The IMU developed by Rajiv, Praneeth and me in summer 2007 has begun to take some useful and aesthetically appealing form. The latest version which has been developed for the MOMS (MEMS based Oscillation Measurement System) under the supervision of RDSO, Lko was tested yesterday in the AC Chair Car of the Varuna Express. The train was supposed to depart at 4 p.m. and we reached the station at 3.55 p.m. and got into an empty luggage bogie. The train started to move and Shubham found out that we had to get into the chair car. We ran on the platform and got aboard in DDLJ style while Trivediji was left behind. He joined us at the next station where he was found hanging outside the closed gate of the moving train. Not forgetting the Rs.700 penalty we had to pay for sitting in AC with General ticket, the journey was very interesting and full of fun.
The device which was mounted in the JTAG mk2 case with colorful LEDs from inside looked quite geeky. It had a 2 axis ADIS accelerometer sampling at 1000 samples/sec and a 5Hz GPS module for geotagging the jerk points. The computer end software which was written by Asna and me was running smoothly on our Chhotuku (the hp mini netbook). We took loads of data on the window of the compartment, underneath the seat and also on the car while going and returning. The GPS was initially giving half the actual speed, and was calibrated on the go to give very very accurate result updating at 5Hz. We monitored jerks on the track and also Shubham's foot bangs on the floor. Later while returning we even monitored the car on turns for centripetal acceleration.
Sairam had enormous discussions with Mr. Gregory on the case design of the device and has come up with very sleek CAD models for the same.
