PASCO SpeedCheckR 7500 User manual

Instruction Manual
Manual No. 012-08900
SpeedCheckR
Model No. SE-7576

Model No. SE-7576
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Table of Contents
Equipment List........................................................... 3
Introduction ............................................................. 4
Important Precautions .................................................. 5
Laser Safety ............................................................ 5
Equipment Setup (General) ............................................. 6
Speed of a Runner ...................................................... 8
Leg Speed (Soccer) ..................................................... 9
Cart Velocity ............................................................ 9
Centripetal Force ......................................................11
Speed of a Pendulum...................................................12
Appendix A: Technical Support .......................................13
Appendix B: Copyright and Warranty Information .................. 13

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SpeedCheckR
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SpeedCheckR
Model No. SE-7576
Equipment List
* Please contact PASCO Technical Support when no replacement part number is provided.
Included Equipment Replacement
Model Number*
1. Laser Unit
2. Receiver Unit
3. Rod Stand Mounting Brackets (2)
4. Right-angle Bracket
Additional Equipment Recommended
1. Rod Stand (large) ME-9355
2. SpeedCheckR Stand SE-7577
2
1
3
4

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Introduction
The PASCO SE-7576 SpeedCheckR is designed to measure the speed
of an object with a minimum of setup time. In addition, the speed
measurement is determined without the need to enter the width of the
object. All components of the SpeedCheckR include magnetic
mounting for a wide variety of configurations.
There are two main components of the SpeedCheckR:
* Laser Unit
- Includes two diode lasers placed 3.2 cm apart
- Uses two AA batteries (not included)
* Receiver
- Houses two optical detectors with the same 3.2 cm spacing
- Displays speed in m/s on large LCD display
- Uses one 9V battery (not included)
Setup requires only that the two lasers from the Laser Unit are aligned
with the optical detectors on the Receiver Unit. When the object passes
between the Laser Unit and Receiver, the lasers are blocked and the
speed of the object is quickly calculated and displayed on the large
LCD display on the Receiver. The speed is simply calculated as the
fixed distance between the lasers divided by the "time between
blocks".
Two AA batteries for the Laser Unit and one 9V battery for the
Receiver provide over 30 hours of operation.
Specifications:
Speed Range: 0.5 m/s - 100 m/s
Distance: 2 m max (between Laser Unit and Receiver)
Resolution: 0.01 m/s (0.5 m/s - 10 m/s)
0.1 m/s (10 m/s - 50 m/s)
1 m/s (50 m/s - 100 m/s)
Minimum Object Width: 0.35 cm

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IMPORTANT PRECAUTIONS
WARNING!
To reduce the risk of injury to persons, or injury from laser light, read
the following important precautions and information before operating
the SpeedCheckR 7500.
1. It is the responsibility of the owner to ensure that all users of the
SpeedCheckR 7500 are adequately informed of all warnings and
precautions.
2. Use the SpeedCheckR 7500 only as described.
3. Do not use the SpeedCheckR as a toy or for other purposes than
what it is designed for.
4. There are no user-serviceable items on the SpeedCheckR 7500.
Contact Pasco for repair or service.
A Few Words About Laser Safety
Research studies, along with an understanding of the hazards of
sunlight and conventional man-made light sources, have permitted
scientists to establish safe exposure limits for nearly all types of laser
radiation. These limits are generally referred to as Maximum
Permissible Exposures (MPE's). In many cases it is unnecessary to
make use of MPE's directly. The experience gained in millions of
hours of laser use in the laboratory and industry has permitted the
development of a system of laser hazard categories or classifications.
Manufacturers of lasers and laser products are required to certify that
the laser is designated as one of four general classes, or risk categories,
and label it accordingly. This allows the use of standardized safety
measures to reduce or eliminate accidents depending on the class of
the laser or laser system being used. The lasers used in the
SpeedCheckR 7500 are Class 2 lasers with emission levels similar to
commonly available laser pointers found throughout the country.

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Class 2 Lasers
A Class 2 laser or laser system must emit a visible laser beam. Because
of its brightness, Class 2 laser light will be too dazzling to stare into
directly for extended periods. Momentary viewing is not considered
hazardous since the upper radiant power limit on this type of device is
less than the MPE (Maximum Permissible Exposure) for momentary
exposure of 0.25 second or less. Intentional extended viewing,
however, is considered hazardous. For this reason precautionary
stickers are attached to the unit near the laser light sources. Do not for
any reason remove these stickers. Replacement stickers may be
ordered from TechnaSport, LLC.The SpeedCheckR 7500 complies
with 21 CFR 1040.10 and 1040 and other applicable FDA light-
emission requirements.
General Setup
1. Turn both the Laser Unit and Receiver on.
2. Connect the circular mounts to a standard rod stand.

