I am a senior design student working at my university's rocketry project. We are gathering data to better understand what kind of pressure gain we should expect for our parachute charge. So far, we have built a vacuum chamber to test the charge, and we were donated a pressure transducer. The person that donated this device did not seem to know much about it. The information I have on this device is quite limited, all I know is that it has a three-wire setup assumably: ground, power, and signal wires. It calls for a 5V DC input, and produces a 0.5-4.5V output range.
Two concerns pertaining to this sensor:
Correct me if I am wrong, but I am assuming it is an analog sensor, to which will return a voltage of 0.5V when it does not pick up a pressure, and 4.5V when it reaches its max specification of 1600psi.
The sensor is quite bulky, and it looks to have some hardware in its casing, also it does not have a part number, manufacturer name or anything to identify its specs. That being said, should there be a resistor hooked up to its power line? Or is it typical of these sensors to have such devices built into its casing?
Analogue sensors with buildin instrumentation amp and a 0.5-4.5volt output are common.
"0.5-4.5volt" is actually wrong. It's 10% to 90% of the supply (ratiometric output).
So if the supply is 4.8volt, then it's output is 0.48volt to 4.32volt.
Not a problem to read this sensor with a common Arduino (Uno), becasue it's A/D is ratiometric too (compensates).
You should just analogRead the sensor, and look what it's returning on atmospheric pressure.
Because there are different sensor offsets available.
Let us know if you need help with that.
A 1600psi pressure sensor is ofcourse unsuitable for (high altitude) atmospheric pressure.
A BMP280 might be more suitable.
Leo..
Wawa:
Analogue sensors with buildin instrumentation amp and a 0.5-4.5volt output are common.
"0.5-4.5volt" is actually wrong. It's 10% to 90% of the supply (ratiometric output).
So if the supply is 4.8volt, then it's output is 0.48volt to 4.32volt.
Not a problem to read this sensor with a common Arduino (Uno), becasue it's A/D is ratiometric too (compensates).
You should just analogRead the sensor, and look what it's returning on atmospheric pressure.
Because there are different sensor offsets available.
Let us know if you need help with that.
Leo..
Great, very informative. I will report back if anything stumps me. Should be a simple program.
