We will also be using an accelerometer breakout board from SparkFun. The ADXL335 is a very common cost efficient accelerometer. An accelerometer is a device that measures acceleration in three dimensions (X, Y, Z) and outputs a corresponding voltage. The three dimensions of space are based on a Cartesian coordinate system with origin set at an upright and flat accelerometer position.
Other accelerometers would work with this project as well but the V+ requirements may vary. Our ADXL335 needs a power regulated 3.3V+, we can pull this from our Arduino's 3.3V power rail. First lets run our power jumper and ensure that our ADXL335, Arduino, and Werkstatt all share a common ground.