3/30/2024

 Derived from Greek (Tacho) meaning speed

 Are a type of generator used to measure the speed of a spinning shaft
by converting the angular velocity into a voltage
 Speed measurement can be done with contact to the rotating part or
without
1  Are of 2 main types;
 DC tachogenerators
 AC tachogenerators

EEE 2415

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 Armature made of a rotating mass while the stator is composed of
permanent magnets
 The armature is attached to the shaft of the rotary quantity to be
measured
 When the shaft of the machine revolves, the armature of the
tachogenerator revolves in the magnetic field producing emf
proportional to the flux and speed (𝐸𝑏 = 𝑘𝑚 𝜙𝜔𝑚 )
 Since the flux is fixed by using parmanent magnets, the emf is
proportional to the speed of rotation of the shaft
 The emf is measured using a moving coil voltmeter calibrated to the
speed of rotation directly
 Speed can be measured bi-directionally as the induced emf can
be in 2 polarities
 Commutator and brushes collect current from the armature
conductors and converts the induced emf into D.C emf
 Advantanges
 Bidirectional emf can measure bidirectional rotational speeds
 Small output emf measurable with conventional voltmeters
 No waveform and phase shift problems
 No transformer action effects at 0 speed
 Has higher sensitivity than A.C tachogenerator
 Disadvantanges
 Errors due to brush/commutator varying resistance
 Non-linearities due to distortions in permanent magnet fields
 Limited application arreas due to sparking at brushes at high speeds


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 The stator of the generator consists two

windings, i.e., the reference and quadrature
winding.
 It is a small brushless alternator
 Both the windings are mounted 900 apart from
 Has a permanent magnet rotor coupled with the rotating shaft
each other
 The stator is made of a winding
 The rotor of the tachometer is made of a thin
 The output emf of the winding is rectified using a full wave rectifier and aluminum cup, placed between the field
connected to a moving coil voltmeter structure.
 The output emf and frequency both correspond to the speed being  The rotor is made of the highly inductive
measured hence either quantity can be used to measure the speed material which has low inertia.
 The input is provided to the reference
winding, and the output is obtained from the
quadrature winding.
 The rotation of rotor between the magnetic
field induces the voltage in the sensing
winding.
 The induces voltage is proportional to the
speed of the rotation.
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 Advantanges
 Maintenance free due to absence of brushes
 Output has less ripples compared to DC tachometer

 Disdvantanges
 Unidirectional speed measurement
 Requires rectification
 Requires large number of poles
 Requires high input impedance display devices

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