to preface this, I am very new to all of this so this question might sound stupid
so I want to try out a new Project with two distance Sensors.
The Sensors I have are "Panasonic HG-C1030", with 5v Analog Ouput and require 12-24VDC Input (I am running 2).
Obviously I am running 5V on the Arduino and then I have a second transformer with 12-24VDC Output.
Now I want to read the Analog Output from the Sensors (0...5VDC) with my Arduino.
If I only connect the Signal Line itself, will the 5V be enough or do I have to connect a ground aswell (because there will be voltage difference otherwise???).
I already tried it with only the 5V Line but the Arduino read nothing, now I am unsure if I will brick the sensors (they are quite expensive) or the Board if I connect the Ground between the two Power Sources.
If you supply 12-24V to the sensors and 5V to the Arduino and use a common GND then, as long as the sensors really do only output a 5V signal then you will be OK
Without a common GND connection the Arduino has no reference against which to measure the voltage of the sensor output
You can say that again.
What application are you using them for ?
Okay, yea Ill just connect them later and see if it works.
I have them for 2 Applications, later Ill run them with a proper PLC but right now im just trying it out a bit.
For the first Application, I want to measure the Diameter of a Tube. Both Sensors look at each other, I put the tube between the Sensors and subtract the distance between the sensors.
The Second Application will regard the Position of the Tube. In the End, I want to measure if the Tube is crooked in some shape (slightly bent upward, downward, left, right along its axis).
So I want a X and Y Position of the Tube at two different Points and then compare them against each other.
If the Tube is crooked then I want to correct it but I will be doing all that with the PLC, right now I am just trying out the measurement stuff.
I'm not connecting the ground signals of two coils together using a flimsy piece of 24AWG across fragile components no matter how "double insulated" they are
The NCP1117ST50T3G used by arduino uno says that it has a maximum rating of 20V (DC).
And as shown on Arduino's site the "Recommended" input range is 7 - 12V with "absolute ratings" is 6-16V.
I will be using one (and only one) power supply unless both of them are grounded double insulated until there is like a flex power supply with many different output rails.
One device is a (very expensive) distance measurement laser with 12VDC power and analog output [0, 5V] under a 100Ω impedance (or providing just a few mA (4-20mA) under 300Ω maximum impedance).
The other is our traditional Arduino with 5VDC power.
Connect the sensor ground (-) to Arduino GND, connect the sensor signal output to 15k resistor, other end of resistor to Arduino analog input, connect 0.1µF ceramic capacitor from Arduino analog input pin to GND. The resistor will prevent harmful current while the signal voltage is not affected because of the input pin's high impedance.
The 9V power supply for Arduino and the 12V power supply for the sensor.
exactly. you are connecting the ground of the two "double insulated" power supply together through flimsy pieces of wire (compared to the 16AWG on the power supply) and through delicate electronics (sensor internal, arduino board). I don't think so
Look at my dell power supply grounding post. if you think it's "safe", well, that's because there is no circumstance where that happens.
Are these two fine? ( I know its a german Site but in the middle theres a picture of the union jack with a link besides it, the link will open the english datasheet)
Resistor:
Capacitor:
I guess both are fine, im just unsure with the capacitor as it is designed for 50V and not for <20V (but does that even make a difference?)
Just recently I had read about some "reviews" about using coaxial and TOSLINK on audio equipment, with complains/questions of the same origin.
Because a lot of audio equipment do not come with a three prong plug, they are never grounded. And because the amplifier circuit (or some other part of circuit) is analog, connecting the amp to, say, a CD player will create electrical hum. That's because the ground pin in the signal wire will have current flowing between the two machines that can mess up the analog part.
Modern units tend not to have this issue because the analog circuits are better designed so current in the ground pin is generally not a issue.
My recommendation is to have a single power unit (wall wart) powering the entire setup, when possible. Different voltages can be acquired by those of a DC-DC regulator.
If high currents of different voltage are required (such as a 3D printer with 12V heaters, 9V steppers and 5V controller, lights and screens), I will consider a small flex power supply. Although even in those cases, well designed DC-DC buck/regulator is usually sufficient. Just make sure all the buck/regulators are connected to the power supply's rails (rather than chaining them)
They usually are of the switching type and contain transformers with multiple output windings (to generate the different voltages). They are also equipped with a lot more safety features and are more reliable.
On large server systems its common to have multiple power supplies (hence coils) joined together. But in those cases both the ground pins (as well as safety ground) as well as the power pins are connected together through multiple paths that can carry large currents, which made "electrical hum" generally nonexistent.
Which means that if you absolutely must connect two power sources together, you must connect the ground pins together with sufficient thick wires (awg 20 or higher)
I cannot confirm but I think since it's "audible" in most circumstances I will assume there is at least a dozen mAs and voltage difference can be equal to the rated output.
Apologies for the late reply. A lot have happened.
