Instrumentation definitions
The new Interface Instrumentation Selection Guide is a great start to choosing the right instrumentation for your next project or laboratory. The following meter definitions are intended to help you make the best decision on the type and model of meter that best suits your sensor.
Definitions in the Guide to Selecting Measuring Instruments
excitement
A Wheatstone bridge based sensor, such as Legs load cell, requires an excitation voltage to operate. The excitation voltage is usually 10 V; However, many devices provide a lower voltage, e.g. B. 2,5 V or 5 V. Since these sensors are ratiometric sensors, Interface's meters are designed to pair with these types of sensors.
signals
The output of a load cell is expressed as mV output per V of excitation at capacity. One load cell For example, a 100 lb capacity rated for 2 mV/V output will have a 20 mV output at 100 lb when excited at 10 V. Since the output signal is directly affected by the input voltage, it is important to maintain a stable excitation voltage, which is possible with our measuring devices.
Signal conditioner
A signal conditioner provides a stable supply voltage for the sensor and amplifies the low sensor signal to a high output signal such as +/-5V, +/-10V, 0-20mA, 4-20mA, 0-5V or 0-10V.
Many of our products feature filtering that can reduce noise in the output signal.
Data acquisition systems
A complete data acquisition system consists of DAQ hardware, sensors and actuators, signal processing hardware, and a computer running the DAQ software. Interface offers DAQ instruments ideal for completing a sensor-based system. Many data acquisition systems require high-level inputs such as: E.g. +/-10V and don't work very well with low mV signals. Interface instrumentation solutions work well with DAQ systems. The DAQ system does not necessarily provide a stable excitation voltage like the interface sensors.
Interface modules
An interface module converts the low mV/V sensor signal into a digital format that can be transmitted to a computer (PC or laptop). Common interface modules offer USB, wireless USB or Bluetooth data transmission. As a rule, software is included that enables the display, logging and graphical representation of the data. Interface modules are typically used when data needs to be logged to a computer and you are not using an existing data capture system. The advantage of interface modules over standard data acquisition systems is their ease of use and they are usually ready for immediate use. When selecting this type of instrument, the bit resolution, number of channels, sample rate, software features and type of output should be taken into account.
indicator
Interface displays provide a stable excitation voltage and convert the sensor signal into a digital display. Commonly available features include analog or digital output, selectable digital filtering, peak and trough monitoring, and setpoint outputs. When selecting an indicator, the internal sampling rate and the update rate of the analog output must be taken into account.
Wireless Telemetry System (WTS)
Wireless transmission is very popular today. Interface's wireless telemetry system is easy to use and allows wireless data transfer between a load sensor and a receiving display device. The WTS is capable of receiving multiple inputs and is fully compatible with all interface force sensors. The WTS is calibrated, tested and delivered ready for use. The charge lasts up to three months with AA batteries. You can see the full comparison between the WTS and the Bluetooth telemetry system here.
When choosing which meters to pair with your meter, you should also consider power requirements, amount of filtering, fixed or adjustable filtering, input range, scalability, and zeroing range. Our measuring devices can meet these requirements. To find the instrumentation solution that's right for you, go to the Interface Instrumentation Selection Guide.
We've created a quick visual reference of Interface's instrumentation types and their associated models.
