Rugged magnetostrictive transducers give absolute position measurement

The magnetostrictive principle permits absolute, contact free position measurement combining various magneto-mechanical effects with precise speed measurement of an ultrasonic wave. Integral signal processing electronics accommodated in the sensor head can be selected for a range of standard analogue outputs; 0 to 10V, ±10V, 4 to 20mA and 0 to 20mA. In addition there is the option for user configurable variations, for example to set to 1 to 9V over a portion of the nominal measuring range. Unlike many types of encoder, thanks to absolute output, information is not lost on power down. With linearity of ±0.01% FS (±50µm best) and 16 bit resolution of 0.0015% (or 1µm best), the R Series provides great accuracy and repeatability of measurement. An inexpensive hand-held programming device allows simple reconfiguration to be achieved.