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Electrolytic tilt sensors must be operated in the AC mode. Any DC will cause the level to become unstable and even inoperable. The amount of current through the level must not exceed the maximum.The maximum excitation voltage is 5 volts. Currents that are above the typical recommended value will cause the level to self heat and the readings will drift. The impedance value of the level must be specified to match the type of circuit used in order to limit the current.
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The output ports of a micro-controller are a good example of a drive circuit for thee level, as long as each port exhibits equal source and sink currents thus preventing any DC component to the level. The output can be sampled between each port change by an analog to digital converter.
Temperature sensitivity of the sensor can be divided into two areas. The first, steady state changes, is simplest to consider. As temperature goes up, scale factor goes down, linearly. All sensor scale factors change by 0.067% per degree F as a nominal number.The second, transient temperature conditions cause the greatest difficulty when they create left to right gradients. These are significantly attenuated when a potting compound having low thermal conductivity is used to completely encapsulate the sensor.
Applications
The applications for electrolytic tilt sensors are extremely diverse, touching most industries in some way. Some of the areas where electrolytic tilt sensors are used are:
- Aircraft flight controls
- Automobile security system
- Construction equipment
- Robots
- Thermostats
- Video game Controllers
Avionics manufacturers use high precision tilt sensors in gyroscopes. The automotive industry uses tilt sensors in wheel alignment machines for measuring caster and camber angle and for security and RV leveling systems. In construction industry the application of tilt sensors range from safety systems in cranes, manlifts to providing reference data of various types of lasers.The electrolytic tilt sensors are also used to satellite antenna position, geo-technical monitoring and tilt compensation in electronic compasses.
Conclusion
Electrolytic tilt sensors are capable of producing extremely accurate pitch and roll measurements in a variety of applications. These devices lend themselves to both narrow and wide angular range measurements and easily maintain their small size and high accuracy.The performance and reliability of electrolytic tilt sensors continues to set the standard for fluid filled devices. Hence, electrolytic tilt sensors have succeeded in widening its presence in the market. Also, the future appears more promising with planned improvements in design, materials and manufacturing techniques.
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References
Wong,T.D., Evaluation of Electrolytic Tilt Sensor for Wind tunnel Model Angle-of-Attack (AOA) Measurements, Langley Research Center, NASA, USA
- The Fredericks Company(2008). Retrieved from http://www.frederickscom.com/sens_tech_select.tpl