bud@umiami.miami.edu (06/26/90)
I am looking for a very high-precision tilt sensor. It must be fairly small and operate off of low voltage DC or AC. The Spectron company makes such a sensor for avionics applications, but $150 is quite expensive. I would appreciate any help on locating another source of such sensors. Please respond directly. Thanks in advance, Bud Pinder University of Miami
ornitz@newkodak.kodak.com (Barry Ornitz) (06/27/90)
In article <6452.26874295@umiami.miami.edu> bud@umiami.miami.edu writes: >I am looking for a very high-precision tilt sensor. It must be fairly small >and operate off of low voltage DC or AC. The Spectron company makes such a >sensor for avionics applications, but $150 is quite expensive. I would >appreciate any help on locating another source of such sensors. > Bud Pinder > University of Miami Unfortunately you have asked for very high precision but consider $150 quite expensive. The following companies make tilt or angular displacement sensors. Your university library certainly should have a Thomas Register where you can look up addresses and telephone numbers (don't expect cheap, however): Aerodyne Controls Corp. Honeywell Visitronic Humphrey Inc. Pace Transducer Co. Precision Level Vial Company Robinson Halpern Schaevitz Engineering Sundstrand-Sauer Systron Donner, Inertial Div. Xecutek Another approach that is considerably cheaper but far less accurate is that taken by Universal Photonix of Laguna Hills, CA. This utilizes an "electronic" bubble cell which is essentially an electrolytic sensor. As the cell is tilted more of an electrode is immersed on one side of the cell; the electrode on the opposite side of the cell is immersed less. A conductive electrolyte is used. Wiring the sensor into a bridge circuit with an op-amp, you should get an output voltage propportional to tilt. There was an article on this sensor in Automotive Electronics earlier this year you might want to check out. ----------------- | ___ ________ | Dr. Barry L. Ornitz WA4VZQ | | / / | | UUCP: ....rutgers!rochester!kodak!ornitz | | / / | | Eastman Kodak Company | |< < K O D A K| | Eastman Chemical Company Research Laboratories | | \ \ | | P. O. Box 1972, Building 167B | |__\ \________| | Kingsport, TN 37662 615/229-4904 | | INTERNET: ornitz@kodak.com -----------------
larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) (06/27/90)
In article <1990Jun26.192024.17036@newkodak.kodak.com>, ornitz@newkodak.kodak.com (Barry Ornitz) writes: > >I am looking for a very high-precision tilt sensor. It must be fairly small > >and operate off of low voltage DC or AC. The Spectron company makes such a > >sensor for avionics applications, but $150 is quite expensive. > ... > Another approach that is considerably cheaper but far less accurate is that > taken by Universal Photonix, Laguna Hills, CA. This utilizes an "electronic" > bubble cell which is essentially an electrolytic sensor. As cell is tilted > more of an electrode is immersed on one side of the cell; the electrode on the > opposite side of the cell is immersed less. A conductive electrolyte is used. > Wiring the sensor into a bridge circuit with an op-amp, you should get an > output voltage propportional to tilt. The Spectron sensor is also an electrolytic potentiometer (as above), with their better models being capable of resolving to seconds of arc (note that I have not commented about linearity, however). An electrolytic potentiometer can be a low-cost means of measuring inclination. However, it is important to realize that these devices MUST be excited by an AC voltage having a waveform with as much symmetry as possible. The use of DC may cause internal corrosion of the electrodes which will have an adverse effect upon performance. The Spectron data sheets even go so far as to warn against the use of an ohmmeter for testing of the device. Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp. "Have you hugged your cat today?" {boulder||decvax||rutgers||watmath}!acsu.buffalo.edu!kitty!larry VOICE: 716/688-1231 || FAX: 716/741-9635 {utzoo||uunet}!/ \aerion!larry