Potentiometers That Make Sense for Sensing

Despite their perceived simplicity, potentiometers can still be an appropriate option in today’s ever-complicated automation industry. Fundamentally a variable resistor, modern potentiometers also offer more traditional outputs such as voltage and current which are common to more expensive sensors.

Submersible Linear Sensors

Positek’s portfolio includes a range of high-accuracy linear sensors specifically designed for use in submersible applications. Made from marine grade stainless steel and offering the reliability that is not possible from a submersible LVDT or linear potentiometer, our sensors have served a host of different industries such as wastewater and offshore oil drilling. Another use […]

Inductosyn: End of an Era, New Opportunities or Both?

Recently, obtaining the Inductosyn and components for maintenance has become more difficult. For decades the Inductosyn from Farrand Controls / Ruhle Companies sat near the top of the rotary sensor hierarchy. Providing sub 2 arcsec (0.5 mdeg) accuracies, it combined the robustness of a resolver with the performance of the best optical encoders. Despite its shortcomings, it found plenty of customers, from airborne infrared and radar systems, to telescopes, satellite communication antennae (SATCOM), machine tooling and low-pressure vacuum chambers.

SSI Encoder

Synchronous Serial Interface (SSI) is a widely used serial interface standard for industrial applications between a master (i.g. controller) and a slave (i.g. sensor).