Category: Mechatronics, Industrial Control & Instrumentation
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Single-Phase & Three-Phase Inverters: Function and Operation
What is the Purpose of Inverters? Whereas dc machines are controlled by varying the voltage and current, ac machines are often controlled by varying the voltage and frequency. One way of accomplishing this is by using inverters. The process of … Read more
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Causes of Ground Loops in Instrumentation & How to Avoid Them
Causes of Ground Loops In Instrumentation We may have situations in instrumentation and control systems, where the sensor and the signal conditioning unit such as an amplifier or current-to-voltage converter are located some distance apart and are connected by a … Read more
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Telemetry in Instrumentation Systems
Telemetry can be defined as the science of gathering information at some remote location and transmitting the data to a convenient location to be examined and recorded. Importance of Telemetry Within instrumentation there is usually a requirement for telemetry in … Read more
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Sources of Coherent Interference/Noise in Instrumentation Systems
Introduction The knowledge of how to design low noise instrumentation systems is an essential skill that any practicing instrumentation engineer should strive to learn because noise and interference affects any measurement system in one way or the other and this … Read more
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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
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Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Instrumentation
The increasing requirement to demonstrate the integrity and reliability of engineering materials, products and plant has contributed immensely to the development of non-destructive testing instrumentation. Efficient materials manufacture, the assurance of product quality and re-assurance of plant at regular intervals … Read more
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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
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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
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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
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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