Ayrton Oneill
Tachometers are used to display the RPM (revolutions per minute) of an engine. They are used in boats and cars, and can be mechanical or electrical. In this article, we will be looking at how tachometers work in boats.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Function | Display the RPM (revolutions per minute) of the engine |
| Tachometer type | Mechanical, alternator pulse signal |
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What You'll Learn
- Tachometers display the RPM (revolutions per minute) of the engine
- Tachometers use the alternator's revolutions to generate a discernable indicator
- Tachometers can be mechanical, using a gear drive to spin a cable and transfer rotation to the tachometer gauge
- Tachometers can be calibrated
- Automotive tachs can be used for smaller outboards
Tachometers display the RPM (revolutions per minute) of the engine
On some engines, the tachometer is mechanical. There will be a gear drive on the engine that will spin a cable and transfer the rotation to the tachometer gauge, so that it can be read. A slight addition to the mechanical approach is to use the mechanical rotation of the gear drive to generate a pulse signal, similar in nature to the alternator pulse signal, which can then be converted via an electrical gauge to provide RPM information. The least common, and most commercial, is engines that utilize a magnetic inductive pickup, usually on the flywheel, to generate a pulse.
Outboard tachs operate by counting the pulses from the stator (charging system). If the auto tach will recognize the very different pulse shape then you can do the math to equate the number of cylinders on an auto engine to 6 pulses per rev from most outboard stator systems.
Automotive tachs can be used for smaller outboards, but the reading will have to be divided in half because an auto tach fires twice as much and at wot you won't get an accurate reading unless your tach goes to 13000 rpms.
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Tachometers use the alternator's revolutions to generate a discernable indicator
Tachometers are used to display the RPM (revolutions per minute) of an engine. The most common method for providing a tachometer signal is to use the alternator's revolutions to generate a discernable indicator.
Alternators generate power as AC (alternating current) that is then rectified to DC (direct current) and stored in batteries. This is a quick and accurate method of counting the revolutions of the engine, which typically run into the hundreds.
On some engines, especially in commercial applications, the tachometer is mechanical. There will be a gear drive on the engine that spins a cable and transfers the rotation to the tachometer gauge. A slight addition to the mechanical approach is to use the mechanical rotation of the gear drive to generate a pulse signal, similar to the alternator pulse signal, which can then be converted via an electrical gauge to provide RPM information. The least common, and most commercial, is engines that utilise a magnetic inductive pickup, usually on the flywheel, to generate a pulse.
Outboard tachs operate by counting the pulses from the stator (charging system). If the auto tach will recognise the different pulse shape, then you can do the math to equate the number of cylinders on an auto engine to 6 pulses per rev from most outboard stator systems.
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Tachometers can be mechanical, using a gear drive to spin a cable and transfer rotation to the tachometer gauge
Tachometers display the RPM (revolutions per minute) of the engine. The most common method for providing a tachometer signal is to utilise the alternator's revolutions to generate a discernable indicator.
Outboard tachs operate by counting the pulses from the stator (charging system).
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Tachometers can be calibrated
On some engines, especially in commercial applications, the tachometer is mechanical. There will be a gear drive on the engine that will spin a cable, and transfer the rotation to the tachometer gauge, so that it can be read. A slight addition to the mechanical approach is to use the mechanical rotation of the gear drive to generate a pulse signal, similar in nature to the alternator pulse signal, which can then be converted via an electrical gauge to provide RPM information. The least common, and most commercial, is engines that utilize a magnetic inductive pickup, usually on the flywheel, to generate a pulse.
Outboard tachs operate by counting the pulses from the stator (charging system). If the auto tach will recognize the very different pulse shape then you can do the math to equate the number of cylinders on an auto engine to 6 pulses per rev from most outboard stator systems.
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Automotive tachs can be used for smaller outboards
A tachometer displays the RPM (revolutions per minute) of the engine.
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Frequently asked questions
A tachometer displays the RPM (revolutions per minute) of the engine. This is done by counting the pulses from the stator (charging system).
RPM stands for revolutions per minute.
Boat tachometers will typically display RPMs in the 10s of hundreds.
A mechanical tachometer has a gear drive on the engine that spins a cable and transfers the rotation to the tachometer gauge. An outboard tachometer, on the other hand, does not depend on the number of cylinders in the engine and instead counts the pulses from the stator.
