Standalone Signal Conditioner Supports Ratiometric and Standard AC LVDT & RVDTs

Phil Black - PII Editor 02/06/2016

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Measures the Voltage Difference Over the Sum

TE Connectivity (TE), a world leader in connectivity and sensor solutions, today announced the LVC-4500 LVDT/RVDT ratiometric signal conditioner that supports both constant sum and standard AC LVDTs and RVDTs.

The standalone signal conditioner can measure the secondary voltage difference over the sum (Va-Vb)/(Va+Vb), supporting ratiometric AC LVDTs and RVDTS with a constant sum of secondary voltages.

Ratiometric signal conditioning can improve an LVDT sensor’s performance during temperature variation. By minimising the thermal error of the position sensor, ratiometric signal conditioning allows for a longer cable run between the signal conditioner and LVDT.

As a result, the LVC-4500 ratiometic signal conditioner is suited for use with LVDTs in extreme conditions that have high-temperature variations and require cable runs in excess of 100 feet between the LVDT and signal conditioner.

TE’s LVC-4500 ratiometric signal conditioner provides voltage, current, and digital RS-485 outputs that can be used for different requirements or based on user preferences.

With the use of the RS-485 port, a host computer is able to retrieve measurement data, receive operational status, perform remote calibration, and perform hot swap reconfiguration where the calibration settings can be digitally uploaded.

Synchronisation to other signal conditioners is accomplished by a daisy chain connection to a synchronisation bus. One unit will assume the Master function based on DIP switch priority setting. If a fault should occur, the next highest priority unit will take over as Master.

Compared to signal conditioners with span and offset trim pots, the LVC-4500 offers intuitive operation with push button or RS-485 command auto-calibration.