Instrumentation

Absolute Seebeck Effect

The self-generating thermocouple is one of the more widely used (but most misunderstood) sensors for routine and specialty thermometry because of its versatility, simplicity, ease of use, and low cost. It employs the Seebeck thermoelectric effect that, unlike the related Peltier and Thomson thermoelectric effects, alone converts heat to emf. The physical cause of thermoelectric […]

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NTC Thermistor Working Principle

Thermistors are temperature-sensitive semiconducting devices. There are several types used in a wide variety of temperature measurement, switching, and sensing applications. This article will focus primarily on negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistors designed specifically for temperature measurement. While NTC thermistors are used over a very wide range of temperatures, from 1 K to 1000°C, we

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Strain Gage Load Cell

Strain Gage Load Cell The strain-gage load cell consists of a structure that elastically deforms when subjected to a force and a strain-gage network that produces an electric signal proportional to this deformation. Examples of this are beam and ring types of load cells. Strain Gages Strain gages use a length of gage wire to

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Piezoresistive Pressure Sensors

Piezoresistive Pressure Sensors  Piezoresistive sensors (also known as strain-gage sensors) are the most common type of pressure sensor in use today. Piezoresistive effect refers to a change in the electric resistance of a material when stresses or strains are applied. Piezoresistive materials can be used to realize strain gages that, when incorporated into diaphragms, are

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Capacitive Humidity Sensors

Capacitive humidity sensors and capacitive moisture sensors are mostly based on the changes in the permittivity of the dielectric material. The permittivity of atmospheric air, some gases, and many solid materials are functions of their moisture contents and their temperature. The main advantage of this type of sensor is that a relatively small change in

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