DIY Arduino Tachometer and Distance Measurement Tool

Hello Friends, In this instructables i will show you how i made this multitool that is very useful for a hobbyist and also for general usage.

This is an tachomter for those who don't know what tachometer is that is a device that is used to measure the RPM of a rotating object

Suppose you want to measure the RPM of an Spinning DC motor how you will do that? In that cases we will be using this device.

Also this device has an embedded scale or as few say a ruler!

Just by pointing at the object this device shows the distance between the object and the device itself.

The best thing about this project is this is very small considering the features and can be powered by usb device and looks pretty decent also.

Now you may wonder how was i able to both these tools inside one display? The answer is very simple.

I used a push button with the help of which by pressing you can change the modes between two tools.

I would like to strongly recommend you to build this in your spare time or build it on your weekend since it will be handy when you need it the most.

To make all the viewers who are interested in building this i have given the step by step instrucations on building this and also codes and circuit are well explained.

Like always there is also an working video given at the end of this project so that you will have even more better understanding.

Hope to see you build this project and post it on the i made it section.

These are the materials that are needed to make this project.

Arduino Nano from here

Push Button

Mini Breadboard

Ultrasonic sensor (HC-SR04)

OLED Module

IR sensor

3D Printer that i use

PLA Filament all colors

Arduino IDE

Programming Cable

Super Glue

Basic electronics like motor and battery to test this project

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The First step that came to mind before making this project was the design.

I wanted this project to be small as possible and also should have great appearance at the first glance.

There was many other design that i made and tried but none of those excited me. I wanted the practical yet sleek design considering the standard size of the components.

IR sensor and the ultrasonic sensor comes in standard sizes so that if you are using these design you can use the design file and install the components effortlessly.

I designed the model using the tinkercad application and since it is not a very complex design you can make it effortlessly in some time.

You can simply use the files which i gave in this step, just open in the slicer and you can follow the settings that i used to get a good quality print.

PLA filament is the best choice to print this model and the choice of colors is totally depending on the users taste of color in my case it was red and golden yellow.

The Print time is not more, i was able to get the models printed in less than an hour and you can expect the same.

There is no need of any post processing after the model is printed, Now while the model is ready we can head over to making the electronics part

The Circuit at first glance seems like a mess for most of the newbies who are seeing such connection for the first time!

Do not worry this is not as complex as it seems, i will make the circuit connections very easy for you by giving a step by step connection explanation.

Note that i used arduino nano in the project but the circuit is made with uno, the connections remain the same

The circuit has 3 main components, The OLED, Ultrasonic sensor and the IR sensor and i will explain the connections

All these components has the Vcc and the Gnd terminals, Connect them to the 5v/3v terminal and all the Gnd to the ground of the arduino uno board.

Now the left over pins of modules is connected to arduino as follows

The HC-SR04 Trig to D8 and Echo to D7 pins

The IR sensor output goes to digital pin 6.

The OLED connections for SCL to A5 and the SDA to A4

Toggle switch is connected between D5 and the Ground

You can even shrink the circuit by connecting all the gnd to one jumper and that cable is connect to uno directly, This reduces wire usage to large extent.

Now upload the program to board using the IDE, Connect the arduino board to computer and use the program given below.

Check for proper port type and board type and upload the program, once it is done test the circuit for working and if any customisation is required you can do that also.

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I will start by placing the electronics components that play the key role here, Thst is the IR sensor and the ultrasonic sensor.

Place it on the dedicated areas on the 3d printed thing and if necessay add tiny amounts of hot glue.

Double sided adhesive works pretty much fine for this purpose, Once you are done with the sensor paart rest of the cable hiding part! can be done.

The jumper cables needs to be double checked for any disconnection during the process, Now if needed power on the device before sealing the base and top part.

After all the checks are complete proceed with sealing the top and bottom part, just use a tiny amount of superglue between these parts and gently press for some time and then you are good to go.

The toggle switch has a separate 3d printed frame that is connected to the top part and sealed using the hot glue or the super glue depending on you.

If you think that the circuit is conjested and you are not able to close the top lid just use the extender part, all you have to do is 3d print the extender and place between the base and the top.

At this point the building phase is completed and now we can head over to testing the project for its working.

Using this simply amazing, i get the feel of a superhero when my creation is build and i watch them being put to practical usage.

To use this device all you have to do is connect usb source to it and depending on you want the tachometer mode or the distance scale mode press the button.

On pressing the button you can switch between the 2 options and now if you are in the scale mode just place any object in front of the sensor and you will see the distance.

Press the button again for tachometer mode and now you can measure the RPM of the objects especially the rotating objects.

There is a catch here, supppose you want to measure the rpm of a rotating wheel, just attach a piece of white tape so that the sensor sense the obstacle between the rotation.

To explain in simple way its like the hump on a straight road so the sensor can read and give the readings properly.

After using the device simply disconnect it and now you can put it on a small bag and carry wherever you want, this device is useful when you are a builder.

This is all about the project, if you still have anything to ask there is a comments box to connect us and i will be happy to address your queries.

I was pretty much excited to capture the build tutorial in detail and share it with you guys, Definitely, you will love the build process that i shared here.

I also added a working video of this project so that you will know the working of this project specially who are new to the field of arduino and its components.

That is all about this project, if you enjoyed the video give a like and if possible share it across your friends whom you think might like this.

Thank you for your time to read this and make it till here, Have a great build.