In the first of ipXchange’s expedited coverage of PCIM Europe and Sensor+Test, Eamon chats with Luke in our second of three interviews with Analog Devices. This time, it was the ADAF1080 8 mT AMR magnetic field sensors that caught our eye, with some very interesting evaluation boards that are specifically designed for contactless current sensing. This makes the ADAF1080 of great interest for industrial and energy infrastructure applications, or simply for use in instrumentation.
The ADAF1080 offers bipolar magnetic measurements up to 8 mT in magnitude, with 6 nT/√Hz output noise and >100 dB dynamic range. By utilising Ampere’s law and knowing the distance of the sensor from a wire, the magnetic field measured allows one to determine the current flowing in said wire. Multiple sensors can be used to remove localised offset fields and compensate for the Earth’s magnetic field while simultaneously increasing the accuracy of readings through averaging. This reduces current measurement error to around 1% over the full measurement range.
As previously stated, there are a few different evaluation boards available for this technology. The linear-orientation boards enable current measurements of up to 100 A on a trace or busbar, but the ring array configuration – where the wires pass through the centre of the evaluation board – allows for measurements of up to 600 A, particularly useful for evaluating these components in current clamp meter designs.
Luke then explains how the ADAF1080’s ‘flip coil’ function can be used to further increase the accuracy of your magnetic readings by removing all offsets surrounding your intended measurement zone, ensuring the best measurement accuracy regardless of measurement drifts with temperature, aging of the device, and more.
Keep designing!
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