Recently, I’ve been working on a solar off-grid monitoring system. In the system are a few split-core Hall effect sensors to monitor DC current in the solar panel current, the battery charge current, and the inverter input current. These ...
Figure 1. Common view of the Precision Thermocouple Amplifier board. This precision thermocouple sensor module performs cold-junction compensation and digitizes the signal from any type of thermocouple. The output data is formatted in degrees ...
This Design Idea describes a handy continuity tester with two modes of operation: It may sound if it detects continuity between its two probes, or it may sound when it detects no continuity. The second option permits testing for intermittent cable ...
The autoreferencing circuit in Figure 1 nulls out the error of a sensor, such as a pressure transducer, at its reference level for example, at ambient pressure. The circuit is an analog-digital-feedback control system that uses a digitally ...
Piezoelectric transducers find use in NDE (nondestructive-evaluation) applications. The PVDF (polyvinylidene-fluoride) transducer has many advantages, including a wide bandwidth and high sensitivity. These transducers require high-voltage and ...
To measure a zener diode’s breakdown voltage, you need a dc voltage source whose voltage exceeds that of the zener voltage. In Figure 1, resistor R SER provides voltage drop between V IN and V ZEN . In any case, V IN should exceed V ZEN . ...
Mechanical bounce often occurs while trying to measure current or resistance on experimental materials or from routine switch-contact action. It can be a problem if you are trying to preserve the bounce or noise phenomenon within the measurement ...
This Design Idea expands the capabilities of a previously published one (Reference 1). The original version featured a current transformer whose secondary winding formed part of an oscillator's tank circuit. Under normal conditions, direct ...
This Design Idea describes a two-transistor thermal probe for diagnosing circuit problems, such as hot components and thermal runaway. Although the probe does not provide an accurate temperature measurement, it acts as a quick check for potential ...
Piezoelectric buzzers find wide use as audible-signal generators because of their low power consumption and clear, penetrating sound. An external driver or a self-driven circuit that oscillates at the resonant frequency of the piezoelectric element ...