by Matt Burns, Technical Marketing Director, Sensors, Avnet There are multiple ways for engineers to measure and keep track of liquids in a container, and one will fit your application. Anyone who lives near a river or creek knows the anxiety that can happen during a thunderstorm, when rising water levels can cause high stress […]
Implement Proximity and Touch Sensing Technology without Writing any Software
Replacing a mechanical switch with a digital output touch sensor is a lot easier if the system designer does not have to write any code. With that goal in mind, Microchip Technology developed its MTCH102-5-8 capacitive touch controllers. The 2-, 5- and 8-channel controllers replace mechanical buttons with a simple digital output in a hardware-only […]
Noise-Immune Capacitive Sensing
Electrical noise source such as radios, power supplies, lights and motors can pose serious problems for capacitive sensors. To combat these problems, Texas Instruments (TI) FDC2214 capacitive sensing integrated circuit (IC) family offers 60x better performance in the presence of noise compared to existing capacitive-sensing solutions. The IC’s have a unique narrow-band architecture that eliminates […]
Capacitive Sensors Close the Loop in Nanopositioning Actuators
With input from integrated capacitive sensors, Queensgate Instruments’ newest Digital Piezo Translator (DPT) series of actuators deliver precise positioning and rapid settling. The sensors allow the actuators to achieve position resolutions down to 0.09nm (RMS) with less than 2ms response time and 0.5nm (RMS) repeatability. The actuators can move loads of up to 60kg across […]
New Package Option for Their Two-Wire, Unipolar, Hall-Effect Switch Family
Allegro MicroSystems, LLC announces a new package option for their A115x (A1152, A1153, A1156, and A1157) family of two-wire, unipolar, Hall-effect switches, which are factory-trimmed to optimize magnetic switchpoint accuracy. These devices are produced on the Allegro™ advanced BiCMOS wafer fabrication process, which utilizes a patented high frequency, 4-phase, chopper-stabilization technique. This technique achieves magnetic […]
New Capacitive Displacement Sensor Packs High Precision into Tiny Spaces
The new CPL350 is a small, precision capacitive displacement sensor from Lion Precision. The single-channel sensor brings top-shelf performance into tiny spaces at more affordable prices. Ideal for embedded and OEM applications. Designing machines that require embedded, high-precision position sensing can be a frustration for engineers and designers. Non-contact sensing with resolutions in the nanometer […]
Power Management in Energy Harvesting
At Sensors Expo 2015 in Long Beach, CA, Sam Nork, a design manager for Linear Technology explains the company’s power management ICs for energy harvesting applications. For more information about power management ICs for energy harvesting, click here.
Simplifying Clear Label Sensor Applications
Simple is always better. Lion Precision’s new LRD6300 capacitive clear label sensor features push-button controls with one-click AutoGap setup. The sensor’s EasyCheck Verification is a simple system of bright LEDs that allows operators and others to confirm if the sensor is operating correctly – even at a distance. The display uses seven LEDs. The one-button […]
Inclination Sensor Delivers 360-Degree Measurement Range
An inclination sensor that provides the angle of an object in relation to the gravitational field of the Earth can be useful in a game console to understand the orientation of the joystick. A more critical application is measuring the angle of the boom of a crane to prevent the crane from tipping over. In […]
Touchless rotary aensors with CANopen interface
Novotechnik U.S. introduces the Vert-X 32E Series of programmable rotary angle sensors. The sensors are touchless magnetic angle sensors with a permanent magnet that can be secured to a rotating shaft, so that there is no direct mechanical linkage between the shaft and the measuring system, and therefore no wear. Output provided is CANopen Interface. […]
