{"id":4131,"date":"2018-01-05T20:53:09","date_gmt":"2018-01-06T04:53:09","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2025-10-02T14:35:29","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T21:35:29","slug":"4131","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/4131","title":{"rendered":"Go Direct Sensor Cart Troubleshooting and FAQs"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\">\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/product\/go-direct-sensor-cart\/\">Go Direct Sensor Carts<\/a> <br \/>(GDX-CART-G or GDX-CART-Y)<\/h3>\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/manuals\/gdx-cart-g\/\">Specifications and User Guide<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/product.gdx-cart-g.gdx-cart-y._hero.0011-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Troubleshooting<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Primary Test: <\/strong>Press the power button on the sensor to turn it on. Connect your sensor as described in the <a href=\"\/til\/get-started\/go-direct\">Getting Started instructions for your device<\/a>. (The green LED will flash to indicate the sensor is connected.)<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Enable Position and Force sensor channels.<\/li>\n<li>View meter readouts of position and force.<\/li>\n<li>Roll cart on table in direction of force sensor. Does position reading increase?<\/li>\n<li>Push on force sensor. Does sensor respond with a negative reading?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Additional Troubleshooting<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/15885\/\">What are the dimensions of the plastic dynamics carts?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/16508\/\">Can I use the Sensor Cart to measure simple weights and masses?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/8557\/\">How do I replace the wheels on a Go Direct Sensor Cart?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/11636\/\">Sensor cart position reading decreases when cart is moved in the +x direction.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/12672\/\">Why does my Sensor Cart force sensor not work when I attach something to the top of the cart?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/13821\/\">What are the specifications for the screw that secures the battery cover on a Go Direct Sensor Cart?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/14016\/\">What are the dimensions and threads of the mounting holes on Go Direct Sensor Carts?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/16406\/\">When collecting force data, why aren't the measured impulses synced?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/15786\/\">Go Direct sensor does not connect to LabQuest 2 via Bluetooth.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/4014\/\">How do I remove or replace a Go Direct battery?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/6827\/\">Troubleshooting Bluetooth Connections with Go Direct Sensors<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/12943\/\">What can I do if a Go Direct sensor's Bluetooth LED flashes red and green when I try to connect to it and the connection fails?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/3857\/\">Will my device work with Go Direct Sensors via Bluetooth?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/til\/3085\/\">How do I know if my LabQuest will work with Go Direct Sensors and Go Wireless devices?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Specifications<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Position sensor: 0.25 mm, reported to the nearest 1 mm<\/li>\n<li>Force sensor<br \/>\u26ac Range: \u00b150 N<br \/>\u26ac Response Time: 1 ms<\/li>\n<li>Accelerometer sensor: Range: \u00b1160 m\/s\u00b2<\/li>\n<li>Dimensions:<br \/>\u26ac Length: 16.6 cm, not including accessories mounted to the force sensor<br \/>\u26ac Width: 9.6 cm<br \/>\u26ac Height: 4.7 cm<br \/>\u26ac Nominal Mass: 275 g excluding accessories<\/li>\n<li>Accessory Port: Available for future expansion<\/li>\n<li>Connections:<br \/>\u26ac Wireless: Bluetooth<sup>\u00ae<\/sup> v4.2 (wireless range 30 m unobstructed) <br \/>\u26ac Wired: USB 2.0 full speed<\/li>\n<li>Battery: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/product\/go-direct-650-mah-replacement-battery\/\">650 mAh Li-Poly<\/a><br \/>\u26ac Battery Life (single, full charge): ~10 hours continuous data collection<br \/>\u26ac Battery Life (lifetime): 2 \u2013 5 years (typical)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Calibration<\/h3>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>POSITION SENSOR<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Calibrate? No. The position channel does not need, nor can it be, calibrated. <\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The Position channel can be zeroed. <\/strong><br \/>This is useful to establish a zero position on a track. Do not pick up the cart after zeroing to avoid disturbing the zero. <\/li>\n<li><strong>The Position Sensor can be reversed. <\/strong><br \/>This is useful when using two carts in collision mode with force sensors facing one another. To put the two carts on the same coordinate system, reverse the direction of the position and force sensors on one cart, and zero the cart positions with the carts in contact.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>FORCE SENSOR<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Calibrate? Generally, no. This sensor is factory calibrated. For more information, see <a href=\"\/til\/4011\/\">How do I calibrate my sensor?<\/a><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Two Point Calibration<\/strong><br \/>\u26ac First Point: no force applied<br \/>\u26ac Second Point: a known force applied. We recommend a 1 kg mass (9.8 N). <br \/>Do not exceed the maximum of 50 N during calibration.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Force Sensor can be zeroed.