Use Logger Pro’s newly enhanced ability to control a Vernier Digital Control Unit (DCU) to challenge your students to create an alarm system that gives a warning when someone enters an area. The ability to turn on or off an electrical device in response to inputs from a digital sensor, an analog sensor, or time, opens up a new world of STEM challenges for your students.

The following procedure describes how to configure Logger Pro so that a Vernier Motion Detector monitors an area and turns on a buzzer when a person enters.

  1. Connect the buzzer to line 1 of the DCU.
  2. Connect the DCU (with power supply) to the digital (DIG 1) port of the interface and the Motion Detector to the digital (DIG 2) port.



  3. Configure Logger Pro.

    1. Choose Set Up Sensors from the Experiment menu, and then select your interface.
    2. Click DIG/SONIC 1 and select Choose Sensor ▶ Digital Control Unit.



  4. Configure the DCU.

    1. Click DIG/SONIC 1 a second time and select Digital Out.
    2. Select the Activate Line 1 check box.
    3. Select Less Than or Equal To (≤) and enter a threshold value, such as 1 meter.
    4. Select the check box next to Start activation when experiment run is started. Data collection begins when you click .
    5. Click OK and close the Set Up Sensors configuration window.
  5. Click to start data collection. When someone passes within 1 meter of the Motion Detector, the buzzer should turn on.

To see the proximity alarm in action, as well as seeing Dave Vernier take on the challenge of creating an automated tea maker, check out the video below: