EMDM (Showstoppers 1) - January/February 2003

Originally Published EMDM January/February 2003

Showstoppers

SENSORS

Digital outputs increase speed and accuracy

Cutting out the middleman in a transaction generally saves time and money. A new series of pressure sensors with digital outputs developed by Sensortechnics GmbH (Puchheim, Germany) achieves essentially the same goal. The company introduced the product line at the recent Electronica and Medica shows.

"Sensors are traditionally required to perform several signal conversions," says sales and marketing manager Armin Wellhöfer. "The digital output sensors that we presented at these shows have a straight-ahead signal . . . the sensor communicates directly with the microcontroller without sending the signal through an A/D convertor. This results in a reduction in cost, greater accuracy, and, last but not least, increased processing speed," he explains.

Available in standard sensor housings with 12- or 14-bit digital serial outputs, the interface allows OEMs to choose between synchronous and asynchronous communication. The sensors are compatible with SPI, Microwire/Plus, and I²C protocols, and they are available in differential, gauge, and absolute versions. They accommodate pressure ranges from 12.5 mbar to 0.7 bar and achieve 0.1% overall accuracy. Medical instrumentation is among the core applications.

"This is the first in a new range of digital output sensors being developed at Sensortechnics," says Wellhöfer. In particular, the company has lower-cost sensors in the pipeline that, while they do not attain the level of accuracy of the precursor products, are still perfectly adequate for a host of applications, he adds.

Electronics