In 1992 rowing brought the first Olympic medal for the independent Republic of Slovenia at the Barcelona Olympic games and in 2000 the first gold medal at the Sydney Olympic games. One of the top winners of sports in Slovenia requires appropriate equipment with new materials and appropriate measuring devices for obtaining various kind of information in order to increase the speed of boat and achieve better results.
The stroke rate is a very important parameter for coaches and rowers. With the help of pace we can determine the intensity of training on the water. Therefore, rowing frequency meter (hereinafter referred as stroke meter) is welcome in every rowing boat. Rowing stroke rate ranges from 16 strokes per minute at low intensity training up to 48 strokes per minute or more at the start stage of a competition.
The aim of the project is to produce a low-cost stroke meter by measuring boat acceleration. There are many products for measuring the frequency of paddling on the market, but these are quite expensive. The basic idea is to create a stroke meter, which contains no additional external components through which the moment of paddle strokes is detected (such as reed relays) and cables for connecting elements. To capture the acceleration I have chosen Sparkfun's three axis accelerometer that measures acceleration up to +/- 3g. The frequency of paddling will appear on the LCD display of the Nokia 5110. Everything will be controlled by the processor Arduino Pro Mini, which base is the ATmega 328. The attachment of the stroke meter will be designed so that it will adjust to the manufacturer Nielsen – Kellerman brackets. The aim is also to design appropriate waterproof housing. The prototype was evaluated with the identification of possible interference which can affect the accuracy of stroke measurement.
I have installed elements in the temporary housing which were later fixed in the boat. The testing results show that so programmed device shall operate properly under certain conditions. That conditions are sufficient rower’s force on the oar, minimum rowing pace of 24 stroke per minute and flat water.
|