PASCO ME-9215B Photogate Timer - Manual (Page 5)

012-06379B Photogate Timer
1 ®
Introduction
Detector
LED: Lights when
beam is blocked
Infrared beam
The PASCO ME-9215B Photogate Timer is an accurate
and versatile digital timer for the student laboratory.
The ME-9215B memory function makes it easy to time
events that happen in rapid succession, such as an air track
glider passing twice through the photogate, once before
and then again after a collision.
The Photogate Timer uses PASCO’s narrow-beam infra-
red photogate (see Figure 1) to provide the timing signals.
An LED in one arm of the photogate emits a narrow infra-
red beam. As long as the beam strikes the detector in the
opposite arm of the photogate, the signal to the timer
indicates that the beam is unblocked. When an object
blocks the beam so it doesn’t strike the detector, the signal
to the timer changes. The timer has several options for
timing the photogate signals. The options include Gate,
Pulse, and Pendulum modes, allowing you to measure the
velocity of an object as it passes through the photogate or
between two photogates, or to measure the period of a
pendulum. There is also a START/STOP button that lets
you use the timer as an electronic stopwatch.
An important addition to your Photogate Timer is the
ME-9204B Accessory Photogate, which must be ordered
separately. It plugs directly into the Photogate Timer and
triggers the timer in the same manner as the built-in pho-
togate. In Pulse Mode, the Accessory Photogate lets you
measure the time it takes for an object to travel between
two photogates. In Gate mode, it lets you measure the
velocity of the object as it passes through the first
photogate, and then again when it passes through the
second photogate.
LED:
Source of infrared
beam
➤ ➤ ➤ ➤ ➤ NOTES:
c The Photogate Timer can be powered using
the included 7.5 V adapter. It will also run
on 4 C-size, 1.5 Volt batteries. Battery in-
stallation instructions are in the Appendix.
d Ten ready-to-use experiments are included
in this manual, showing a variety of ways in
which you can use your Photogate Timer.
The equipment requirements vary for differ-
ent experiments. For many of the experi-
ments, you will need an air track (dynamics
carts will also work). Many also require a
ME-9204B Accessory Photogate in addition
to the Photogate Timer. Check the equip-
ment requirements listed at the beginning of
each experiment.
Figure 1: The PASCO Photogate Head
Plug in RJ12 connector
from Photogate timer