Tech Card" an educational
parts you can construct a simple and sensitive seismograph that construction material made of recycled cardboard that is
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designed to be easily cut and folded into whatever shapes you Building and Setting up the Sensor
can imagine. Tech Card is available through "The Science
Source." You can also use regular non-corrugated cardboard or Just as in our activity "Building and Testing Structures" (which
construct your seismograph from other materials as long as you also uses Tech Card materials) we again choose to use flex
have a flexible reed that will vibrate freely in a single plane. sensors in order to measure vibrations in this experiment. Flex
(Reed materials can include cardboard, thin plastic, thin metal sensors are simply variable resistors that change their resistive
such as steel sheet metal, or even very thin wood). value based on how much they are deflected from a straight
line.
{2009 Update: “Building and Testing Structures” is a technology
education activity that Harris Educational is proud to have
taught to both a group of NC-TSA students and as a workshop
to a group of NC Technology Educators. Photographs from the
NC-TSA workshop are now available at our Face Book Fan
Page at the following URL}
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/album.php?aid=86055&id=86177094101
Flex Sensors
For our workshop on "Building and Testing Structures" it was
necessary to find ways to gather data from non destructive tests
on structures that were built by students. In order to do this we
used an off the shelf CMA force sensor to apply and measure
Parts of my Tech Card Seismograph: forces to the structures. We then wanted to measure how much
I constructed a base with a square-upright (made of two "C" certain structural members in the towers bent under that applied
beams) as a support. The square upright resists vibration so force. In order to measure this bending it was necessary to
that most of the energy of external vibrations goes into moving construct special sensors. Since it is easy to make any analog
the reed. The reed is made of a single unfolded "L" beam that electrical device work as a sensor with Coach Software and any
can freely bend and flex with vibrations. The counterweight on interface (i.e. CoachLab, ULAB, TI-CBL, LabPro, etc) it is not a
the left side is made up of the remainder of the "C" beam used hard or time consuming task to construct special sensors.
to make the support. It is folded back on itself three times to A transducer that can respond to bending force is already
add mass to the end of the reed. Flex Sensors are mounted to available on the market. It is called a "Flex Sensor" and is
each side of the reed using paper clips on each end. Paper (or available from many electronics and robotics websites for about
cardboard) is used as an insulator between the sensors and the $10.00 each. This device was originally designed to be used in
paper clips. gloves and other feedback devices that could gather information
In my design I connected the flex sensors to the reed using from wearers for artificial reality.
paperclips as a "temporary" connection. More accurate
measures of vibration can be achieved if the flex sensors are
actually glued permanently to the reed. However, unless you The sensor (shown above at almost real size) is simply a
are making a permanent seismograph out of more stable variable resistor that changes its resistance in response to how
materials than cardboard I don't recommend gluing the sensors much it is bent. The way that the device works is based on its
to the reed permanently. The paper/cardboard that covers both
construction. The sensor has a backplane of a thin plastic
ends of the flex sensors are necessary as insulators so that
electricity does not flow through the paperclips from one sensor polymer that can easily bend. On top of this polymer is a layer
to the other one thus shorting out the sensors. Using plastic of carbon that forms a resistor (which connects between the two
paper clips is another alternative. metal terminals on the left side). On top of the carbon are
Designs may vary significantly, see "Lesson Ideas by Discipline" below. equally sized and spaced squares of metal which are glued in

