Of all our sensing technologies, ultrasonic is one of the most versatile and picky. These sensors make for a fantastic sensing solution to a wide array of applications. However, there are some simple mistakes that you want to avoid for the best possible performance.
To help you avoid these, we decided to give you the Top 10 Mistakes Countdown for ultrasonic sensors. Today, we will reveal the first 5 in our countdown:
Care should be taken to keep instrumentation cable runs away from any large electric motors, generators or other devices with strong electromagnetic fields that can induce electrical noise in the cable.
Because we’re dealing with high gain instrumentation, a clean source of power is critical to reduce electrical noise and ensure proper sensor operation. Low quality power supplies should be avoided.
Interference due to electrical noise is a common problem with high gain instrumentation like ultrasonic sensors. Using shielded cable and proper grounding practices is one the best ways to ensure proper sensor operation.
The required sensing range of a given application is not the only factor that needs to be taken into account. Factors such as high temperatures, targets with poor sound wave reflective characteristics, and the quality of the mounting can all be good reasons to select a sensor with a sensing range greater than the actual distance to the target.
Even the width of the sensing path to the target is a critical factor. A short range sensor forced to run at higher gain settings will have a wider detection beam than a long range sensor operating at lower gain settings.
It is always good practice to validate that the sensor materials are compatible with any chemicals that might be present in the application.
Tune In Next Week
Let us know what you think of the first half of our countdown. Remember these as you select and install your ultrasonic sensor. Keep your eye out for the second half of our countdown next week.
