tachometer, device for indicating the angular (rotary) speed of a rotating shaft.

The term is usually restricted to mechanical or electrical instruments that indicate instantaneous values of speed in revolutions per minute, rather than devices that count the number of revolutions in a measured time interval and indicate only average values for the interval. Mechanical tachometers utilize the fact that the centrifugal force on a rotating mass depends on the speed of rotation and can be used to stretch or compress a mechanical spring. A resonance, or vibrating-reed, tachometer uses a series of consecutively tuned reeds to determine engine speed by indicating the vibration frequency of the machine. Electrical tachometers are of several types. The eddy-current, or drag, type is widely used in automobile speedometers; a magnet rotated with the shaft being measured produces eddy currents that are proportional to angular speed. Electric-generator tachometers work by generating either an alternating or a direct current. The stroboscope, an instrument that illuminates rotating objects so that they appear to have stopped moving, can be used as a tachometer.

stroboscope, instrument that provides intermittent illumination of a rotating or vibrating object in order to study the motion of the object or to determine its rotary speed or vibration frequency. A machine part, for example, may be made to appear to slow down or stop; the effect is achieved by producing illumination in very short, brilliant bursts that always occur when the moving part is in the same phase of its motion. Early stroboscopic devices utilized either intermittent vision or interrupted light; in both cases a spinning or oscillating disk with a narrow radial slot either allowed the object to be viewed at regular intervals or permitted light to illuminate it at successive instants, thus exposing it at precisely the times it reached a given point in its motion. The modern electronic stroboscope employs a gas-filled discharge lamp to produce very short, repetitive, brilliant flashes of light. Typically, a flash duration of about one microsecond (0.000001 second) and flashing rates ranging from 110 to 150,000 per minute are achieved. Using special techniques, flashing rates of more than 500,000 per minute have been obtained. The brilliant short-duration flash produced by a stroboscope is admirably suited for photographing rapidly moving objects. Single flashes with durations of one millionth of a second can be used in such photography, while for ordinary photography, flash durations of one thousandth of a second are common.

The Tachometer
Tachometers have been around for a long time. Devices to count revolutions were used on water wheels, steam engines and many other rotating machinery devices for the purposes maintaining safe speeds and calculating/monitoring repair cycles.

In the automotive world the tachometer debuted in racecars. Their purpose was to allow the driver to see when he was approaching the limit of the engine's rev and power range, after which the internal parts were likely to encounter destructive forces. Drivers couldn't (and still can't) hear the engine as it approached maximum rpm due to the enormous noise level coming from the open exhaust exiting their, and everyone else's, engines - hence the need for an instrument that denoted the "redline." The so-called "redline" of an engine was established to make sure it wouldn't be run continuously past a certain revolution limit. Each engine had its own redline, calculated by the builder and based on the balance of internal parts, oil flow, valve train geometry and other factors. The tachometer was the sole instrument that, if heeded, would keep the engine from catastrophic failure. Starting in the 1950s, tachometers appeared on sports cars. They were installed as standard equipment on nearly all sports cars because these were the most likely vehicles to be raced or driven to their limits of performance. In almost every case these early tachometers were mechanical.

Mechanical Tachometers
Mechanical tachometers are simply cable-driven (or any sort of flexible shaft-driven) meters that use a magnet assembly with an attached needle or other indicator. They are identical in design to speedometers, except that they are calibrated, normally, to show engine revs x 1000. The cable is driven from the camshaft or distributor shaft and its other end turns the central assembly in the gauge. The magnet in the assembly exerts a certain pull on the needle's metal housing, causing the needle to move. The faster the cable turns, the greater the magnetic pull, hence a higher reading on the dial. Mechanical tachometers suffer the same disadvantages as speedometers. The cables can twist and break due to poor lubrication. The internal assembly in the gauge can also bind due to poor lubrication and both can make noise after some time. Even working perfectly, the non-linear aspect of mechanical tachometers renders them less than perfectly accurate. They also require extra machining of parts that comprise the drive mechanism.

