The KY017 is a mercury tilt switch that allows you to detect the tilt of your object so that you can take the appropriate action.  It is a nice low cost alternative to a 6 axis accelerometer. When strategically adjusted or situated, it can be very sensitive. The key to using this switch successfully is in understanding the two operational states.

This sensor takes a continuous reading of any obstacle and settles it at output in TTL form within 2ms. The sensor provides easy interface of 3-wire with power, ground and the output voltage. The sensor works on 5V input Features -Very Small in size -Less influence on the color of reflected objects, reflectivity -Industrial grade quality -Can detect colour difference from certain range -TTL output high whenever sensor senses a obstacle -Detecting distance of 3cm to 80cm -External control circuit unnecessary -Low cost -Has inbuilt lenses assembly and potentiometer to set range of the module -Output indication LED

The MSP-430 LaunchPad is an easy-to-use flash programmer and debugging tool that provides everything you need to start developing on MSP430 Value Line devices. It includes a DIP socketed target board with integrated emulation to quickly program and debug MSP430 Value Line devices in-system through the Spy Bi-Wire (2-wire JTAG) protocol. The Flash memory can be erased and programmed in seconds with no external power supply required due to the MSP430's ultra-low power Flash technology. The LaunchPad interfaces MSP430 devices to an integrated software environment such as Code Composer Studio Version 4 or IAR Embedded Workbench. These IDEs are free and unrestricted on MSP430 Value Line devices. The LaunchPad supports all MSP430G2xx Flash parts in a 14 or 20-pin DIP package.