Testing string tension | Badminton Equipment - Other | Discussion Forum

This might be a stupid idea but is it viable to strum the strings on a racket, record the sound, get the frequency and work out the string tension ?

Obviously it would be different for different string types.

Hmm, this will only give you an idea if one racket is strung higher/lower than another. It will give you a range between x and y Hz, depending on the accuracy of the measurement and the used method and equipment. There're quite a few parameters that will/can influence your measurement (like the temperature of the string, for one). So if you would always measure under the same circumstances, in the same way (I doubt it this string tension is equaly spread), with the same equipment; as mentioned before you'll end up with "your racket has a tension between x and y kg/lbs/WhateverTheUnit. What would that be interesting for ?

Cheers, ED

It's more of a curiosity thing than a proper science.

Now that my friends know I can string rackets a few people are interested in doing the same as me, trying different strings and tensions (really handy cus the machine looks like it'll pay for itself in a couple of months).

I'm an engineer by trade so I have a compulsive need to know how things work, I thought it would be interesting to have a quantifiable means of measuring how different rackets/strings/tensions react under different conditions.

I'm not trying to create an industry standard but if I have constants, like stringer/machine/string/tension, and 4 different player styles (big hitter, drop/net specialist, all rounder and a guy who is improving at an astonishing rate) it seems like an opportunity to get some really good information about how they affect certain aspects.

I know it makes me sound really geeky and I'll probably lose all interest when something else gets my attention (drinking and strippers usually) but it all seems like a good idea at the moment.