Input/Output Devices (13)

Linear Variable Differential Transformer

A Linear Variable Differential Transformer, or LVDT for short, is an electromechanical position transducer (sensor) which provides accurate and frictionless positional feedback information about the linear mechanical position of an external force or object. As its name suggests, ...

Output Interfacing Circuits

As we saw in the previous input interfacing tutorial, an interface circuit allows one type of circuit to be connected to another type of circuit that may be of a different voltage or current rating. But as well as interfacing input devices such as switches and sensors we can als...

Input Interfacing Circuits

Interfacing is the method of connecting or linking together one device, especially a computer or micro-controller. Input interfacing circuits allowing us to design or adapt the output and input configurations of the two electronic devices so that they can work together. But inte...

Transducers Summary

We have seen in this section on Input/Output Devices that transducers are devices which convert one form of energy into another. For example, microphones convert sound waves into electrical signals, motors convert electrical energy into mechanical energy, or light bulbs convert e...

Thermistors

The Thermistor is a solid state temperature sensing device which acts a bit like an electrical resistor but is temperature sensitive. Thermistors can be used to produce an analogue output voltage with variations in ambient temperature and as such can be referred to as a transduce...

Sound Transducers

Sound is the generalised name given to "acoustic waves". Sound transducers can detect these acoustic waves which have frequencies ranging from just 1Hz up to many tens of thousands of Hertz with the upper limit of human hearing being around the 20 kHz, (20,000Hz) range. The soun...

DC Motors

Electrical DC Motors are continuous actuators that convert electrical energy into mechanical energy. The DC motor achieves this by producing a continuous angular rotation that can be used to rotate pumps, fans, compressors, wheels, etc. As well as conventional rotary DC motors, ...

Linear Solenoid Actuator

The linear solenoid actuator works on the same basic principal as the electromechanical relay seen in the previous tutorial and just like relays, they can also be switched and controlled using bipolar transistors or MOSFET's. A "Linear Solenoid" is an electromagnetic device that ...

Electrical Relay

Thus far we have seen a selection of Input devices that can be used to detect or "sense" a variety of physical variables and signals and are therefore called Sensors. But there are also a variety of electrical and electronic devices which are classed as Output devices used to con...

Light Sensors

A Light Sensor generates an output signal indicating the intensity of light by measuring the radiant energy that exists in a very narrow range of frequencies basically called "light", and which ranges in frequency from "Infra-red" to "Visible" up to "Ultraviolet" light spectrum. ...