{"id":14562,"date":"2022-03-03T15:32:56","date_gmt":"2022-03-03T23:32:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/?p=14562"},"modified":"2022-03-08T13:16:24","modified_gmt":"2022-03-08T21:16:24","slug":"how-do-i-use-a-photogate-to-measure-rotations-per-minute-rpms-of-a-kidwind-turbine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/14562","title":{"rendered":"How do I use a photogate to measure rotations per minute (RPMs) of a KidWind turbine?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Photogate timing does not default to counting RPMs. To set up your software to take the correct readings of a wind turbine, follow the instructions for your software below:<\/p>\n<style>.kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36 .kt-accordion-inner-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:10px;}.kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36 .kt-accordion-panel-inner{border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;border-color:#f79b2e;background:#ffffff;padding-top:10px;padding-right:10px;padding-bottom:10px;padding-left:10px;}.kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36 > .kt-accordion-inner-wrap > .wp-block-kadence-pane > .kt-accordion-header-wrap > .kt-blocks-accordion-header{border-top-color:#555555;border-right-color:#555555;border-bottom-color:#555555;border-left-color:#555555;border-top-width:0px;border-right-width:0px;border-bottom-width:0px;border-left-width:0px;border-top-left-radius:6px;border-top-right-radius:6px;border-bottom-right-radius:6px;border-bottom-left-radius:6px;background:#f2f2f2;font-size:18px;line-height:24px;color:#555555;padding-top:14px;padding-right:16px;padding-bottom:14px;padding-left:16px;}.kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basiccircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclosecircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrowcircle )  > .kt-accordion-inner-wrap > .wp-block-kadence-pane > .kt-accordion-header-wrap .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:after, .kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basiccircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclosecircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrowcircle )  > .kt-accordion-inner-wrap > .wp-block-kadence-pane > .kt-accordion-header-wrap .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:before{background:#555555;}.kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basic ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclose ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrow ) .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger{background:#555555;}.kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basic ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclose ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrow ) .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:after, .kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basic ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclose ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrow ) .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:before{background:#f2f2f2;}.kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36 > .kt-accordion-inner-wrap > .wp-block-kadence-pane > .kt-accordion-header-wrap > .kt-blocks-accordion-header:hover, \n\t\t\t\tbody:not(.hide-focus-outline) .kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36 .kt-blocks-accordion-header:focus-visible{color:#444444;background:#eeeeee;border-top-color:#eeeeee;border-right-color:#eeeeee;border-bottom-color:#eeeeee;border-left-color:#eeeeee;}.kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basiccircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclosecircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrowcircle ) .kt-accordion-header-wrap .kt-blocks-accordion-header:hover .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:after, .kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basiccircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclosecircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrowcircle ) .kt-accordion-header-wrap .kt-blocks-accordion-header:hover .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:before, body:not(.hide-focus-outline) .kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basiccircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclosecircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrowcircle ) .kt-blocks-accordion--visible .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:after, body:not(.hide-focus-outline) .kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basiccircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclosecircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrowcircle ) .kt-blocks-accordion-header:focus-visible .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:before{background:#444444;}.kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basic ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclose ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrow ) .kt-accordion-header-wrap .kt-blocks-accordion-header:hover .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger, body:not(.hide-focus-outline) .kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basic ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclose ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrow ) .kt-accordion-header-wrap .kt-blocks-accordion-header:focus-visible .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger{background:#444444;}.kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basic ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclose ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrow ) .kt-accordion-header-wrap .kt-blocks-accordion-header:hover .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:after, .kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basic ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclose ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrow ) .kt-accordion-header-wrap .kt-blocks-accordion-header:hover .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:before, body:not(.hide-focus-outline) .kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basic ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclose ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrow ) .kt-accordion-header-wrap .kt-blocks-accordion-header:focus-visible .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:after, body:not(.hide-focus-outline) .kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basic ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclose ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrow ) .kt-accordion-header-wrap .kt-blocks-accordion-header:focus-visible .