Hacked Gadgets Forum

August 27, 2008

Tachometer made from a Bicycle Computer

at 12:50 pm. Filed under Cool Gadgets, DIY Hacks, Electronic Hacks, Other

 

A clever way to use a bicycle computer as a poor-man’s tachometer.  While I’m not sure about installing it in my car, I’m sure it’ll come in handy down the road for another project. 

"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!"


 


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4 Responses to “Tachometer made from a Bicycle Computer”

  1. Jon Says:

    In college, we drove this $300 car across the country. The starter didn’t work. The thing couldn’t get past 60 mph. And, oh yea… we used a bike computer instead of the speedometer because that speedometer cable broke. (we pulled it out mid-road trip). It works great… but it takes some time to get up to speed. i.e. it’s not good for measuring acceleration, but if you are running at a constant speed, it’s great.

  2. Tony Says:

    If you rummage around on eBay for bike computers, you’ll find one that has an RPM readout. Easy to spot, they’re the ones with two round push buttons under the display.

    If you’re not interested in speed, set the wheel size to the smallest value (60cm circumference on mine) to get the maximum RPM value. If you don’t, it tops out at 99.9 miles or km per hour, thus limiting the RPM.

    I use them on lathes & the like. Downside is they’re a bit hard to read.

  3. Bicycle Computers Says:

    Bike computers are becoming a common sight on the handlebars of nice bicycles, but unless you’re racing or bicycling as part of a specific physical fitness or health program, you may not really need one. A bike computer tells the rider basically anything he or she could ever want to know about their riding. Depending on the sophistication (and expense!) of the model, it will detail speed, distance, temperature and wind speed, heart rate and pulse, calories consumed, pedaling cadence, and even provide geographic information like altitude, slope, or directions.

  4. Wade Patrick Says:

    It sounds like you’re creating problems yourself by trying to solve this issue instead of looking at why their is a problem in the first place

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