Miniature Piezoelectric Accelerometers from PCB Piezotronics Inc

Miniature, single-axis accelerometers generally include units that are less than 2 grams in weight. Most models are adhesively mounted, however, stud mount and through-hole screw-mount varieties are also available.

Miniature accelerometers are used for vibration measurements on lightweight objects or where installation space is limited. Since miniature accelerometers themselves are relatively lighter in weight than other models, they may possess a higher resonant frequency - making them suitable for higher bandwidth measurements. Another benefit of using miniature accelerometers is the reduction of mass-loading effects. Mass loading refers to the alteration of the characteristic vibration that is desired to be measured - due to the influence of the added mass of the installed accelerometer.

Since miniature accelerometers utilize small sensing elements, their output sensitivity is generally lower than larger models. Also, measurement resolution is not as good - making them a poor choice for very low-level measurements.