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3. Place the Receiver on one of the mounts and the Laser Unit on the
other.
4. Position the Receiver and Laser Unit on either side of the object to
be measured.
5. Align the lasers from the Laser Unit so they shine straight upon the
optical detectors on the Receiver. The Receiver will read "Align
Lasers" until the alignment is correct.
Potential problems at this step:
Should the device stay in the“Align Laser” mode, the laser beam
may not be at perpendicular to the receiver.
As the AA batteries fade, the laser intensity slowly declines and
may not have enough intensity to trip the sensors. To the normal
eye, it looks like the lasers are properly working and that the
receiver device is defective. Once new batteries are installed, the
device works fine again.
6. Once alignment is correct, the Receiver will display a Ready
message.
7. The system is now ready to measure speed.
8. If the Receiver displays "Align Lasers" while the object is passing
through the beams, change the delay switch to Long. (Note: While
in the Long delay setting, the speed can only be measured once
every 8 seconds).

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The Receiver features two delay settings:
Short Delay - Useful for small, fast moving objects (baseball bat,
pendulum, etc)
Long Delay - Useful for large, slow objects (people walking,
dynamics cart, etc)
The SpeedCheckR Stand (SE-7577) can be purchased separately to
allow additional mounting options for experiments involving
centripetal force (see below), baseball bat speed, etc...
Speed of a Runner
To measure the speed of a runner, set up the equipment as shown in the
following picture.
1. Place the Receiver and Laser Unit no more than 2 meters apart.
2. The optional Speek CheckR Stand (SE-7577) is used, but a tall rod
stand would also be convenient.
3. The delay switch on the Receiver should be set to Long, since the
runner's body will block the lasers for a longer period of time.

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Leg Speed (Soccer)
The speed of a soccer player's leg as the ball is kicked can be measured
using the following setup pictured.
1. Place the Receiver and Laser Unit no more than 2 meters apart.
2. The Laser Unit may need to be offset to one side so the plant foot
(left foot in the photo) does not block the lasers.
3. The delay switch on the Receiver should be set to Short.
Cart Velocity
As a cart rolls down an inclined plane, the SpeedCheckR can measure
its speed.

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1. Place the Laser Unit and Receiver on rod stands, one on either side of
the track.
2. Rotate the lasers such that the cart passes straight through them (see
photo below).
3. Rotate the Receiver to align the lasers with the optical detectors.
4. Roll the cart down the track to insure the cart passes straight
through the lasers.
5. If the entire length of the cart is moving through the lasers, use the
Long Delay setting. If using a small flag mounted to the cart, use
the Short Delay setting.

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Centripetal Force
The SpeedCheckR can measure the speed of a stopper as it is swung in
a circular path. The speed, mass and radius can then be used to
determine the centripetal force on the stopper using the following
equation:
1. Use the SpeedCheckR Stand (SE-7577) to hold the Laser Unit
overhead.
2. Rotate the lasers such that the string passes straight through them.
3. Rotate the Receiver to align the lasers with the optical detectors.
4. Swing the stopper around to insure the string passes straight
through the lasers.
5. The Short Delay setting should be used.
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r
----------=

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Speed of a Pendulum
The SpeedCheckR can measure the speed of a pendulum at the bottom
of its path.
1. Place the Laser Unit and Receiver on rod stands, one on either side of
the pendulum.
2. Rotate the lasers such that the string passes straight through them.
3. Rotate the Receiver to align the lasers with the optical detectors.
4. Swing the pendulum to insure the string passes straight through the
lasers.
5. The Short Delay setting should be used.

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Appendix A: Technical Support
For assistance with the SE-7576 or any other PASCO products, contact PASCO as follows:
Address: PASCO scientific
10101 Foothills Blvd.
Roseville, CA 95747-7100
Phone: [phone]
FAX: [phone]
Web: www.pasco.com
Email: [email protected]
Appendix B: Copyright and Warranty Information
Copyright Notice
The PASCO scientific 012-08900A SpeedCheckR Manual is copyrighted and all rights
reserved. However, permission is granted to non-profit educational institutions for
reproduction of any part of this manual, providing the reproductions are used only for their
laboratories and are not sold for profit. Reproduction under any other circumstances, without
the written consent of PASCO scientific, is prohibited.
Limited Warranty
For a description of the product warranty, see the PASCO catalog.