The ADMT4000 is a zero-power turn count sensor, but what the Hell does that mean? Basically, you heard that right! Operating without power or direct contact, this magnetic sensor is able to recall the number of times a wheel, for example, has been turned, without the requirement for power to be connected to the device!
No backup supply. No batteries. No capacitors.
As Luke demonstrates, the principle of operation is related to permanent magnetic fields: when there is no power in the system, the motion of a permanent magnet affects the internal Giant Magnetoresonance (GMR) sensor so that the ADMT4000 knows how ‘twisted’ it has become. Power is only required for device readout, and that measurement can be provided at high accuracy for angle detection in addition to the number of rotations completed!
Suffice to say, this technology looks like magic, and it could easily be put to use in medical, industrial, automotive, robotics, and many other applications that feature motorised or rotating parts. With Analog Devices aiming for market release of the ADMT4000 at the end of 2023, ipXchange looks forward to bringing you more detailed specifications once the veil has been lifted!