NewTek LVDT position sensors serves as long-life replacements for failing potentiometers

NewTek Pre-calibrated Linear Position Sensors serve as long-term replacements for potentiometers (pots) that become unreliable over time due to their contacting operation and effects from vibration and other environmental parameters.

As potentiometers rely on mechanical contact to provide position feedback, components wear out and are affected by heat, vibration, and humidity, making output progressively noisier and unreliable over time. Non-contacting and with no parts to wear out, NewTek LVDT Position Sensors offer frictionless operation and do not drift or get noisy even over extended periods. The excellent repeatability, temperature resistance, and resolution of LVDTs are critical for industrial applications that require measurement of very small movements such as TIR measurements, thermal expansion, and dimension quality. (see chart and caption below)

LVDT Repeatability & No Drift — The chart shows how the output of how a position sensor changes over time at a given point. A cycling, aging potentiometer will eventually experience wear between the wiper and the resistive element, degrading the quality of the electrical contact that creates noise and inconsistent results in the output signal. The inductive, frictionless operation of an LVDT give it superior repeatability for its entire service life. With no components that wear, the LVDT Position Sensor provides consistent output at a given position during decades of operation.

Challenging operating conditions such as high shock and extreme temperatures also can limit a potentiometer’s performance and reliability. As a result, Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) is typically lower for a potentiometer operating in a moisture-free and low vibration environment, than an AC-operated LVDT Linear Position Sensor working in a demanding application. The high reliability of NewTek LVDT Position Sensors in high vibration and shock environments make them more ideal than pots for use in the position measurement of machine tools, drilling tools for oil and gas, high-temperature steam valves, and other components.

The design of today’s LVDT Position Sensors with a short sensor body length to sensor range provides for an excellent stroke to length ratio that makes them suitable for long-stroke applications traditionally reserved for pots.

NewTek offers pre-calibrated LVDT position sensors in standard, miniature, hermetically sealed, high pressure, and high-temperature designs that serve as life-long replacements for failing potentiometers. Utilizing the latest manufacturing techniques and high-tech electronics in engineering in high-performance LVDTs, all products are USA-manufactured, with most ready for quick delivery right off the shelf.

NewTek Sensor Solutions
www.newteksensors.com