How to Make a Simple Siesmograph

Recently, I've really gotten into earthquakes and how to simulate them. My teacher just finished making this cool earthquake shake table, so I thought, why not try my hand at building a simple seismograph? Just a heads up, though, if you're looking for something super precise, this tutorial might not be what you're after.

Supplies

Arduino (AliExpress)
MPU6050 (AliExpress)
Female to Male Jumper Wires (AliExpress)
Some kind of box or a 3d printer. (AliExpress)

Connecting the MPU6050

Now, let's hook up the MPU6050 to the Arduino following the wiring diagram provided. If necessary (like if you're using an esp32), you can connect the VCC pin to 3.3V to power it up.

Insert the Arduino in the Box

To start off, grab some double-sided tape and stick it where you want to place your Arduino and accelerometer. Once that's done, carefully attach your components to the tape. After that, seal the lid shut with glue. If you're worried about it holding together, you can reinforce it with duct tape. Oh, and a quick note: I'm not specifying the model I used because it's honestly not great. If you're printing your own, make sure the walls are thick for better durability.

Upload the Code

Connecting the Arduino to your computer and uploading the code is as easy as pi! You can get the code here. FYI you need to download the Adafruit MPU6050 Library.

Calibration

When setting up your seismograph, calibrate it for accuracy. Once you've got the offset values, plug them into the code. Calibration tunes the device for more reliable readings. You can get the code here.

Measure

You can simply open the serial plotter, and it will display the data for you. Voila It's done! I've also developed a python program to save the data to a file you can find that here. Btw the spikes you see on the graph are because I was typing on my keyboard.