Huebner Speed Monitoring is a supplier of Tacho Generators. You may know you need them for specific applications and may have even ordered customised units for your own industrial and commercial needs. Still, you may not fully understand the finer details behind their robust technology. Continue reading as we explore the intricacies of one of our product listings: tacho generators.

What is a Tacho Generator?
There are many ways to measure the position of a rotary axis. Some position-measuring devices, such as absolute and incremental encoders, can also determine the speed of the axis by evaluating a combination of distance, pulses, and time. However, a tacho generator may be the most suitable option for applications requiring speed measurement only- without position information.
If you have read our blog on Generator Excitation Control Systems, you will recall that a generator converts mechanical energy into electrical energy. The voltage of the generated power is directly proportional to the device’s shaft speed. Tacho generators were specifically designed to ensure that the relationship between voltage and speed remains precise and linear within a specific range.
[1] Tacho generators are true speed-measuring devices that rely on the basic principle of a generator to determine the speed of a rotating part based on voltage. To measure the speed of a device — such as a fan or motor shaft —the tacho generator must be attached to the device itself to evaluate the voltage of the power produced by the generator to determine the device’s rotational speed.
The formulas can be found below:
[2]

Types of Tacho Generators
There are two basic types of tachometric generators, namely:
- A commutator generator
- A synchronous generator.
[3] Most tacho generators used today are brushed DC types with a permanent magnet stator and a wound, revolving armature. One end of the armature is affixed to the object whose speed is being measured, and the armature revolves within the stator’s magnetic field. As the measured object rotates, the rotation of the tacho generator armature induces a voltage. The amplitude of the voltage is proportional to the speed of rotation.
Commutator Generator
A commutator transforms the alternating current produced by rotation right into direct current that can be analysed by a voltmeter circuit and transformed to speed. If the direction of rotation changes, the voltage polarity modifies, so the DC tacho generator can determine both the speed and direction of rotation.

Image Source: Circuit Globe
Three-Phase Synchronous Generator
An AC tacho generator does away with brushes and uses a stationary, wound stator and a rotor with permanent magnets. In this case, the rotating magnetic field of the rotor induces voltages in the 3-phase windings of the stator. The amplitude and frequency of the induced voltage are proportional to the rotation speed. The AC output is rectified to a DC voltage whose amplitude is proportional to the rotation speed, and the rectified output goes through a smoothing filter to reduce voltage ripples.
Because AC current changes polarity twice per electrical cycle, an AC tacho generator cannot determine the direction of shaft rotation like a commutator generator. However, they have a greater lifespan because they don’t require mechanical brushes.
Tacho generators are typically used with DC motors and drives in motion control applications to control motor speed.

In case you were wondering, your car’s tachometer is a tacho generator with an analog dial or digital display.
TDP/S – Tacho Generators Offered By Huebner Speed Monitoring
Huebner Speed Monitoring Tacho generators are analogue transducers for instrumentation and control technology. These permanently excited generators form the speed with which they are driven to a voltage proportional to that speed. Thanks to their robust design and construction, they are suitable for larger industrial drives.
Depending on the requirements, the HUBNER GIESSEN Tacho generators are produced in customized sizes and connections and in various voltage versions. They are available with IP ratings IP55 to IP68 and have a temperature compensation of up to +100’c.

Contact Huebner Speed Monitoring for all your questions, orders, and enquiries.

