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:before{background:#eeeeee;}.kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36 .kt-accordion-header-wrap .kt-blocks-accordion-header:focus-visible,\n\t\t\t\t.kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36 > .kt-accordion-inner-wrap > .wp-block-kadence-pane > .kt-accordion-header-wrap > .kt-blocks-accordion-header.kt-accordion-panel-active{color:#ffffff;background:#f3690e;border-top-color:#f3690e;border-right-color:#f3690e;border-bottom-color:#f3690e;border-left-color:#f3690e;}.kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basiccircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclosecircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrowcircle )  > .kt-accordion-inner-wrap > .wp-block-kadence-pane > .kt-accordion-header-wrap > .kt-blocks-accordion-header.kt-accordion-panel-active .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:after, .kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basiccircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclosecircle ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrowcircle )  > .kt-accordion-inner-wrap > .wp-block-kadence-pane > .kt-accordion-header-wrap > .kt-blocks-accordion-header.kt-accordion-panel-active .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:before{background:#ffffff;}.kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basic ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclose ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrow ) .kt-blocks-accordion-header.kt-accordion-panel-active .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger{background:#ffffff;}.kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basic ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclose ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrow ) .kt-blocks-accordion-header.kt-accordion-panel-active .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:after, .kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36:not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-basic ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-xclose ):not( .kt-accodion-icon-style-arrow ) .kt-blocks-accordion-header.kt-accordion-panel-active .kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger:before{background:#f3690e;}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36 .kt-accordion-inner-wrap{display:block;}.kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36 .kt-accordion-inner-wrap .kt-accordion-pane:not(:first-child){margin-top:10px;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-accordion alignnone\">\n<div class=\"kt-accordion-wrap kt-accordion-wrap kt-accordion-id_cbf928-36 kt-accordion-has-4-panes kt-active-pane-0 kt-accordion-block kt-pane-header-alignment-left kt-accodion-icon-style-basic kt-accodion-icon-side-right\" style=\"max-width:none\">\n<div class=\"kt-accordion-inner-wrap\" data-allow-multiple-open=\"false\" data-start-open=\"none\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-pane kt-accordion-pane kt-accordion-pane-1 kt-pane_4380b6-6c\">\n<div class=\"kt-accordion-header-wrap\"><button class=\"kt-blocks-accordion-header kt-acccordion-button-label-show\"><span class=\"kt-blocks-accordion-title-wrap\"><span class=\"kt-blocks-accordion-title\"><strong>Instructions when using Graphical Analysis or Graphical Analysis Pro<\/strong><\/span><\/span><span class=\"kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger\"><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<div class=\"kt-accordion-panel kt-accordion-panel-hidden\">\n<div class=\"kt-accordion-panel-inner\">\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Launch the Graphical Analysis App, then click or tap Sensor Data Collection.<\/li>\n<li>Connect the photogate to Graphical Analysis app.<\/li>\n<li>Set the photogate\u2019s sensor channels. <strong><em>(GDX Photogate only)<\/em><\/strong>\n<ol>\n<li>Select the Photogate from the list of available sensors.<\/li>\n<li>Once the sensor is connected, click or tap Sensor Channels.<\/li>\n<li>Turn on Gate 1 \u2013 Gate State and turn off all other sensor channels.<\/li>\n<li>Click or tap Done.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li>Set up the data collection mode.\n<ol>\n<li>Click or tap the Mode button in the lower left corner of the app.<\/li>\n<li>Change the Photogate Timing Measurement option to Angular Motion (distance, velocity, acceleration)<\/li>\n<li>Change the number of spokes to 6.&nbsp; (This number is the number of holes in the gear.)<\/li>\n<li>Change the Angle units to Revolutions.<\/li>\n<li>Click or tap Done.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li>Set up a calculated column to measure revolutions per minute (RPM).\n<ol>\n<li>Click or tap Column Option (three dot icon) next to the Velocity column in the data table, and select Add Calculated Column.<\/li>\n<li>Enter&nbsp;<strong>Velocity-RPM<\/strong>&nbsp;as the name and&nbsp;<strong>rev\/min<\/strong>&nbsp;as the units.<\/li>\n<li>Click or tap Insert Expression and select A*X^B.<\/li>\n<li>Change Parameter A to 60. Verify that Column X is Velocity and Parameter B is 1.<\/li>\n<li>Click or tap Apply.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li>Set up the graph to plot the Velocity-RPM column.\n<ol>\n<li>Click or tap the vertical axis label to access the y-axis Plot Manager.<\/li>\n<li>Turn on the Velocity-RPM column and turn off all other columns.<\/li>\n<li>Tap off the box to dismiss the plot manager.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>You are now ready to collect data.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-pane kt-accordion-pane kt-accordion-pane-2 kt-pane_f7f9ba-c3\">\n<div class=\"kt-accordion-header-wrap\"><button class=\"kt-blocks-accordion-header kt-acccordion-button-label-show\"><span class=\"kt-blocks-accordion-title-wrap\"><span class=\"kt-blocks-accordion-title\"><strong>Instructions when using LabQuest App<\/strong> (Original LabQuest, LabQuest 2, or LabQuest 3)<\/span><\/span><span class=\"kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger\"><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<div class=\"kt-accordion-panel kt-accordion-panel-hidden\">\n<div class=\"kt-accordion-panel-inner\">\n<ol class=\"inline wp-block-list\">\n<li>Turn on your LabQuest and choose New from the File menu.<\/li>\n<li>Connect the photogate to your LabQuest.