Racing Seconds (Smart Millisecond Chronometer & Speed Trap)
Source: Stemoto Original
Measure split-second events (toy car sprints, marble runs, pendulum swings) with a high-precision microsecond chronometer gate. The LCD screen displays times down to milliseconds (e.g. 1.482 seconds).
Categorisation
Props & Materials Required
- •1-Meter precision track with 2x high-speed IR break-beam sensor gates
- •BBC micro:bit V2 / ESP32 controller
- •16x2 LCD display screen (displays millisecond time: 00.000s)
- •DFPlayer Mini MP3 module + 3W speaker
Step-by-Step Instructions
Align High-Speed IR Gates
Set Gate A at start line and Gate B at 1-meter finish line.
Launch Race Car Down Track
Release race car down the track.
Microsecond Hardware Timer Gate
Car trips Gate A (timer starts: 0.000s) and trips Gate B (timer stops: 1.245s).
Millisecond Precision Readout
LCD displays 'Time: 1.245 Seconds | Speed: 0.803 m/s'. Speaker announces photo-finish result!
Why It Works & Notes
Racing Seconds explores time measurement in fractions of a second (tenths, hundredths, milliseconds). Dual high-speed IR gates allow children to measure split times in sports sprints and marble races with 1-millisecond accuracy.
Maths Mela Class 5 Chapter 12: Racing Seconds | STEM Tech: High-Speed Microsecond Hardware Timer Interrupts & Chronometric Velocity Calculation — Olympic photo-finish sports timing.