This little part is great for devices that have to be in an off or low-power state until someone picks the device up or it starts moving.
[SQ SEN 200 tilt/vibration sensor
They are extremely sensitive – just banging your hand lightly on the table is enough to trip them. The company provides sample code and a simple analog circuit to filter the output. I have used about a 100 of them over the past year in a motion activated GPS tracker and found them to be very reliable and easy to work with.
So what is the problem? they are a pain to buy from. The company does not sell through distributors, has a $100 minimum order, and steep quantity discounts: If you buy 1000 they are less than $2.00 ea but if you buy less than 200 then they are over $4.50 each
Please Sparkfun, buy a couple 1000 of them and sell them $3.49 each. You double your money and everyone gets easy and cheaper access to a reliable motion activation/tilt switch,](Tilt & Vibration Sensor, Ultra Low Power, Omnidirectional — SQ-SEN-200 | SignalQuest - Precision Microsensors)