Description
The most advanced photogate ever! Dual photogate beams, laser switch, photogate tape slot, auxiliary photogate port, and wireless connectivity via Bluetooth.
The Wireless Smart Gate has all the features of the wired Smart Gate. It has dual photogate beams spaced at 1.5 cm to accurately measure speed. The built-in laser switch (when used with any laser) allows you to time objects too large to fit through the standard photogate. Use Photogate Tape passing through the photogate slot to measure the movement of objects. The auxiliary port is for adding an additional photogate head or Time-of-Flight Accessory.
Our Super Pulley also attaches directly to the Wireless Smart Gate, providing a simple, low-friction system to measure position, velocity, and acceleration.
Note: We do not recommend using two Wireless Smart Gates in the same experiment unless the measured times are relatively long (greater than one-half second) since synchronization is limited to 2 ms. For experiments requiring two photogates, we instead recommend connecting our Photogate Head to the auxiliary port of the Wireless Smart Gate for timing with no latency.
Typical Applications
- Launch velocity for a projectile
- Photogate timing for dynamics carts
- Rotational measurements (in conjunction with a Super Pulley)
- Pendulum timing applications
- Acceleration of gravity with picket fence
Experiment Library
Perform the following experiments and more with the Wireless Smart Gate.
Visit PASCO’s Experiment Library to view all activities for this product.
What’s Included
- 1x Smart Gate
- 1x Mounting Rod
No need for an interface.
All PASCO Wireless Sensors connect to computers, Chromebooks, and tablets, through Bluetooth 4. No other equipment required! Our software (SPARKvue or PASCO Capstone) allows students to see and analyze data in real-time.
Long-lasting battery
The Wireless Smart Gate draws as little current as possible. This provides you with a long battery life for lab activities. Our software also displays the battery level at all times. If it dips too low, you can easily replace the coin cell battery.
How it Works
Photogates are a timing device that measures times of the changes in the state of an infrared beam that is blocked by a flag of known length, as well as the times the beam is unblocked. Using the flag length, and the blocked time, students can calculate speed. The smaller the flag length, the more ‘instantaneous’ the measurement becomes. Using a “Picket Fence” (a card with multiple flags), students can calculate acceleration. Photogates can also measure the rotation of our Smart Pulley which features wide enough spokes that act as ‘flags’ to block the photogate’s infrared beam. With a pair of photogate beams, velocity can be calculated using the distance between the beams and the time between when the two beams are blocked. The Smart Gate allows you to do this with a single photogate because it includes two photogate beams spaced exactly 1.5 cm apart. And if you want to space the two photogates further away, an additional Photogate Head can be connected to the Smart Gate’s auxiliary port and placed at a known distance.
Product Specifications
| Logging | Yes |
| Battery | Rechargeable Lithium-Polymer |
| Connectivity | Direct USB or via Bluetooth 4.0 |
Battery & Logging
| Stored Data Points Memory (Logging) 1 | Not Supported |
| Battery – Connected (Data Collection Mode) 2 | >16 hr (>8 hr with Aux Port) |
| Battery – Logging (Data Logging Mode) 3 | Not Supported |
| Battery Type | LiPo |
1 Minimum # of data points with all measurements enabled, actual results depend on enabled measurements.
2 Continuous use in a connected state until battery failure, actual results will depend on sample rate, active measurements, and battery condition.
3 Logging until battery failure, actual results will depend on sample rate, active measurements, and battery condition.
* Normal classroom use is the sensor in active use for 20min/lab for 120 lab periods/yr.
Recommended Accessories
| Photogate Head | ME-9498A | |
| Photogate Tape, High Resolution (30 m) | ME-6666 | |
| Photogate Brackets (2 Pack) — IDS | ME-9806 | |
| Cart Picket Fences (2 Pack) — IDS | ME-9804 | |
| Super Pulley with Clamp | ME-9448B | |
| Wireless Sensor Charging Station | PS-3599 |
Replacement Parts
| Micro USB Cable | PS-3584 |
Also Available
| USB Bluetooth Adapter | PS-3500 |