A tachometer measures the speed of something spinning, usually in RPM. It can also measure engine hours and is used for fine tuning adjustments and emissions tests. There are different types, and it was invented by Diedrich Uhlhorn in 1817. It is also used in medicine and audio recording.
A tachometer is short for the word tachometer, which is a combination of the Greek and Latin words for measure and speed. A tachometer is used to measure the angular velocity of something that is spinning. The most common type measures revolutions per minute (RPM) of a crankshaft in a car, plane, tractor, or truck engine.
Many tachometers also have an hour meter that measures how many hours an engine has run at a certain RPM. Hour measurement is primarily used for service intervals and is seen primarily on airplanes and tractors. For example, a tractor will need to change its oil every 30 hours or six months instead of a certain number of miles or kilometers.
A tach usually displays RPM on a calibrated analog or digital display. The display on most tachometers indicates safe operating zones, with speeds beyond the maximum operating speed marked in red. Operating a vehicle or aircraft beyond the maximum operating speed (also called “red line”) of these safe zones can cause excessive wear and/or severe damage to the engine including the crankshaft, valves, and pistons for possibly fail or break. The engine can explode in the most serious situations.
All of the different jobs that a tachometer can perform mean that it comes in a variety of types, including mechanical, electrical, infrared, strobe, and reed type. Operators and mechanics use tacks for numerous reasons. First, they alert the driver when there is a severe loss of engine speed so an adjustment can be made to avoid realigning the vehicle. A tachometer allows a mechanic to make fine tuning adjustments to the engine and is also used to measure exhaust gas output during an emissions test, which is required in many states in the United States.
German inventor Diedrich Uhlhorn is credited with inventing the tachometer which was first used to measure centrifugal force. Uhlhorn began using the tachometer to measure machines in 1817 and began measuring locomotive engines in 1840. In modern times, the tachometer is used to measure multiple things besides the RPM of an airplane, automobile, tractor, or train. In medicine, tachometers are used to measure the speed of blood flow at a specific point in the circulatory system. A tachometer can also be used to measure the speed of the audio tape as it passes through the head in analog audio recording.
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