PCB Piezotronics to show wide range of industrial sensors, accelerometers and microphones at Sensors & Instrumentation 2014 Exhibition

PCB Piezotronics, a world leader in vibration, acoustic, pressure, force and torque sensors will be exhibiting its wide range of industrial sensors, accelerometers and microphones at the forthcoming Sensors & Instrumentation exhibition, NEC, Birmingham, UK, 30^th September to 1^st October 2014.

A range of PCB ICP^® low temperature coefficient single and triaxial accelerometers – series 339A – designed for powertrain development and powertrain noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) applications will be shown along with an innovative charge output accelerometer capable of making vibration measurements in extreme heat environments up to 650°C. Series 357D90 is ideal for use in gas turbine monitoring to increase turbine uptime and minimise the chances of costly unplanned maintenance, failures and accidents.

New microphone products on show include the 377B26 probe microphone designed for R&D engineers needing to measure sound pressure in confined areas. The company also recently announced a significant reduction in pricing for three of its most popular microphone products following improvements in its manufacturing processes that have led to increased product yield and has also published an independent comparison of one of these microphones with products from three other manufacturers. There will also be copies of PCB’s latest Microphone Handbook available at the show.

Series 339A single and triaxial ICP accelerometers are designed with a low temperature coefficient, wide operating temperature range and good broadband measurement resolution, all desirable characteristics when used in powertrain development and powertrain NVH applications or any vibration measurement requiring tight control of amplitude sensitivity over a wide thermal gradient. With a temperature coefficient as low as 0.009%/°C, these titanium housed and hermetically sealed units have a 10 or 50mV/g sensitivity, a measurement frequency to 10kHz and an operating temperature range from -73 to +163°C. These sensors provide precision amplitude data for test applications with large thermal shifts such as powertrain vibration testing, powertrain NVH, certain vehicle systems NVH tests, road load data acquisition and durability testing in climatic chambers. Sensors are available in stud, adhesive and through-hole mounting configurations.

Innovations in high temperature accelerometer technology for gas turbine monitoring have led to the development of the series 357D90, a charge output sensor that enables vibration measurement in extreme heat environments up to 650°C. With sensitivity of 5pC/g ±10%, measurement range of ±1000g peak and frequency range of 2.5kHz, the 357D90 is ideal for use in the most demanding gas turbine measurement and monitoring applications.

The accelerometer is housed in an Inconel welded hermetically sealed package and features an integral hardline 3m cable. Weighing just 50 grams without cable, it features through-hole mounting and can interface directly with handheld data collectors for both permanent and route based applications.

PCB’s latest probe microphone – model 377B26 – is designed for R&D engineers who need to measure sound pressure in confined areas. The probe tip diameter is extremely small measuring 1.3mm which enables white goods, telephone, headphone, loudspeaker and musical instrument manufacturers to make measurements in small, confined and difficult-to-access areas that cannot be accessed using traditional microphones, which are typically larger. The small size of the probe tip also allows near field measurements with minimal disturbance of the sound field. This enables more accurate test results.

The probe microphone comprises four components: pre-polarised microphone, preamplifier, housing and several probe tips of different lengths. The components work together to provide a maximum operating temperature of 800°C, much greater than traditional test & measurement microphones. The high temperature capability and small diameter make it an excellent choice for HVAC manufacturers and test engineers performing leak detection tests at elevated temperatures.

Other microphones on show will be models 378B02, 377B02 and 130E20, available with the same high quality as always but now at more competitive pricing than ever following improvements in the manufacturing process. Designed for product testing in anechoic chambers or environmental testing, model 378B02 is a ½ inch pre-polarised free-field condenser microphone and ICP preamplifier. Model 377B02 is a ½ inch free-field, polarised condenser microphone cartridge that can be paired with any IEC compliant preamplifier. Model 130E20 is a ¼ inch ICP Array microphone with integral preamplifier designed for use in various applications including acoustic holography, beam forming and general purpose audible range test applications.

Offering the same high quality and market leading warranty, PCB Piezotronics three microphones are also available through the company’s “On Your Desk Within 5 Days” programme.