Fiber Optic Temperature Sensors: Principle of Operation & Applications

As the name suggests these sensors employs fiber optics technology to function. A fiber optic sensor generally guides light to and from a measurement zone where the light is modulated by the measurand of interest and returned along the same … Read more

Radar Level Transmitters: Operating Principle & Applications

Radar level transmitter basically employs electromagnetic waves to determine the fluid level in a tank. It converts level information into a 4-20 mA signal and transmits it to the controller; this signal may then be used in a measurement … Read more

How Interferometers are used as Position Sensors

Interferometer sensors employ energy in the form of light or sound to make precise position/location measurements. There are a number of applications where accurate measurement of very small linear mechanical displacements and distances between objects in the order of nanometers … Read more

Principle of Operation of Magnetostrictive Position Sensors

Magnetostrictive sensors detect the location of a magnetic ring that slides along a conductive metal tube; in other words this sensor operation utilizes the effect of a magnetic field on magnetostrictive wire to function. The figure below illustrates a Magnetostrictive … Read more

How to Connect Discrete Sensors to PLC Inputs

Discrete Sensor Outputs  

Basically sensor outputs can be categorized into two types: discrete also referred to discrete or logic and proportional also called analog. Discrete sensors supply a single logical output (1 or 0) e.g. a flow switch used … Read more

Photoelectric Pressure Transducer Operation

The photoelectric pressure transducer uses a phototube and a light source (either a stable source of light or ac modulated light) separated by a window, whose aperture is controlled by the force summing device of the pressure transducer as illustrated … Read more

Electronic IC Temperature Sensors

Electronic IC temperature sensors are specialized integrated circuits that are used for sensing temperatures in the -55° C to +150°C range.

Basic Principle of IC Temperature Sensors

The working principle of IC temperature sensors is based on semiconductor physics. When … Read more

What is Calibration of the Sensor?

Calibration of the sensor is the relationship between the physical measurement variable input and the signal variable output for that specific sensor. Typically, a sensor or an entire instrument system is calibrated by providing a known physical input to the … Read more

Types of Load Cells and How Do They Work?

Load cells

In the vast landscape of industrial measurement, load cells play a pivotal role in ensuring the accuracy and reliability of weight and force measurements. These sophisticated devices, integral to myriad applications across industries, convert mechanical force into measurable electrical outputs.… Read more

The Principle of Operation of an Induction Potentiometer

An induction potentiometer is a rotary type linear-variable inductor with two concentrated windings wound on the stator and on the rotor as illustrated in the figure below:

Induction Potentiometer
Fig: Induction Potentiometer

The rotor windings are excited with an AC, inducing voltage … Read more