Building a Frequency to Voltage Converter

[meitl]

I found an old circuit diagram online but have never been able to find it again.

Here is what I am trying to do:
The three-phase DC motor I am working with is a 4-pole motor. Therefore there is a direct relationship between the frequency between the motors phase-leads, and the current RPM of the motor. IE - 2 magnetic cycles per revolution

What I need to do is take frequency measurements between the leads and convert that to a voltage that is representative of the motors RPM, which i can then display on a LCD voltage meter. I believe this to be a much cheaper method of obtaining a tachometer (plus it is an interesting project).

Interesting side-note: Using wheel radius and gear ratio I could easily output MPH using op-amps, although it would be inaccurate while the car is gliding in neutral.

If anyone has any ideas or links to a good circuit diagram it would be greatly appreciated. My background is in Physics, so my ability to design complex circuits like this is very limited without extensive research.

 

[berkeman]

You can make an analog frequency-to-voltage converter with a differentiator stage, but I'd be inclined to do this project digitally instead.

The function that you are asking about is basically a "frequency counter". Check out this page and the links at the bottom to see if they are of help (especially the "building your own frequency counter" link):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency_counter

.

 

[skeptic2]

The simplest approach I can think of is to use a 555 timer to generate a pulse slightly shorter than the period of your highest frequency. Pass the frequency through a Schmidt trigger so you have a clean waveform to trigger the 555. Read the output of the 555 with a digital voltmeter. The voltage may be a little erratic at the lowest frequencies.

 

[f95toli]

Or alternatively, just use an f-V converter IC such as LM2907 from National Semiconductor.
Although that would not be as much fun

http://www.national.com/mpf/LM/LM2907.html

 

[meitl]

I found this circuit diagram.

http://freecircuitdiagram.com/2008/08/19/frequency-to-voltage-converter-change-your-voltmeter-to-frequency-meter/"

Will it work?
And if so how would it be implemented? I need to make a measurement between two of the phase terminals of my motor controller.

 

[meitl]

I guess I need to be more specific, the frequency I am reading comes from a MC that is outputting 91V pulses, from what I read that national semiconductor model will not like having an input voltage that high.
Correct me if I am wrong.

 

[skeptic2]

R1 along with D1 & D2 will limit your input voltage to +/- 0.7 volts. It'll probably still work but R1 should be at least 1/4 watt.

 

[skeptic2]

What is the frequency to voltage ratio you want? In other words what are the lowest and highest frequencies you expect and their corresponding voltages?

The circuit you reference is similar to what I was suggesting above but is set up to produce a 200 uS second pulse maximum. This seems a little a little short for your application. Depending on your frequency range you will probably have to increase C4 significantly.