Latest Sensors Technical Articles

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Learn to Build a Photoelectric Sensor System Using an Arduino Uno and OpenPLC

Since photoelectric sensing can be achieved with electrical, electromechanical, and electronic components, learn to build, test, and implement a prototype photoelectric switch using off-the-shelf components with Arduino OpenPLC.

March 12, 2023 by Don Wilcher

Introduction to MEMS Microphone Technology—Analog vs Digital Microphones

MEMS silicon microphones are in everything from cellphones, hearing aids, smart speakers, computers, and vehicles. Learn the basics of how they work, their use, and what’s available.

November 25, 2022 by Harry Trietley

RTD Signal Conditioning—4-Wire Configuration, Ratiometric Measurement, & Filtering

Learn about RTD (resistance temperature detector) signal conditioning through a four-wire configuration, ratiometric measurement, and input RC filters.

November 18, 2022 by Dr. Steve Arar

RTD Signal Conditioning—Voltage vs Current Excitation in 3-wire Configurations

Learn about resistance temperature detector (RTD) signal conditioning techniques such as voltage vs. current excitation and the three-wire configuration for dealing with the lead and wire resistance error.

November 11, 2022 by Dr. Steve Arar

An Introduction to RTD Sensor Signal Conditioning Circuits

Learn about the basics of different signal conditioning circuits for RTD applications, including a voltage divider, Wheatstone bridge circuit, and delta-sigma (ΔΣ) converter.

October 30, 2022 by Dr. Steve Arar

Magnetic Field Strength Meter and Calibrator

This project will explain how to develop a system to measure magnetic field emissions at frequencies up to 150 kHz from high-current power cables without cutting or disturbing the cable.

October 28, 2022 by John Woodgate

Modeling RTD Resistance-temperature Characteristics

Model the characteristic curve of a resistance temperature detector (RTD) and the common standards used to characterize these devices like the alpha parameter and Callendar-Van Dusen equation.

October 23, 2022 by Dr. Steve Arar

RTD Basics—An Introduction to Resistance Temperature Detectors

Learn the basics of RTDs, namely the trade-offs of using RTD temperature sensors, the metals used in these sensors, thin film RTDs, and wire-wound RTDs.

October 09, 2022 by Dr. Steve Arar

Ratiometric Resistance Measurement Basics Using an Analog to Digital Converter

Learn the basics of ratiometric resistance measurements in analog to digital (A/D) converters, how it's measured, and example uses in a digital multimeter (DMM), microprocessor, and various resistive sensors.

October 07, 2022 by Harry Trietley

Introduction to Temperature Sensors: Thermistors, Thermocouples, RTDs, and Thermometer ICs

Learn about different temperature sensors, namely: thermistors, thermocouples, RTDs (resistive temperature detectors), analog thermometer ICs and digital thermometer ICs.

September 16, 2022 by Nick Davis

Thermocouple Cold Junction Compensation Using Analog Temperature Sensors

Learn how analog circuits can be used to implement cold junction compensation using examples from Analog Devices and Texas Instrument's TMP35 and LM335 temperature sensors, respectively.

September 09, 2022 by Dr. Steve Arar

Thermocouple Basics—Using the Seebeck Effect for Temperature Measurement

Learn about the Seebeck effect and how the Seebeck voltage and Seebeck coefficient come into play within the scope of thermocouples and temperature measurement.

August 14, 2022 by Dr. Steve Arar

Thermocouple Principles—the Seebeck Effect and Seebeck Coefficient

Learn about the Seebeck effect, the Seebeck coefficient, and their relationship with temperature.

July 10, 2022 by Dr. Steve Arar

Introduction to Allan Variance—Non-overlapping and Overlapping Allan Variance

Learn about non-overlapping and overlapping Allan variance and how the Allan variance curve can be used to identify different types of random errors present in a signal.

July 08, 2022 by Dr. Steve Arar

An Introduction to MEMS Vibratory Gyroscopes

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) vibratory gyroscopes can be a bit mysterious and math-intensive. Let's break the math down, and go over gyroscope basics and structures.

June 30, 2022 by Dr. Steve Arar

Piezoelectric Accelerometers: IEPE Sensors vs. Charge Output Sensors

Learn about integrated electronics piezoelectrics (IEPE) sensors, powering them, and how they compare to charge output (non-IEPE) systems.

June 26, 2022 by Dr. Steve Arar

Introduction to Bluetooth Mesh Models

Learn about Bluetooth mesh models—namely what they are—as we lead you through an example and the different types like generic, lighting, etc.

June 19, 2022 by Dr. Steve Arar

IoT Communication Protocols—IoT Data Protocols

Dive deeper into the Internet of Things (IoT) communication through a brief overview of the different IoT data protocols.

June 16, 2022 by Ignacio de Mendizábal

Understanding Piezoelectric Accelerometer Basics

Learn about piezoelectric accelerometers, namely the piezoelectric effect, how piezoelectric materials generate electricity, the different accelerometer design modes, and their upper and lower frequency limits.

March 20, 2022 by Dr. Steve Arar

Accelerometer Specifications: Measurement Range, Sensitivity, and Noise Performance

Learn about capacitive MEMS accelerometer specifications for measurement range, sensitivity, and noise performance for both digital- and analog-output accelerometers.

March 13, 2022 by Dr. Steve Arar