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place at their centers to the backplane. When the device is bent In order to measure vibrations in the reed of our seismograph it
the spaces between the metal plates grows larger and thus the is necessary to use two flex sensors in order to build a "vibration
amount of carbon resistor shorted out by each metal square is sensor." The reason we must use two flex sensors is that a
reduced. When that happens the resistance of the sensor goes single flex sensor is only designed to measure deflection in one
up. The response of the sensor is very linear over its flexible direction.
range. The sensor can only reliably indicate bending in one By mounting one sensor on the right side of the reed and the
direction (into the page as it is pictured here). Multiple sensors other on the left side of the reed and then connecting the
can be used to record bending in multiple directions. sensors together as a voltage divider it is possible to measure
vibrations in our seismograph. When the reed moves to the
right the right side sensor deflects and measures a result while
the left side outputs zero change (since it can't measure
changes in that direction). The reverse is true when the reed
moves to the left. As a result it is possible to build a sensor
profile that relates the voltage output of the voltage divider to
the amount of deflection of the reed at any given moment. By
recording that value vs. time we can see vibrations as they
occur and compare their magnitude to each other. (just like in a
"real" seismograph).
Before you can measure vibrations with your sensor and a
probeware interface such as CoachLab or CBL you must first
connect both sensors together as a voltage divider and then by
experiment and by interpolation create a mathematical profile
that relates the amount and direction of deflection to the voltage
coming out of the voltage divider network. In our example we
will use CoachLab II's analog input.
In the first image on the right you see the two flex sensors
(variable resistors) connected in series with each other to form a
voltage divider network. Five volts D.C. is applied to one side of
the voltage divider network and zero volts (or ground) is
To connect the sensor to CoachLab we simply soldered cables
connected to the other side. The center tap of the two sensors
to the sensors and placed 4-mm banana jack connectors on the
(resistors) is the output of your sensor and will have a voltage
other end. CoachLab II has 4-mm banana jack connectors for
that is in some way proportional to the amount and direction of
analog inputs and there is also a BT to 4-mm adapter available
movement of your seismograph. Each flex sensor varies
that will work with TI-CBL, TI-CBL2, ULAB, and Vernier LabPro.
between thirty thousand Ohms and forty thousand Ohms
We used two sensors in our experiment so we color coded the
depending on the level of flex.
sensors with red and blue heat shrink tubing (that was also
used to insulate the solder joints). By experiment or by calculation (using Ohm's law) we can
determine the values for the voltage output of the sensor at any
It was necessary to connect the sensors to our structures using
given deflection. For simplicity sake we'll pick three points, zero
paper clips. Since the top surface of the sensor (with metal
flex, 100% flex to the left, and 100% flex to the right.
squares) is not insulated we simply slipped a piece of paper
between the sensor and the metal paper clips. We wanted By using a volt meter and deflecting the reed of our
students to be able to see the sensor so we could describe how seismograph manually we can determine that at zero flex the
it worked so we left the paper "loose" but you may wish to glue output of the sensor is approximately 2.500 volts. At 100% left
paper or very thin plastic in place permanently over your own deflection the output is 2.857 volts. At 100% right deflection the
sensor. output is 2.143 volts.

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We can now create a graph with deflection on one axis and
voltage on the other and by drawing a straight line through the
three points we have determined we can then interpolate any
other value of voltage vs. deflection. (see graph below)
Your results may vary since each resistor is slightly different and
each volt meter might be calibrated slightly differently. Another
way to get these values is through calculations and Ohm's law.
Calculating your sensor profile using Ohm's Law
To calibrate your sensor for use with CoachLab or another
probeware device you can also use Ohm's law and a few facts
about electricity in order to calculate values for any given
deflection.
Facts:
• Ohm's Law: Voltage = Current * Resistance
• In a series circuit the current flowing through each
device is
• the same and can therefore be measured at any point in
the circuit.
• In a series circuit the total resistance is equal
to the some of each individual resistance.
• In a series circuit the voltage drop across each
component can be added together to determine the
total voltage drop for the entire circuit (which is also
equal to the supply voltage, in this case 5 volts)
• At zero deflection each flex sensor has a value of thirty
thousand Ohms.
• At maximum deflection (100%) each flex
sensor has a value of forty thousand Ohms.
From these facts you can find:
• At zero deflection the total resistance of the sensor is

sixty thousand ohms (30K + 30K)
• At 100% right deflection the total resistance of the
sensor is seventy thousand ohms (30K + 40K)
• At 100% left deflection the total resistance of the sensor
is seventy thousand ohms (40K + 30K)

