Now available Latest change 2025-11-03
In brief:
I have prepared a kit for builders of a Foucault Pendulum which allows to control the pendulum in a precise manner, make the performance of the pendulum visible in quite detail, log the data over long periods, and analyse the logged data.
The kit consist of some electronic circuit boards, software (in source code) and documentation.
Have a look at the new GUI program in the document explaining its functions
Warning:
This kit contains electronic circuitry and software which are experimental, and not exaustively tested.
You will need to change the software to fit your needs.
To prevent disapointments you should carefully read all the documentation to see if you understand the working and judge that you can use these materials.
If you do not have these skills and cannot find friends who do and are willing to cooperate with you, then this kit is not suitable for you.
I can give some support about the operation of the circuits and the software, but I cannot teach you electronics or programming.
This kit contains electronic circuitry and software which are experimental, and not exaustively tested.
You will need to change the software to fit your needs.
To prevent disapointments you should carefully read all the documentation to see if you understand the working and judge that you can use these materials.
If you do not have these skills and cannot find friends who do and are willing to cooperate with you, then this kit is not suitable for you.
I can give some support about the operation of the circuits and the software, but I cannot teach you electronics or programming.
What skills are required to assemble and use the kit.
- Soldering electronic parts on the PCB's, preparing (flat) cables.
- Basic understanding of the working of the electronic circuits (Ohms law, working with transistors and operational amplifiers),
- Programming: Modifying the Arduino software (C++, Arduino IDE),
- Programming: Modifying the Control, Logging and Analysing programs (Free Pascal with the Lazarus IDE),
- Working with an oscilloscope.
- Understanding the basic physics of a Foucault Pendulum.
What type of pendulums will be supported: (In The Docs is a more detailed description)
- The pendulum must have a magnet in the bob and be driven by an electromagnetic coil in the center, below the bob.
- The wire on which the bob is suspended must be electrically conductive and insulated from the rest of the system.
- CenterPass detection can be done by the capacitive method, with the drive coil or with a separate center detection coil.
- The pendulum can have a Charron Ring or provisions for Eddy current damping to reduce ellipse growth.
- Timing can be triggered by the Center Pass, or by the wire touching a Charron Ring.
- Amplitude control can be done with a Rim coil, or based on information from the capacitive CenterPass detection, or from the Position Measurement System.
- Drive Timing can be generated by a circuit which allows very precise tuning of the period time. The so called Resonance Mode.
What is in the Kit:
- Printed circuit boards for the Capacitive Position Measurement System (PMS)
- Printed circuit board for driving the Bob. Accepts a network interface to a PC with the logging program.
- Electronic parts to populate the boards.
What will not be in the Kit:
- Pendulum parts like Bob, Wire, Suspension system, etc,
- Driving and sensing coils, magnets,
- The Arduino MEGA board and the ETHernet interface board,
- Power supplies and cabling,
- Laptop or PC to run the software 24/7.
Can I order only the parts I need from the kit?
- NO. Optional parts form only a few % of the costs. It's all or nothing.
What will be free available on this website:
- Schematics of the PCB's, Parts lists, Mounting instructions,
- Software for the Control of the Bob and the PMS and logging the data, (Open source, you will need to modify it)
- Software for analysing the data, (Open source, you will need to modify it)
- Documentation of the electronics and the software.
What free Third Party software is required:
- Arduino IDE: Software development environment for the firmware,
- Lazarus/FreePascal: Integrated Development Environment for the Control, Logging and Analysing PC-software.
What Payed Third Party software is required:
- None, but you can run the software and the development environments on M$ Window$ or Mac based computers.
- But you can also run everything without licence costs on on e.g. Linux Mint, Ubuntu or other Linux variants.
What will it cost:
- The kit costs € 75,= excl. transport / foreign taxes etc.
How can you Pay:
- You can pay by PayPal or by a transfer to my (Dutch) bank account. I'll provide details when you order.
- I will ship the materials after receiving the payment. There will be no track & trace.
Disclaimer:
All hardware and software I make available here is experimental and may will contain errors.
You may use it for any purpose you like, but at your own risk and responsibility.
If anyone thinks that I illegally use or reproduce certain information, please let me know.
Jan.