Vernier FSR Logger

This Python script reads real-time pressure data from a connected Arduino device using FSR (Force-Sensitive Resistor) sensors and a Vernier Force Plate, then logs it to a CSV file in two formats:

• A raw log with timestamps and full serial output.
• A clean, numeric-only CSV with structured sensor values.

📦 Requirements

• Python 3.7+
• Arduino with Vernier force sensor sketch uploaded
• Installed Python packages:

  pip install pyserial

🛠 Setup

Ensure your Arduino is connected and recognized as a serial device, e.g.:

• macOS: /dev/cu.usbmodem1101
• Windows: COM3
• Linux: /dev/ttyACM0

🚀 Usage

Run the script

python3 main.py --csv --delay 5 --duration 60

Available options

Option	Description	Default
--csv	Save output to raw + clean CSV files	False
--delay	Delay (in seconds) before logging starts	0
--duration	Duration (in seconds) to log data	30
--baud	Baud rate for serial connection	9600
--timeout	Timeout for serial reads	1.0
--name	Name of experiment; files saved to hta/<name>/	None

📁 Output

If --csv is used, two files will be saved. Without --name they are named vernier_log_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.csv and vernier_clean_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.csv. When --name <exp> is provided, files are stored in hta/<exp>/ as <exp>_raw_<timestamp>.csv and <exp>_clean_<timestamp>.csv.

The clean CSV has the following format:

Time(s),Force(N),DeltaF(N),FSR1,FSR2,FSR3
7.19,16.611,-1.011,1023,1023,1023
7.30,17.622,1.011,1023,1023,1023
...

🧪 Example

python3 main.py --csv --delay 2 --duration 15

This will:

1. Wait 2 seconds
2. Log pressure data for 15 seconds
3. Save both the raw and clean CSV files

Exit

Press Ctrl+C at any time to manually stop logging early.

Contact

For bugs or feature requests, open an issue or reach out to the author.