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Stopwatch and Timer Calibrations - National Institute of Standards ...

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Description <strong>of</strong> Timing Devices <br />

Section 2<br />

Description <strong>of</strong> Timing Devices that Require Calibration<br />

This section describes the various types <strong>of</strong> stopwatches (Section 2.A. <strong>Stopwatch</strong>es)<br />

<strong>and</strong> timers (Section 2.B. <strong>Timer</strong>s) that are calibrated in the laboratory. These<br />

types <strong>of</strong> stopwatches <strong>and</strong> timers are <strong>of</strong>ten used as transfer st<strong>and</strong>ards to perform<br />

field calibrations <strong>of</strong> the commercial timing devices described in Section 2.C.<br />

2.A. <strong>Stopwatch</strong>es<br />

<strong>Stopwatch</strong>es can be classified into two categories, Type I <strong>and</strong> Type II [5]. Type<br />

I stopwatches have a digital design employing quartz oscillators <strong>and</strong> electronic<br />

circuitry to measure time intervals (Figure 2). Type II stopwatches have an<br />

analog design <strong>and</strong> use mechanical mechanisms to measure time intervals (Figure<br />

3). The key elements <strong>of</strong> Type I <strong>and</strong> Type II stopwatches are summarized in<br />

Table 3.<br />

Table 3 - Type I <strong>and</strong> Type II stopwatch characteristics.<br />

Description<br />

Operating principle<br />

Time base<br />

Case<br />

Crystal<br />

Minimum time interval<br />

Type I <strong>Stopwatch</strong><br />

(digital)<br />

Time measured by division<br />

<strong>of</strong> time base oscillator<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

Quartz oscillator<br />

Corrosion resistant metal<br />

Impact resistant plastic<br />

Protects display<br />

Allows for proper<br />

viewing<br />

May be tinted<br />

May employ<br />

magnification<br />

48 hours without<br />

replacement <strong>of</strong><br />

battery<br />

Type II <strong>Stopwatch</strong><br />

(analog)<br />

Time measured by<br />

mechanical movement<br />

Mechanical<br />

mainspring<br />

Synchronous<br />

motor, electrically<br />

driven<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

Protects dial/h<strong>and</strong>s<br />

Allows for proper<br />

viewing<br />

Must be clear <strong>and</strong><br />

untinted<br />

3 hours without<br />

rewinding<br />

9

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