<\/strong><br \/>This is useful after calibration to remove the weight of the hook. <\/li>\n<li><strong>The Force Sensor can be reversed so that push is positive.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>ACCELEROMETERS<\/strong> (<strong>X-, Y-, and Z-AXIS<\/strong>)<\/h4>\n<p>Calibrate? Generally, no. This sensor is factory calibrated. For more information, see <a href=\"\/til\/418\/\">How do you calibrate an accelerometer?<\/a><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Two Point Calibration<\/strong><br \/>\u26ac First Point: accelerometer aligned perpendicular to Earth&#8217;s gravitational field. (0 m\/s\u00b2)<br \/>\u26ac Second Point: aligned parallel to Earth&#8217;s gravitational Field. (\u00b1 9.8 m\/s\u00b2 depending on orientation)<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Accelerometers can be zeroed.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"height:40px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Battery Troubleshooting<\/h3>\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the sensor can be turned on when connected by USB but not when disconnected from USB, the battery likely needs charging. <\/span><br \/>\u26ac <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Charge the sensor for several hours and try again. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the sensor shows fully charged but still won&#8217;t turn on when connected via USB, then the battery has likely disconnected. <\/span><br \/>\u26ac <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check the battery connection.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the sensor still won\u2019t turn on, try swapping the battery with a working sensor to see if the problem follows the battery or stays with the sensor.<\/span><br \/>\u26ac If the problem stays with the sensor, the battery is probably not the issue.<br \/>\u26ac If the problem follows the battery, <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the battery has likely reached its end of life.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the battery is indeed at the end of its life, the sensor cannot be used even if connected by USB, so the battery will need to be replaced. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"\/product\/go-direct-650-mah-replacement-battery\/\">Go Direct&reg; 650 mAh Replacement Battery<\/a> (<nobr>GDX-BAT-650<\/nobr>)<\/span><\/li>\n<li>See <a href=\"\/til\/4014\/\">How do I remove or replace a Go Direct battery?<\/a> for more information.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-very-light-gray-background-color has-background\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Rechargeable batteries are covered by a one-year warranty.<\/strong><\/span><br \/>Batteries <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">should last two to five years in typical use. <\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Related Products<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"\/product\/micro-usb-to-usb-c-cable\/\">Micro USB to USB-C Cable<\/a> (<nobr>CB-USB-C-MICRO<\/nobr>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/product\/sensor-cart-charge-station\/\">Go Direct<sup>&reg;<\/sup> Sensor Cart Charge Station<\/a> (<nobr>GDX-CART-CRG<\/nobr>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/product\/go-direct-sensor-cart-accessory-kit\/\">Go Direct&reg; Sensor Cart Accessory Kit<\/a> (<nobr>GDX-CART-AK<\/nobr>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/product\/cart-fan\/\">Cart Fan<\/a> (<nobr>DTS-CFAN<\/nobr>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/product\/friction-pad-dts\/\">Friction Pad DTS<\/a> (<nobr>DTS-PAD<\/nobr>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/product\/eddy-current-brake\/\">Eddy Current Brake<\/a> (<nobr>DTS-ECB<\/nobr>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/product\/cart-guide\/\">Cart Guide<\/a> (<nobr>CGUIDE-10<\/nobr>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/product\/combination-1-2-m-track-optics-bench\/\">Combination Track\/Optics Bench<\/a> (<nobr>TRACK<\/nobr>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/product\/motion-encoder-cart-and-receiver\/\">Motion Encoder Cart and Receiver<\/a> (<nobr>DTS-MEC<\/nobr>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Replacement Parts<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"\/product\/go-direct-650-mah-replacement-battery\/\">Go Direct&reg; 650 mAh Replacement Battery<\/a> (<nobr>GDX-BAT-650<\/nobr>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/product\/micro-usb-cable\/\">Micro USB Cable<\/a> (<nobr>CB-USB-MICRO<\/nobr>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/product\/vernier-dynamics-system-axles-and-wheels-for-cart\/\">Vernier Dynamics System Axles and Wheels for Cart<\/a> (<nobr>WHEELS-VDS<\/nobr>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/product\/anti-roll-pegs-10-pack\/\">Anti-Roll Pegs (10 Pack)<\/a> (<nobr>VDS-ARP10<\/nobr>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/product\/dual-range-force-sensor-replacement-parts-kit\/\">Dual-Range Force Sensor Replacement Parts Kit<\/a> (<nobr>DFS-RPK<\/nobr>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/product\/dynamics-cart-replacement-tabs\/\">Dynamics Cart Replacement Tabs<\/a> (<nobr>DTS-TABS<\/nobr>)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Go Direct Sensor Carts (GDX-CART-G or GDX-CART-Y) Specifications and User Guide Troubleshooting Primary Test: Press the power button on the sensor to turn it on&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8976,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[7605,6955,7608,6954,7607,7606],"class_list":["post-4131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-cartmain","tag-gdx-cart-g","tag-gdx-cart-gmain","tag-gdx-cart-y","tag-gdx-cart-ymain","tag-gdx-cartmain"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8976"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4131"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4131\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}