Loops and Noise and Power (oh my!)

We love to look forward. It's exciting to see what is possible that a few years ago was only sci-fi.

With that in mind, I would encourage you to remember that 1. we are still operating in the real world and 2. we still have to deal with physics. A few 'pro tips' that seem basic that we find people forget every day. Think the IoT is magic? It is! But physics. Still. Applies. Sorry!

Well, I can't offer chocolate as a consolation over a blog, but I can offer a few tips to soothe the reality check blues:

We are still dealing with different grounds. We have to keep the basic laws of electricity in mind even as we are going wireless and are able to read our data in the cloud as well as locally. Don't forget that our signals are still originating from a machine that is tied to its own earth potential, and it doesn't matter how IoT-enabled your plant is - if you have ground loop issues, that fancy cloud data is inaccurate. Read about ground loops here.



Wireless creates a different kind of noise. The more wireless devices we have, the more electronic 'noise' we might see interfering with machinery, sensors, or other devices in your factory. Important not to forget this factor as we troubleshoot new IoT gear.

Everything needs power. Seems simple. It's not. As we move towards more IoT-enabled equipment, we need to keep in mind that everything needs power, and our infrastructure has to expand to meet those new power demands on all levels. An IoT-enabled sensor requires more power to send a data stream to one more outlet, while all along the data path we must transmit said data. Battery-powered IoT devices really expose this weak spot.

Data compression can help as can reducing monitoring during down-times, but we also need to demand efficiency and low-power solutions as we investigate IoT solutions - it will help in the long run.

The Basics of Signal Conditioning

We hope you find this presentation useful. It is a teaching tool for engineers and plant managers who want to learn the basics of signal isolation / conditioning.

Ideal if you are a industrial, mechanical, or chemical specialist or engineer who finds yourself in a position of managing production lines, plants, or facilities outside of your field of expertise.

We think you will also find it very helpful in understanding how to maximize your PLC or DAQ. Signal splitting, conversion, isolation, or conditioning is something that is plaguing those converting to smart systems as it has since the beginning of electrical engineering in industrial applications. Find out how you can apply it to your plant.

For questions or concerns about your specific signal isolation or conditioning application, you can always call us at 800-942-0315, 8am-5pm M-F CST.

Basics of signal_conditioning_absolute_processinstruments2016sept from Cara Sawyer