<\/li>\n<li>Set the photogate\u2019s sensor channels. <strong><em>(GDX Photogate only)<\/em><\/strong>\n<ol>\n<li>Tap the photogate sensor meter (GDX: Velocity) and select Sensor Channels&#8230;<\/li>\n<li>Turn on Gate 1 \u2013 Gate State and turn off all other sensor channels.<\/li>\n<li>Tap OK.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li>Set up the data collection mode.\n<ol>\n<li>Tap the Mode details box in the upper right corner of the Meter screen.<\/li>\n<li>Verify the Mode is set to Photogate Timing, and the Photogate Mode is set to Motion.<\/li>\n<li>Change the object from Vernier Picket Fence to User defined.<\/li>\n<li>Change the User defined distance measurement to 0.166667 rev (\u2248 6<sup>-1<\/sup> since there are six holes in the gear making each blocked event 1\/6 revolution).<\/li>\n<li>Tap OK.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li>Set up a calculated column to measure revolutions per minute (RPM).\n<ol>\n<li>Tap the Table icon, <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"25\" height=\"25\" class=\"wp-image-8464\" style=\"width: 25px;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/08\/lq-tab-table-border@2x.png\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/08\/lq-tab-table-border@2x.png 105w, https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/08\/lq-tab-table-border@2x-90x90.png 90w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 25px) 100vw, 25px\" \/>, to change to the Table screen.<\/li>\n<li>Tap the Table menu and choose New Calculated Column&#8230;<\/li>\n<li>Enter&nbsp;<strong>Velocity-RPM<\/strong>&nbsp;as the name and&nbsp;<strong>rev\/min<\/strong>&nbsp;as the units.<\/li>\n<li>Click or tap Select Equation and select AX.<\/li>\n<li>Change Column for X to Velocity.<\/li>\n<li>Change parameter A to 60.<\/li>\n<li>Tap OK.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li>Set up the graph to plot the Velocity-RPM column.\n<ol>\n<li>Tap the Graph icon, <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"25\" height=\"25\" class=\"wp-image-8463\" style=\"width: 25px;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/08\/lq-tab-graph-border@2x.png\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/08\/lq-tab-graph-border@2x.png 105w, https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/08\/lq-tab-graph-border@2x-90x90.png 90w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 25px) 100vw, 25px\" \/>, to change to the Graph screen.<\/li>\n<li>Tap the Graph Menu and choose Show Graph &gt; Graph 1.<\/li>\n<li>Tap the vertical axis label and choose the Velocity-RPM column.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>You are now ready to collect data.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-pane kt-accordion-pane kt-accordion-pane-4 kt-pane_a048cd-73\">\n<div class=\"kt-accordion-header-wrap\"><button class=\"kt-blocks-accordion-header kt-acccordion-button-label-show\"><span class=\"kt-blocks-accordion-title-wrap\"><span class=\"kt-blocks-accordion-title\"><strong>Instructions when using Logger <i>Pro<\/i><\/strong><\/span><\/span><span class=\"kt-blocks-accordion-icon-trigger\"><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<div class=\"kt-accordion-panel kt-accordion-panel-hidden\">\n<div class=\"kt-accordion-panel-inner\">\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Connect the photogate your interface, and connect your interface to your computer.<\/li>\n<li>Launch Logger <i>Pro<\/i> on your computer.<\/li>\n<li>Set up data collection collection.\n<ol>\n<li>From the Experiment menu, click Set Up Sensors and select your interface.<\/li>\n<li>Click the dropdown menu button showing the picture of a photogate, and choose the option Set Distance or Length.<\/li>\n<li>Change the Photogate Timing Measurement option to Angular Motion (distance, velocity, acceleration)<\/li>\n<li>Change the object from Vernier Picket Fence to User defined.<\/li>\n<li>Change the User defined distance measurement to 0.166667 rev (\u2248 6<sup>-1<\/sup> since there are six holes in the gear making each blocked event 1\/6 revolution).<\/li>\n<li>Click or tap OK to exit the dialog box, then close the sensor setup box.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li>Set up a calculated column to measure revolutions per minute (RPM).\n<ol>\n<li>From the Data Menu, choose New Calculated Column.<\/li>\n<li>Enter&nbsp;<strong>Velocity-RPM<\/strong>&nbsp;as the name, RPM as the short name, and&nbsp;<strong>rev\/min<\/strong>&nbsp;as the units.<\/li>\n<li>Enter <strong>60*&#8221;Velocity&#8221;<\/strong> as the expression.<\/li>\n<li>Click Done.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li>Set up the graph to plot the Velocity-RPM column.\n<ol>\n<li>Click the vertical axis label on the graph you want to show the velocity and choose the Velocity-RPM column.<\/li>\n<li>Delete any unnecessary graphs.<\/li>\n<li>From the Insert menu, choose Meter &gt; Digital Meter to show a meter for the Velocity-RPM column.<\/li>\n<li>Choose Insert select Auto Arrange from the Page menu to quickly adjust the display.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>You are now ready to collect data.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">If you don&#8217;t want to set up the file manually, use this Logger <i>Pro<\/i> setup file.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-file aligncenter\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-239d0d31-e51f-4ddf-8269-1c12289429cf\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/KidWind_Turbine_RPM.cmbl\">KidWind_Turbine_RPM<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/03\/KidWind_Turbine_RPM.cmbl\" class=\"wp-block-file__button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-239d0d31-e51f-4ddf-8269-1c12289429cf\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"height:33px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<p>See also:<br \/><a href=\"\/til\/14557\/\">How do I measure rotation speed of a KidWind turbine?<\/a><br \/><a href=\"\/til\/3220\/\">KidWind Troubleshooting and FAQs<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Photogate timing does not default to counting RPMs. To set up your software to take the correct readings of a wind turbine, follow the instructions&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[5368],"class_list":["post-14562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-rpm"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14562"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14562\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernier.com\/til\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}