Go Direct® Sound Sensor (GDX-SND)

Specifications and User Guide

Troubleshooting

General: Press the power button on the sensor to turn it on. Connect your sensor as described in the Getting Started instructions for your device.

  • Microphone Channel: The easiest sound source to use with the Microphone is a tuning fork, but you may want to investigate a human voice or a whistle, electronic keyboards, and other musical instruments. Make sure the sound level is in the correct range to produce good wave patterns. If the sound is too loud, the wave pattern will be clipped at the top or bottom. Move the microphone further from the sound source, or turn down the volume of the sound.
  • Sound Level Channels: Normal classroom sound levels should be 60-70 dB; a quiet office should read around 55 dB.

An inexpensive keyboard set to the flute sound (without vibrato) is the best source.
You can easily do both beats and pure tones of varying pitch.

Additional Troubleshooting

Specifications

  • Microphone
    ⚬ Frequency Range: 100 to 15,000 Hz
    ⚬ Typical Max Frequency: 10,000 Hz
  • Sound Level
    ⚬ Frequency Range: 30 to 10,000 Hz
    ⚬ Response: A- and C-weighted (user selectable)
    ⚬ Range: 55 to 110 dB
    ⚬ Accuracy: ±3 dB
    ⚬ Resolution: 0.1 dB
  • Connections
    ⚬ Wireless: Bluetooth® v4.2 (wireless range 30 m unobstructed)
    ⚬ Wired: USB 2.0 full speed
  • Battery: 300 mAh Li-Poly
    ⚬ Battery Life (single, full charge): ~10 hours continuous data collection
    ⚬ Battery Life (lifetime): 2 – 5 years (typical)

Calibration

Calibrate? No. The Microphone and Wave Amplitude channels are uncalibrated, which means that the vertical axis has arbitrary units on waveform graphs. The voltage from the Microphone output is what is graphed. For more information, see What are the units (of pressure) for the microphone?.

The Sound Level channels will never need to be calibrated. Each sensor is carefully calibrated before it ships, and this unique calibration is stored on the sensor.

Battery Troubleshooting

  1. If the sensor can be turned on when connected by USB but not when disconnected from USB, the battery likely needs charging.
    ⚬ Charge the sensor for several hours and try again.
  2. If the sensor shows fully charged but still won’t turn on when connected via USB, then the battery has likely disconnected.
    ⚬ Check the battery connection.
  3. If the sensor still won’t turn on, try swapping the battery with a working sensor to see if the problem follows the battery or stays with the sensor.
    ⚬ If the problem stays with the sensor, the battery is probably not the issue.
    ⚬ If the problem follows the battery, the battery has likely reached its end of life.
  4. If the battery is indeed at the end of its life, the sensor cannot be used even if connected by USB, so the battery will need to be replaced. Go Direct® 300 mAh Replacement Battery (GDX-BAT-300)
  5. See How do I remove or replace a Go Direct battery? for more information (including a video).

Rechargeable batteries are covered by a one-year warranty.
Batteries should last two to five years in typical use.

Related Products

Replacement Parts

Published: August 27, 2019. Updated: July 23, 2025.