Electric Tachs
By the late 1950s and early 1960s, electric tachometers became the standard in the industry. The main reason they did so was one of cost, since an electric tachometer can easily cost less than 1/4th that of a mechanical equivalent, and there are no machined parts necessary for operation only a length of wire. Incidentally, electric tachometers are more accurate, making them far more useful. An electric (or electronic) tachometer is simply a voltmeter. Instead of reading direct voltage from a wire, however, the tachometer reads from the ignition's circuitry. Since the voltage comes in pulse form from the ignition, the electric tach's needle only moves upward momentarily, following each pulse of current. The greater the number of pulses in a fixed period of time, the further the needle moves, because it is ultimately measuring average voltage. Properly calibrated, electric tachometers are extremely accurate. If their internal circuitry is designed to limit voltage spikes and extraneous interference, such tachometers are very reliable and will last the life of the car. The only possible downside of electric tachometers is that, since they are connected to the ignition system, a major short circuit in the tachometer can disable the ignition. This happened to one of the Falcon Sprints during the 1963 Monte Carlo Rally. The driver had to pull out of that portion of the race because he wasn't smart enough to disconnect the tachometer wire. Similar things happened frequently in races during the 1960s until the instruments were designed to prevent ignition shorts.

Tachometers Today
Oddly enough, nearly every vehicle sold in the U.S. today has a tachometer. SUVs, luxury cars, minivans and sports cars all have them, in spite of the fact that few are likely to be raced or even driven hard. Even more significant is that fact that tachometers are no longer needed, even in racing situations! This is due to the advent of electronic ignition systems, engine management computers and fuel injection. Today's vehicles are run by computers that precisely monitor engine speed and will not allow engines to over-rev, no matter how much you might try. It's impossible to push an engine past redline because the electronic management system will simply cut off fuel and the engine will slow down. Tachometers are absolutely useless instruments in today's vehicles. They are installed for marketing purposes, not for any other reason.

What is a Sling Psychrometer?

A sling psycrometer is a device used to manually measure the relative humidity of a room or environment. The device is traditionally composed of two thermometers, a sponge or wick, a housing and a handle. Modern digital psychrometers use sensors and software to calculate the relative humidity for increased accuracy and reliability. Many of these psychrometers or humidity meter also automatically convert the measurements obtained to relative humidity and other measurements such as thermometers for easy use. This eliminates the need for having a slight psychrometer chart for every location at which you wish to use the device.

Using a Traditional Sling Psychrometer

Obtaining a reading from a sling psychrometer is a two-part process. In the first phase, you obtain information with the psychrometer. In the second phase, you use a sling psychrometer chart to interpret the results.

1. Wet the sponge of the thermometer with distilled water. The sponge or wick should be fully saturated. 2. Spin the sling psychrometer at a rate of a two to three rotations-per-second for two to three minutes. 3. Check the temperature on the wet thermometer. 4. Spin the sling psychrometer for another minute. 5. Check the temperature for changes. If the temperature dropped, repeat step four until the temperature stabilizes. 6. Once the temperature has stabilized, compare the wet and dry thermometer temperatures to a sling psychrometer chart designed for the elevation you are at.

While this process is quite simple, care should be taken to avoid errors in temperature assessment. Common errors include:

Holding the psychrometer too close to your body or other heat source Not wetting the sponge or wick thoroughly Not using distilled water

All of these will cause a high reading on the thermometers and lead to inaccurate results. Hence, you can take a larger sample size and just get the average.

Finding the Proper Sling Psychrometer Chart

Numerous sling psychrometer chart databases are available on the Internet. If you wish to have a physical copy, many of these sites offer printed versions for an affordable price. Most charts vary by an elevation of 100-feet. While this allows for flexibility when you need to measure the relative humidity in multiple locations, it can results in slight inaccuracies in the final result. Custom charts for specific destinations can be made using specialized computer software if higher accuracy is needed.

Using a Digital Sling Psychrometer

Digital sling psychrometers are used in a very similar fashion, however they can prove results in a matter of seconds instead of taking minutes like a traditional sling psychrometer. Depending on the unit, accuracies are guaranteed down to ranges of as little as 0.1-percent. Many of these devices offer automatic conversion for a variety of readings without the need to consult a sling psychrometer chart. Because of their small size and quick readouts, these are ideal for gathering readings quickly or for use in small places where access without a traditional psychrometer would be difficult.