1.

The tachometer is a measuring instrument that is used to measure the operating speed of an engine in
revolutions per minute. It is also known as a revolution counter.
2. The device can measure the rotational speed of the shaft or disc when the machine is in motion. It also
indicates the angular speed of a rotating shaft. This instrument is usually used to estimate traffic speed
and volume/flow. It is used in cars, aircraft or other vehicles.

3. The first Tachometer is widely considered to have been developed by the German engineer, Dietrich
Uhlhorn in 1817. Uhlhorn needed a gauge to measure the speed of machines. Little did he know that
within 200 years this simple device was going to be a standard feature on vehicles driving in every
continent on the Earth.

4. Contact type – This type of tachometer is usually fixed to the machine or electric motor. It works by
bringing a freely spinning wheel in contact with a rotating shaft or disc. The shaft drives the wheel to
generate the pulses. These pulses are then read by a tachometer and measured in revolution per minute. It
can also calculate the linear speed and distance.

Non-contact type – It is also known as photo tachometer or non-touch tachometer. This type of device
doesn’t need any physical contact with the rotating shaft. It uses a laser, infrared light, or other light
sources to take the measurements. The device sends out the beam of light. This beam reflects each time a
tape makes a full rotation. The receiver needs to count these reflections during the process to measure the
rotational speed in RPM. This type of tachometer is efficient, durable, accurate, and compact.

5. Photo or non-contact- 1) Select the " Function Switch " to the " Photo RPM " position. 2) Apply a
reflecting mark to the object being measured. Depress the " Measuring Button " & align the " Laser light
beam “with the applied target. Verify that the " Monitor Indicator lights when the target pass through the
light beam. Release the "Measuring Button" when the reading stabilizes (about 2 seconds).

Contact - 1) Select the " Function Switch “to the " Contact RPM " position. 2) Depress the " Measuring
Button " & lightly pressing the " RPM Adapter " against the center hole on the hole of the measured
rotating axis. Release the " Measuring Button " when the reading stabilizes (approx. 2 sec.).

6. Analog tachometer- It has a needle and dial type of interface and there is no provision for storage of
readings, it cannot compute average deviation.

Digital tachometer- are optical encoders which can determine the angular velocity of a rotating shaft or
motor, digital tachometers can be used in many applications such as automobiles, medical and
instrumentation equipment. The digital tachometer has an LCD or LED readout, memory is provided for
storage and it can perform statistical functions like averaging. It works on the principle of a tachometer
generator which means that when the motor is operated as a generator, it produces the voltage according
to the velocity of the shaft.
7. Contact/non-contact tachometer

Reflecting mark- A non-contact tachometer sends out a beam of light. That beam reflects each time the
tape or reflective mark makes a full rotation. The receiver counts these reflections over time to display
the rotational speed in revolutions per minute.
Laser Light Beam- a laser, or similar light source, to shoot light towards the object you want to measure.
That light is aimed at a reflective mark that you make on the object you want to measure.
RPM adapter- used for contact measurement
Monitor indicator- It is used to show the number of revolutions per minute (RPM)
Display- Displays the RPM that is measured.
Measuring button- Press this button to perform measurement
Memory Call Button- save the data of your measurement once.
Function Switch- A switch which changes the RPM based from the function (Contact RPM and Non-
contact RPM).
Battery compartment- where the batterie are put for the tachometer to function.
Surface Speed Test Wheel- used when measuring surface contact speed measurement.
Funnel type rubber- an RPM adaptor like surface speed test wheel, it is used when measuring different
size rotating axis.
8. Five (5) examples of machines which the Tachometer can be used to measure speed and the reason
why speed should be measured and monitored for such machines.
Car (Manual transmission vehicle)- tachometer is used to determine the optimal time to shift gears. Also,
to monitor the speed of your vehicle.
Aircrafts- show the rate of rotation of the engine's crankshaft, and typically have markings indicating a
safe range of rotation speeds.
Tractors- Tractors fitted with a power take-off (PTO) system have tachometers showing the engine speed
needed to rotate the PTO at the standardized speed required by most PTO-driven implements.
Traffic engineering machines- Tachometers are used to estimate traffic speed and volume (flow). A
vehicle is equipped with the sensor and conducts "tach runs" which record the traffic data. These data are
a substitute or complement to loop detector data. To get statistically significant results requires a high
number of runs, and bias is introduced by the time of day, day of week, and the season.
Analogue audio recording- a tachometer is a device that measures the speed of audiotape as it passes
across the head. On most audio tape recorders the tachometer (or simply "tach") is a relatively large
spindle near the ERP head stack, isolated from the feed and take-up spindles by tension idlers. The tape
recorders drive electronics use signals from the tachometer to ensure that the tape is played at the proper
speed.
References:
Abd S. (2022). Tachometer (Working Principles, Types, Application). Retrieved from https://www.dubai-
sensor.com/blog/tachometer-working-principle-types-applications/
Tiple P. (2020). What is Tachometer and Its Uses. Retrieved from https://www.shakedeal.com/blog/what-
is-tachometer-and-its-uses/
Fears P. (2017). The History of Tachometer. Retrieved from https://www.caigauge.com/blog/the-history-
of-the-tachometer#:~:text=The%20first%20Tachometer%20is%20widely,every%20continent%20on
%20the%20Earth.
MRC. Laser Photo/ Contact Tachometer. Retrieved from https://www.mrclab.com/laser-photocontact-
tachometer