Chinese tacho - beware

Many years ago I made an electronic tacho for my lathe, using a design I got from somewhere forgotten in the mists of time. It used a PIC programmed in very arcane code. Works fine, but as it updates very very quickly the last digit flickers, and the display is a bit dull. When I fitted VFD to my milling machine I had to make my own tacho as the only sensible pulley to fit the sensor went at a different speed to the main spindle. That updates more slowly and is OK. Decided eventually to sort out the lathe one, and bought a Chinese tacho, no point making one at that price. Problem is the update rate is so slow it's difficult to adjust the spindle speed. OK if you just want to know what speed it's doing, but when adjusting by the time it updates you've gone way past. Original is now back in place, the new one can wait till I need to just measure rather than adjust something.

Of course I should have just plugged it in before making a very nice box for it to sit in!

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.

If you have an iPad ... Just be careful to not take that into your workshop

MichaelG.

Or just about any other electronic device !

Duncan ,

Did you consider using an Arduino to make your new Tachometer?  - plenty of sketches available and  adjusting the update frequency is simple enough .

Edited By XD 351 on 20/06/2019 15:48:53

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Sorry, Barry ... I was just teasing

Logic:

Statistical analysis would find two commonalities between the broken items in your workshop:

1. They were all made in PRC
2. They have all entered your workshop

I have no way of knowing which, if either, is causative.

MichaelG.

And the third, you bought them because they were cheaper than a quality brand

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By some remarkable fluke ... I just found this: **LINK**

https://www.made-in-china.com/products-search/hot-china-products/Multimeter_Fluke.html

MichaelG.

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Barrie, probably produced for Fluke, most of the top mobile phones and cameras are made in China, like you suggest they can equal the best in the world but like top quality from any part of the world you have to pay for it.

I bought a WEN variable speed drilling machine with the same issue that the tacho takes several seconds to catch up with what's happening. I could live with this but the quill is such a sloppy fit that the drill bit blurs at high speed making it unusable for accurate work. I didn't get chance to use this before the 3 month warranty expired. I can see a major rebuild in its future or trip in a skip!!!!

John

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Tacho on milling machine is driven by Arduino, it updates 4 times a second. Some of the code is my own work, but as with many Arduino projects you cab crib bits from other stuff o the interweb

Fluke.

Fluke have 3 factories, 2 in PRC and one in Germany.
The Fluke multimeters are tested and callibrated on an instrument made in Deal, Kent, codename 'Baldrick'.
Each factory has 2 such testers.
The main problem in manufacture is the fake parts in the supply chain.
Even the PRC guys get caught out.

I have Kennametal carbide inserts made in the USA, UK, Germany and China.

Quite a lot of the large motor manufacturers such as mercedes, BMW etc, have factories in China to make components, or complete cars for those regions. Triumph motorcycles are touted as being made in England, but again a lot is made abroad, Malaysia and India i believe, frames, suspension components, switchgear etc. The design and engines are made in the UK.

So saying anything is rubbish because its chinese, or made in the far east is fraught with danger.

When I had the Ford Granada, 3 times I was stranded because the cut off fuel solenoid failed. By this time I always had 2 or 3 spare in the car. I had one examined and x.rayed and it showed that a bunch of wire was sealed at the top of the solenoid, it was made in Mexico. A long phone call with Ford after sending microscope images elicited that they would replace it for me. Strangely after that I had no more incidents.

Interesting question...

Lenovo and Huawei for a start.

Neil