Prototyping of a Low-Cost Stroboscope to Be Applied in Condition Maintenance: An Open Hardware and Software Approach

This paper aims to develop a low-cost stroboscope, which consists of an optical equipment capable of generating flashes of light at different frequencies, allowing to measure the rotation velocity of machines and contributing to maintenance processes in the industry. This device is based on the stroboscopic effect, a visual event that occurs when a continuous movement is presented by a series of samples, generated by flashes of light. When the frequency of the rotation movement is the same frequency of light pulses, the process will appear stationary. Based on the high cost of the commercial stroboscopes, it was developed a stroboscope prototype based on the Arduino platform, LED technology and 3D printing with an open hardware and software. The final prototype went through calibration and validation processes, achieving a performance very similar to a commercial instrument.