On Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:39:27 -0400, Leon Fisk
wrote:

On Sat, 19 Sep 2009 20:24:03 -0400, Wes
wrote:

snip
You gave me a thought. My Fluke 117 reads frequency. I wonder if a wrap or two around
the spark plug wire would be enough for it to register?

Currently my meter is at work and I'm waiting for a blade adaptor since mine is cracked or
I'd be telling you how it worked out.

Wes

My Fluke can read frequency too, but at ~$300 it ain't the
cheapest way to go. Would probably work okay for testing and
such though. Just hook on to the alternator output and
divide the measurement appropriately.

I want something cheap to display the RPM while mowing. I've
got horsepower plus, only need to run it fast enough to get
a decent cut. Even at maybe 3/4 throttle I can't hear the
motor hesitate a bit in the deepest grass going full out. If
I could see the RPM it would be a lot easier to duplicate
the sweet spot where it cuts good enough for me.

For ~$40 you can get one of these:

http://www.jackssmallengines.com/hour_meter.cfm

Which is about the easiest and cheapest solution I've seen.
May eventually get one, was hoping to pay even less though.
Already have an hour meter, really just want the tach.

Google on "tinytach" they make a small tachometer for gasoline or
diesel engines. I have a couple and they work as advertized. I believe
that the gasoline model is $39.00