Leading manufacturer of high performance reed relays, Pickering Electronics has released the latest in its series of educational application guides for engineers building test & measurement systems, titled: How Data Acquisition Benefits from Reed Relays. This subject matter expert-authored comprehensive application guide explains why reed relays are the ideal switching technology for most data acquisition (DAQ) applications.
In DAQ applications, measurements need to be taken from a diverse range of transducer and sensor types – including temperature, pressure, movement, sound and proximity. Many produce an electrical signal in response to a condition; for example, a photovoltaic (PV) cell reacting to light or a Hall effect sensor reacting to the presence of a magnetic field. In other cases, a fundamental property or characteristic of the sensor changes relative to its environment, as is the case with a resistance temperature detector (RTD) or a dielectric sensor used to measure moisture content.
The outputs or properties of the transducers are then conditioned into signals for feeding into data logging instrumentation (data loggers), or to act as inputs into closed loop control circuitry. In many cases, multiple sensors or transducers are employed; for example, several RTDs might be used to measure temperature in different locations. However, it is usually impractical to have a signal conditioning circuit for each sensor. Instead, it is more efficient to poll the sensors. Moreover, common signal conditioning circuitry can be used with different sensor types – and the circuitry’s gain and filtering can be controlled to make best use of the sensors’ range.
Reed relays are ideal for connecting signal conditioning circuitry to sensors for a variety of reasons, particularly where accuracy is concerned, including:
- Low thermal EMF (electromotive force)
- Low leakage currents and capacitance
- Hermetically sealed contacts, protecting from environmental contaminants and ensuring reliable performance up to 1 billion operations.
“Our new application guide is a valuable resource for both experienced and new T&M engineers looking to master switching in DAQ systems,” said Rob King, Product Development Manager at Pickering Electronics. “It covers everything from the basics of data acquisition to specific advantages of reed relays, providing insights into selecting the best relay technology for your needs.”
Download your free guide to unlock Pickering’s expert insights and recommendations on selecting the right relay technologies for your specific needs – and discover why reed relays are the ideal solution for connecting signal conditioning circuitry to sensors. Pickering reed relays are known for their reliability due to superior manufacturing and quality control processes. They feature instrumentation-grade sputtered ruthenium contacts, rather than the more common electroplated rhodium associated with low grade reed relays with less stable contact resistance. Along with Pickering’s formerless coil construction, this maximises magnetic efficiency, enabling the use of less sensitive reed switches, resulting in optimal switching action and extended lifetime at operational extremes. Magnetic mu-metal screening eliminates problems that would otherwise be experienced due to magnetic interaction when relays are closely stacked.
