Setra Blog


December 14, 2021

How to Convert mA to Voltage

Converting mA to voltage is common in HVAC when working with pressure transducers. Terminology to keep in mind includes:

  • 1 mA = 0.001 AMP (short for amperes)
  • Amps are referred to as CURRENT
  • Resistor values are in OHMS (Ω is the symbol for ohms)
  • VOLTAGE is the result of passing amps through a resistor
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December 01, 2020

Measuring Tank Level

Tank level can be measured in a variety of ways, and each method has its advantages and drawbacks. One of the most common methods for tank level measurements is the hydrostatic method. Hydrostatic pressure is a cost-effective way to measure tank level that doesn’t rely on the measurement being taken directly at the tank, unlike many other methods.

The hydrostatic method uses simple physics to measure tank level. The hydrostatic pressure of a liquid is equal to the height of the liquid above the location of the pressure measurement. The table below demonstrates how certain pressure ranges equal the accuracy of the height measurement.

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September 17, 2020

Why use I2C communication with your transducer?

I2C stands for an integer-integrated circuit. This is a commonly used communication protocol that is flexible enough to be used for a wide variety of applications. Specifically, I2C is a serial communication method with bi-directional two-wire communication. Any sensors and secondary devices only communicate when asked to by the primary.

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August 11, 2020

Industrial Pressure Sensing in Data Centers

Data centers exist all over the world, whether they are dedicated buildings or sections of buildings, and each houses computer servers. In the United States alone there are around 3 million data centers. Out of these 3 million, approximately 3,000 are large data centers while the rest are smaller server rooms in businesses.

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July 01, 2020

How to Thermally Compensate a Sensor

Pressure transducers all have some degree of variation in output caused by changes in temperature. The best way to compensate for such variation is to employ components on the PCBA that respond to temperature. These components can be fixed in value, adjustable like a potentiometer, or feed into a digital circuit.

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June 18, 2020

What is the difference between Capacitance and MEMS?

A variety of pressure sensor designs are available today. Two of the most common sensor types are MEMS and capacitive sensors.

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May 26, 2020

The Difference Between Pressure Transducers and Switches

For referring to variable capacitive sensing technologies, four specific terms are commonly used: pressure transmitters, transducers, sensors, and switches. Capacitance is the detection and measurement of pressure by the change in voltage across a capacitor. The capacitance of sensing technology can be fixed or adjustable and varies dependent on the application. Capacitive sensing technology is highly precise, boasting accuracies of up to ± 0.07% of full scale. This pressure sensing technology is used for applications where a high degree of accuracy is crucial, such as engine test stands and pressure decay leak detection.

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May 07, 2020

What is Thermal Compensation?

Thermal compensation is used to offset sensor performance when efficiency is impacted by fluctuations in temperature. Transducers used for precise testing and measurement applications, such as in engine test stands, undergo thermal compensation. Many transducers used in other critical applications may be thermally compensated. Thermally compensating sensors is crucial as temperature can have a significant impact on performance if not accounted for. This step in manufacturing counteracts the effects from changes in temperature that can influence the accuracy of a transducer's output. Thermal influence the accuracy of a transducer's output. Thermal compensation helps reduce the impact of temperature changes on sensitive components.

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April 30, 2020

Setra's Smallest Sensors for Ventilators

Many companies in today's world are working to help support the urgent need for ventilator manufacturing. For this application, Setra's two smallest pressure sensors can function for OEMs, our Models 210 and 263.

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April 14, 2020

The Model AXD™ Pressure Sensor: Reliability for Refrigeration

In HVAC and refrigeration, pressure sensors monitor pressure changes to indicate when issues arise. Drops in pressure can alert technicians of needed maintenance or larger problems. Within the variety of HVAC applications are also numerous available sensors for every environment. For example, industrial pressure sensors can be used to measure the pressure of fluorocarbon refrigerants, the pressure of chilled water in chiller systems, or the pressure of refrigerant in a refrigeration system.

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