Tape Sensor Tachometer Input to Two Plane Balancer

Hello, I am trying to set up a tape sensor in the DEWEsoft two plane balance program and the program doesn't seem to recognize my signal as a tach input. My sensor is a Monarch Instruments ROS that normally outputs 5V and outputs about 1V when the reflective tape passes the sensor.

First, we used the D-Sub connector to sense the voltage. With this method, we could see a square wave in the tachometer setup screen but when we tried to take data, the program would just keep waiting for an RPM signal.

Now, we are using the CNT1 channel and a 7 pin Lemo connector. Dewesoft seems to recognize the sensor in the CNT input too because the raw count increases as the prop shaft is spinning. Again, the balance program doesn't seem to recognize this as a tach input and the program waits indefinitely.

Can you suggest things to check in order to get this sensor working in the balance program? Also, is there a sensor that you would recommend in place of the ROS sensor that we are using? We can't attach anything that would change the balance of the prop shaft and skew the results.

Let me know if you need more information about my setup parameters.

Thank you,

Jim

Hi,

if you're using a tape sensor, then you should define a new sensor in the counters setup. The attached picture "tape_sensor_setup" shows exactly that. Since you're now using the Lemo connector, you can switch to the counters tab, click the set Ch. button, and follow the steps on the picture. First, define the basic application as sensor and click on the three dots, which will enable you to edit a sensor, or define a new one. Chose the plus button and write in the desired name. I've chosen the name "Custom tape sensor" for this example. After that, you can set the sensor type as "tape sensor", and click the save button before exiting the screen. Now fire up your motor and press the detect gap button. If the number of teeth matches the one on your tape, then you've correctly defined your sensor. If not, the hardware setup might not be correct.

Following that, make sure to enable the channels where your sensor is connected to. You can now switch to the balancing window, and select the corresponding inputs. For my case, I've selected the "custom tape sensor" that I've just created, and the Frequency channel as CNT 1, because that's where my sensor is connected to. If I now start the measurement and my motor, I should see the increase of the RPM.

If you're still struggling with this setup, maybe some of our more in depth tutorials could help you out:

- Balancing manual

- Digital counters PRO training

Thanks for your response. I was able to resolve the issue by selecting "Tacho" as my sensor type instead of "Tape Sensor". The hardware that I am using is a reflective light sensor and not a graduated tape sensor. We are using a piece of reflective tape to trigger a signal but it is now clear to me that it is not a "Tape Sensor". Thanks again for looking into this.

Hello,

I'm trying to get a tachometer to work and I'm not having any luck.

I have the tachometer plugged into the first digital slot on the DEWE-43. I added the counter tab and created a new tachometer on the counter sensor page. I'm just not sure what else to do or what settings that I need to click and change. I've went through pretty much everything on Google and DEWESoft but I can't seem to get it to work.

I'm trying to set the tachometer to read this reflective tape to get a RPM reading of our Engine Speed.

I would really appreciate any help or any tips. Thanks and have a good day!

Luke,

I'm also using a reflective tape tachometer very similar to this: https://www.gamut.com/p/monarch-tachometer-sensor-... and can share my settings next time I plug Dewesoft in.

However, last time I tried using this sensor with Dewesoft X3, I could not get it to work. I had to use X2 SP10 because the correct options weren't showing up in X3.