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It would be wonderful if more people would repeat (and especially reinterpret) the measurements I presented. An extremely simple and inexpensive (~20$) set up can perform remarkably precise measurements of a pendulum timing and energy characteristics. With the quoted precision an arduino based acquisition system can make a continuous recording of the clock period (+-4μs), the pendulum top speed (.01%), the atmospheric pressure (+- 2mb), the temperature (+- 1°C). No previous experience with Arduino programming is needed. If required almost two orders of magnitude higher precision can be obtained with similar hardware.
3 hardware components (not necessarily the ones listed below) are needed for an easy start:
1) ARDUINO LEONARDO - the arduino processor has to be a ATmega32U4, ARDUINO UNO is not suitable, the clock needs to be a quartz clock not a ceramic clock for timing calibration
2) PRESSURE/TEMPERATURE SENSOR SPARKFUN MS5637
3) PHOTOINTERRUPT DETECTOR + PHOTOINTERRUPTER BOARD
tested ARDUINO PROGRAMS -> MINISOFT.zip (link below)
1) LEO_Blink - to check the Arduino connections
2) LEO_BAROM_MS56237 - to check the pressure/temperature sensor
3) LEO_DELT - to check the timing section
4) LEO_ENCHILADA - all together
generic freeware software for data analysis like:
TERATERM for data acquisition from ARDUINO to any PC
LIBREOFFICE to manipulate and plot data
MINSOFT.zip
Example of serial monitor output, the input is a precision function generator (1 Hz, 20 ms pulse) and the arduino a quartzed Leonardo. Most arduinos are not as precise, I have been lucky here, but to investigate noise what's needed is just stability. Individual columns represent: acquisition time stamp, half period in μs, photo-interrupt pulse length in μs, temperature in °C, pressure in mbar.
These outputs can then be easily cut&pasted or recorded to an unlimited file with a terminal software (Teraterm has UTC timestamps).
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