Hi, I'm new to this community, but love watching Ben and thought it would be a great place to ask my question.
I'm working on an electronic hi-striker for a carnival game. My friends are doing the metal working, and I'm doing the electronics. So far I've got a nice strand of 125 Neopixels dancing happily when I touch a basic force sensor (Round Force-Sensitive Resistor (FSR)). I bought the FSR as a "proof of concept" and it works for that purpose. However, this won't work at all for the final game as folks will be hitting with a lot of force, with a rubber mallet, and the sensor would either break or just show max score every time.
I bought this as well (https://www.sparkfun.com/products/13332) thinking it would work, but it's tiny and really designed more for weighing material like on a bathroom scale up to 200kg.
My research shows me that others have had luck with a radiator hose with one of these placed inside (MPX4250AP), and others have had luck with an accelerometer.
Would anyone have any advice for which way to go? I'm new to all these devices, so the learning curve will be the same. I would like to keep all the electronics inside the striker pad assembly instead of in the mallet (it might get stolen, don't want to tether it with a cord, etc.)
Thanks in advance,
Aaron in California