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Using Ohm's Law... Tips for Setting Up This CoachLab Activity:
Deflection Resistance Voltage Voltage Circuit
Sensor 1 Sensor 2 Current • Using Percentage to indicate the amount of vibration
Zero 30K + 30K 2.5 Volts 2.5 Volts 0.0000833 A allows for a wider range of tolerance in your actual
sensor. This use of Percentage as a unit of measure
100% Left 40K + 30K 2.857 Volts 2.143 Volts 0.0000714 A
should be used in the sensor profile and on any graphs
100% Right 30K + 40K 2.143 Volts 2.857 Volts 0.0000714 A used to display the seismograph data.
50% Right 50K + 35K 2.682 Volts 2.308 Volts 0.0000769 A • When setting up a graph for seismograph data it is
desirable to assign ranges of -10 to +10 % to -15 to +15
You can now use these calculated values to calibrate Coach % since the reed in the seismograph is rarely going to
Software and create a sensor profile. spike above these values. By confining the graph to
this range details of the vibration are easier to see.
• When setting up a graph for seismograph data it is
useful to use a background grid.
• Measurement time should be confined to the duration of
the experiment at hand. If you are simply recording
vibrations from footsteps or dropping weights then 30 to
60 seconds is good. If you are using the seismograph
to measure vibrations of a shake table then set the
duration for slightly longer than you predict will be
necessary to show damage or vibration to the structure
under test.
• Measurement frequency should be set in multiples of 50
to 55 samples per second and/or some value equally
divisible into 5 cycles per second. (This is done to
avoid picking up noise from 60 Hz devices and/or to
NOTE: Calculated values may be different that those observed match a harmonic of the 5 cycles per second that most
during actual testing due to the fact that each component is earth quakes take on {also the resonant frequency of
slightly different and their resistance and circuit voltage are not most structures that are 5 to 10 stories tall}).
perfect. • Experiment with settings outside of your classroom or
lab before finalizing on the final recording activity used
Setting up the Coach Activity by your students.
In order to record data from your Seismograph and a probeware
interface such as CoachLab, ULAB, or TI-CBL you must do the
following:
1) Create a sensor profile for your dual-flex sensor based

on the values you calculated or observed above.
2) Set up the basic activity including setting up graphs,
recording time, and recording frequency.
3) Connect your sensor and record data.

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Lesson Ideas by Discipline Tech Card Materials
Now that you have constructed a seismograph, added a sensor Tech Card Materials are available in the US from “The Science
to it, and created a Coach activity that can be used to observe Source” at http://www.thesciencesource.com
and record data here are some ideas for using this sensor in
your own classroom or lab:
Earth Science
• Demonstrating Vibrations as they travel through

materials.
• Demonstrating Vibrations similar to those in
earthquakes.
• Showing how Seismographs are used to predict
earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
• Using two seismographs) Showing how vibrations
change as they travel from one material to another.
• Demonstrating how different intensity vibrations effect
soils, solid earth, and structures.
Physical Science/Physics
• Demonstrating Vibrations and Oscillations.

• Demonstrating Damped Oscillations. Tech Card Base
• Demonstrating how vibrations travel through
different solids.
• Relating vibrations to Earth Science.
Technology Education
• Demonstrating the role of vibrations in damaging

structures.
• Designing ways to "earthquake-proof" structures.
• (Using a variable shake table) Determining the resonant
frequency of a structure.
Electronics
• Teaching and demonstrating how to design and

calibrate sensors Tech Card C-Beam and L-Beam
• Teaching and demonstrating Ohm's Law in action
• Teaching and demonstrating how "Flex Sensors" work
• Teaching and demonstrating how to interface an analog
sensor to a digital computer


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Build your own Seismograph!

phone: 336.506.6696 (9-5 est) Building Better Education twitter: twitter.com/reinventor32

Build your own Seismograph!

phone: 336.506.6696 (9-5 est) Building Better Education twitter: twitter.com/reinventor32

Build your own Seismograph!

phone: 336.506.6696 (9-5 est) Building Better Education twitter: twitter.com/reinventor32

Build your own Seismograph!

• At zero deflection the total resistance of the sensor is

phone: 336.506.6696 (9-5 est) Building Better Education twitter: twitter.com/reinventor32

Build your own Seismograph!

1) Create a sensor profile for your dual-flex sensor based

phone: 336.506.6696 (9-5 est) Building Better Education twitter: twitter.com/reinventor32

Build your own Seismograph!

• Demonstrating Vibrations as they travel through

• Demonstrating Vibrations and Oscillations.

• Demonstrating the role of vibrations in damaging

• Teaching and demonstrating how to design and

phone: 336.506.6696 (9-5 est) Building Better Education twitter: twitter.com/reinventor32

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