The Simpson 260 has been an industry-standard multimeter for over 70 years. It is now available in 13 versions including industrial, ruggedized, safety rated, and high accuracy models. Why is this analog product still used, despite the abundance of digital multimeters? More generally, what advantages does an analog meter have compared to its digital counterpart? (more...)

Last month’s posting covered the popular methods for sensing AC current (shunt, current transformer, Hall sensor, Rogowski coil). Here we will review some of the instruments available for fixed, portable, local and remote AC measurements. (more...)

There are two general methods for measuring ac currents:

• by direct connection with the current-carrying circuit
• by utilizing the magnetic field or flux generated by the current
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Casual users of digital instrumentation often assume that more resolution on the display provides a more accurate measurement – that an extra digit in the readout gives a decade improvement in accuracy. This is rarely the case. (more...)

Industrial sensors for pressure, flow, temperature, position and other process parameters typically include signal conditioning that generates a dc output. This output can be either a voltage or a current. Which output is best for a particular application depends on several factors. (more...)