Coping with the application environment is one of the more complex issues that sensors must address. To survive in harsh environments, sensors manufacturers improve the ruggedness of their sensors in many different ways. Three recently announced products exemplify the differences. For dusty and wet environments, Sensata Technologies ACW4 single turn and TCW4 multi-turn absolute Hall […]
Signal Conditioning
What’s new in microcontrollers for sensing?
At Sensors Expo 2018, Jason Wellman from the 8-bit marketing division at Microchip Technology demonstrates the noise improvement and other capabilities of the advanced analog to digital converter (ADC) on the company’s recently introduced ATmega4809 microcontrollers (MCU). As a Core Independent Peripheral (CIP), the ADC filters and averages random noise as well as periodic noise […]
How have pressure sensors changed over the last few years?
At Sensors Expo 2017, Jim Brownell, sales manager for All Sensors, shows the progression of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) pressure sensing over the past 30+ years from his company’s perspective. Starting with the A or alpha package that was created in the early 1980s, a packaged element pressure sensor had two integral ports and six leads […]
How does analog to digital conversion impact sensor accuracy?
When an analog sensors’ output is converted to a digital output with an analog to digital converter (ADC), conversion resolution, conversion accuracy, conversion speed or bandwidth, inherent system noise levels, and power consumption are all ADC tradeoffs. Errors due to temperature, supply voltage, linearity, quantizing, and other factors may reduce the accuracy of an ADC […]
Smart sensor technology: What is it?
“Smart” is frequently used as a prefix to mean new and improved for technology and even consumer type products. The term “smart sensor” has been used for over three decades (Giachino, J. M., “Smart Sensors,” Sensors and Actuators, Vol 10, 1986). Earning the smart prefix, meant the sensor performed a function that could not be […]
ICs for Environmental Sensing
At Sensors Expo 2016, John Geis from IDT explains an environmental sensor demo board with gas, temperature and ultraviolet sensing. For more information, click here.
Digital signal conditioner adapts to measuring conditions
More and more industries and manufacturers are requiring sensors for condition monitoring in their machines or processes. New digital signal conditioner technology is available that simplifies the use of eddy current (inductive) displacement sensors for high precision/high reliability applications. The technology is the best option for monitoring movement, position, vibration, alignment, or deflection, especially where […]
Fiber-Optic Sensor Amplifier Boasts Several Features
With one of nearly 500 E32-series sensing heads as its partner, Omron Automation and Safety’s E3X-HD fiber-optic sensor amplifier can address many space-confined sensing applications. The amplifier allows ultra-stable presence/absence and inspection. Its one-button smart tuning simplifies sensor threshold and light intensity adjustments. Other capabilities include the amplifier’s ability to automatically compensate for LED-aged deterioration, […]
IC Simplifies the Use of Thermocouples
At Sensors Expo 2015 in Long Beach, CA, John Austin, senior product marketing manager from the Analog and Interface Products Division of Microchip Technology discussed the capabilities of the MCP9600, a thermocouple conditioning circuit with numerous features to simplify the use of the ubiquitous thermocouple. For more information about the MCP9600, click here.
Integrated Fluxgate Sensor Operates on 3.3V
Among other integrated capabilities, Texas Instruments DRV421 magnetic sensing IC operates from 3.3V supply to simplify interfacing to ADCs on low-power microcontrollers. Target applications include magnetic closed-loop current sensing in motor controls, renewable energy, battery chargers and power monitoring. The 4-mm-by-4-mm quad flat no-lead (QFN) packaged IC contains a fully integrated fluxgate sensor and compensation […]
