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Frequency Meter Lecture Notes

This document describes different types of frequency meters used to measure the frequency of electrical signals. [1] Vibrating reed meters use an electromagnet coil near a tuned metal reed that vibrates most strongly at the signal's frequency. [2] Moving needle systems like the BTH and Weston meters use electrical resonance to create magnetic fields that move pointers along dials to indicate frequency. The BTH meter uses a moving coil LC circuit on a tapered iron core, while the Weston meter uses the relative inductance between two paired coil circuits to turn a small magnet and measure frequency.

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594 views4 pages

Frequency Meter Lecture Notes

This document describes different types of frequency meters used to measure the frequency of electrical signals. [1] Vibrating reed meters use an electromagnet coil near a tuned metal reed that vibrates most strongly at the signal's frequency. [2] Moving needle systems like the BTH and Weston meters use electrical resonance to create magnetic fields that move pointers along dials to indicate frequency. The BTH meter uses a moving coil LC circuit on a tapered iron core, while the Weston meter uses the relative inductance between two paired coil circuits to turn a small magnet and measure frequency.

Uploaded by

Sam Anderson
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Instruments of Frequency

1 Frequency meter
A frequency meter is an instrument that displays the frequency of a periodic electrical signal.
Various types of mechanical frequency meters were used in the past, but since the 1970s these
have almost universally been replaced by digital frequency counters.

1.1 Vibrating reed meters


One of the most basic forms of frequency meter is the vibrating reed meter or tuned reed
meter. This consists of an electromagnet coil carrying the signal positioned near the end of a
tuned metal reed or tuning fork-type arrangement. As the signal travels through the coil it creates
a magnetic field with the sampling frequency, which pushes and pulls on the reed, or a small
piece of metal or a magnet connected to it. The reed is shaped to vibrate at a particular
frequency, and if the signal in the magnet is close to it, it will begin to vibrate. Multiple reeds can
be positioned on a single electromagnet through various mechanical connections and the
frequency of the signal can be determined by seeing which reed is vibrating the most.
Similar systems, "reed receivers" were also used in early radio control systems; when the reed
vibrated with enough amplitude it would cause an electrical contact to close and actuate the
controls.

Figure 1: Vibrating reed Frequency meter diagram

The user of this meter views the ends of all those unequal length reeds as they are collectively
shaken at the frequency of the applied AC voltage to the coil. The one closest in resonant
frequency to the applied AC will vibrate the most, looking something like:
 

Figure 2: Vibrating reed frequency meter front panel

1.2 Moving needle systems[edit]


More advanced systems were of the deflection type, ordinarily used for measuring low
frequencies but capable of being used for frequencies as high as 900 Hz. There are two common
types, the BTH resonance frequency meter and the Weston frequency meter. Both use
electrical resonance to create a magnetic field to move a pointer, differing in their exact
construction.
1.2.1 The BTH meter
The BTH meter, named for the British Thomson-Houston heavy industrial firm, consists of a
magnet coil connected to the input signal. Running through the center of the magnet is an iron
core which extends past the end of the coil and is curved and tapered roughly like a sabre. At the
other end of the core is a second coil that is allowed to move closer or further from the fixed
input coil. This moving coil is connected to a capacitor to produce an LC circuit turned to a
particular frequency.[4]
Because the iron core passes through the moving coil, and the core is tapered, the inductance of
the LC circuit changes as the coil moves closer or further from the fixed input coil. When a
signal is applied to the input coil, the moving coil sees a force toward or away from the input
coil, and begins to move until the resulting resonance of the LC+core is the same frequency as
the input signal. Normally the moving coil is suspended from a pivot above it, so the linear
motion along the core causes the coil, and an attached pointer, to rotate over a dial.[5]
1.2.2 Weston frequency meter
The Weston frequency meter also uses tuned circuits, but in this case is is the relative inductance
between two such circuits that creates the meter's movements. The system uses coils with open
centers where the moving portion of the meter is positioned. Each coil has a partner that is
electrically connected so that the resulting field between them is uniform like in a solenoid. Two
such paired coils are used, arranged at right angles so that the resulting assembly looks like a
hash mark, # when viewed from the side.[6]
One of the pairs of coils is connected to inductors and resistors while the second does not have
any inductors. This causes the current in the inductor side to change as the signal frequency
varies away from the selected base frequency, while the field in the second set of coils does not.
This causes the currents in the two sets of loops to vary in relation to each other, and the
resulting magnetic field between them as well. A small magnet inserted in the open center turns
to align itself with the resulting field.Given below is the circuit diagram for the Weston type
frequency meter.

Figure 3: Weston type frequrncy meter


2 References
https://www.electrical4u.com/weston-type-frequency-meter/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency_meter#CITEREFBakshiBakshiBakshi2008

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