TDP-100 transducers are immune to stray magnetic fields, which make them well suited for arc and ultrasonic welding.
In the TDP-100 version — configured to mount inside cylinders — a contact slides inside a tubular track. The track consists of a high-resistivity plastic film bonded to a wire-wound element. The special conductive plastic film is wiped by the self-cleaning, precious-metal contact.
This unit is essentially a modern linear resistive transducer. It acts as a voltage divider. If supply is a 10-Vdc signal, the output will be between 0 and 10-Vdc. If supply is 12-Vdc, the output will be between 0 and 12-Vdc. Most users choose 10-Vdc because most controllers have a 0 to 10-Vdc input module. (A magnetostrictive transducer typically would need a 24-Vdc supply. Its integral circuit board calculates the position, then converts this value in a digital-to-analog converter to produce the widely accepted 0 to 10-Vdc output signal.)
No such calculations or conversions are necessary with the TDP-100, so it requires no electronic boards and produces real-time outputs. The design needs no regular maintenance or re-calibration of the control system. The transducer also is very easy to troubleshoot; all you need to do is check the supply voltage against the output voltage.
Keeping current
Most applications work fine with the 0- to 10-Vdc output. However, for an electrically noisy environment (or if the user requests a different output), Transducers Direct offers a signal-conditioning module that converts 0- to 10-Vdc into a 4- to 20-mA or ±5-Vdc output for valve controller cards. Two advantages of current signals are that they are more immune to noise and can handle longer cable runs.
