Sometimes you just have to know how fast a wheel or shaft or motor is turning.
The measuring device for rotational speed is a tachometer. But they are expensive and not easy to find.
Its cheap and easy to make one using a bicycle speedometer (cyclocomputer). In fact, the only thing you need is a functional cyclocomputer that reads speed in miles per hour. You won't damage it, so you can even 'borrow' one from your bike, or add it to your bike once your done!
You will only need 1 thing:
A cyclocomputer that reads in MPH and that lets you enter a wheel size in millimeters. Almost all of them do.
You will have to mount a magnet to your spinning wheel, engine shaft or what not.
And you will have to mount the speed sensor near the path of the spinning magnet.
Thats it!
The measuring device for rotational speed is a tachometer. But they are expensive and not easy to find.
Its cheap and easy to make one using a bicycle speedometer (cyclocomputer). In fact, the only thing you need is a functional cyclocomputer that reads speed in miles per hour. You won't damage it, so you can even 'borrow' one from your bike, or add it to your bike once your done!
You will only need 1 thing:
A cyclocomputer that reads in MPH and that lets you enter a wheel size in millimeters. Almost all of them do.
You will have to mount a magnet to your spinning wheel, engine shaft or what not.
And you will have to mount the speed sensor near the path of the spinning magnet.
Thats it!
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Signing UpStep 1: Theory and numbers - skip if you don't care!
A cyclocomputer calculates the speed your bicycle is traveling by sensing how fast the wheels of the bike are spinning. It senses wheel speed through a magnetic switch that is mounted on the bicycle frame or fork, near the path of a spinning wheel. There is a magnet attached to a spoke of the wheel and when it goes by the magnetic switch, the switch closes for a moment, which is recorded by the cyclocomputer. By timing how much time goes by between switch closings, it can compute how fast the wheel is spinning.
When you first install a cyclocomputer on a bicycle, you have to enter the circumference of the wheel in millimeters. With that information, it can compute how far and how fast you've gone with every turn of the wheel.
In this instructable, we are going to enter a special number into the cyclocomputer for the wheel circumference that will trick it to report speed in rpm.
If the cyclocomputer is reporting speed in mph, enter 268 mm for the wheel circumference.
If the cyclocomputer is reporting speed in kph, enter 167 mm for the wheel circumference.
Here is the calculation...
1 mph = 1.61 kph.
1.61 kph / 60 minutes in an hour = .026833 kilometers per minute
.026833 kpm* 1,000,000 millimeters per kilometer = 26,833 millimeters per minute
26,833 mmpm / 100 (scale factor) = 268 mm
268 / 1.61 mph-kph conversion = 167 mm
Note: some cyclocomputers might not be able to accept a number below 200, so use the 268 mm number, reporting in mph might be better.
If you ride, you may know that some cyclocomputers also record cadence, which is how fast you are pedaling - and that number is in RPM! So the cyclocomputer already is a tachometer! But they can only read to a maximum of 199 RPM, which is way faster than a person can pedal anyway. I guess if you needed to measure a really slow speed it could work, but this instructable lets you measure a much wider range of speeds.
When you first install a cyclocomputer on a bicycle, you have to enter the circumference of the wheel in millimeters. With that information, it can compute how far and how fast you've gone with every turn of the wheel.
In this instructable, we are going to enter a special number into the cyclocomputer for the wheel circumference that will trick it to report speed in rpm.
If the cyclocomputer is reporting speed in mph, enter 268 mm for the wheel circumference.
If the cyclocomputer is reporting speed in kph, enter 167 mm for the wheel circumference.
Here is the calculation...
1 mph = 1.61 kph.
1.61 kph / 60 minutes in an hour = .026833 kilometers per minute
.026833 kpm* 1,000,000 millimeters per kilometer = 26,833 millimeters per minute
26,833 mmpm / 100 (scale factor) = 268 mm
268 / 1.61 mph-kph conversion = 167 mm
Note: some cyclocomputers might not be able to accept a number below 200, so use the 268 mm number, reporting in mph might be better.
If you ride, you may know that some cyclocomputers also record cadence, which is how fast you are pedaling - and that number is in RPM! So the cyclocomputer already is a tachometer! But they can only read to a maximum of 199 RPM, which is way faster than a person can pedal anyway. I guess if you needed to measure a really slow speed it could work, but this instructable lets you measure a much wider range of speeds.
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Hope your still around. Great Idea!!
If you are having a balance issue, you could attach a non-magnetic weight to the disk opposite the magnet. This should even things out.
Glad you are using the tachometer.
BTW what is a VAWT?
BTW - VAWT = Vertical Axis Wind Turbine. (has the advantage of being able to turn regarless of the wind direction, compared to a standard wind turbine which has to face into the wind before it will start to turn)
Here are 2 pic's of the two I am using to test my turbines.
The first one is the transmitter type good up to 2 feet. sorry for the fuzz.
I recommend the wired type for permanent attachments, second pic. I have that attached to the turbine I have in the roof, spliced with CAD to run it to my work shop 30' away. Unfortunatly it only works when the wind is blowing.
The first Pic is atached to my little turbine the 2nd is attached to my large turbine on the roof of my truck at ocean shores. The weather station for wind speed.
I think I have the number set 2680mm.
Thanks Josie, this is a lot of help building my turbines.
This is great, simple, cheap, easy, and serves my purpose.
I wanted to make a simple tachometer myself for a windmill project (slow revolutions), and surfed around a bit .. found systems based on lasers, mechanical counters, converting old cd players, building a circuits , etc .. all of this is rather complicated when you're not specialised ..
But then I saw your pages .. found an old cyclometer, I got with a box of Kellog's Cornflakes .. stuff for kids .. changed the value of the wheel .. and VOILA !
Many many thanks, for this easy and very logical convertion, because I was not bright enough to do the thinking process (da numbers) .. and you did it, for us all to see! :-)
Cheers