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  Session: Physics of Hobbies
  Paper Type: Contributed
  Title: Engineering a Bicycle Speedometer
  Meeting: 2018 Winter Meeting: San Diego, CA
  Location: N/A
  Date:
  Time: 3:10PM
  Author: Shawn Reeves,, EnergyTeachers.org,
607-216-7289, shawn@energyteachers.org
  Co-Author(s): None
  Abstract: When a student in the author's circuits class asked if they could build a speedometer, the author began to seek a simple circuit that would include a switch, a frequency meter, some way to convert that to a speed, and a display. Micro-controllers allow students to build inexpensive devices that can reliably monitor inputs, tell time, and compute things like speed based on those inputs. The fun begins when engineering the device to improve performance and features—to use the least amount of power; to allow for inputs like a changeable wheel diameter; to detect when a bike is in motion or being walked; etc. The author presents two designs and some design-considerations. Through EnergyTeachers.org the author helps educators around the world teach about energy and electronics, with lab materials, curricula, books, and other resources.
  Footnotes: None
  Presentation: Engineering a Bicycle Speedometer.pdf

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