Abstract
A new modification of a smartphone-controlled viscometer is proposed, in which a significant part of the operations performed by the electronic components of existing analogs are transferred to operations performed by software installed on the user's smartphone. The principle of operation of the viscometer is based on the Stokes method, i.e., the speed of falling of a ball in a tube filled with the test solution is measured experimentally. A distinctive feature of the design of the proposed equipment is the use of a rotary mechanism that turns the tube over. There are also two electromagnets on the turntable that hold the ball in position at the ends of the tube when it is turned over. The advantage of this design is the possibility of multiple repetitions of measurements: when the ball falls to the bottom of the tube, one of the electromagnets is turned on, fixing the position of the ball, and then the tube is turned over and the process is repeated again. The most significant advantage of the proposed design is a significant reduction in operating costs associated with the washing of the measuring unit.