Specifically, I am trying to detect whether an umbilical boom from fueling a rocket has retracted, and other miscellaneous tasks (vents raised / retracted).
I have done some research and have found ways to determine the displacement of an object – is that actually to be the best way to do it? For example, say the boom needs to retract 10 ft. In that case, if the sensor finds a displacement of 10 ft +- 10%, then MovementStatus = True.
Or is there some form of light sensor / position sensor that just detects the fact that the object is in the position where it's supposed to be, in an efficient way?
Best Answer
I would keep it simple and use a microswitch to detect the end position:
and connect it to your Vcc. Add a pull-down resistor to ground, and you get a logic level indicating the status: high = switch closed, low = switch open.