Low-cost vibration sensor promises to boost equipment up-time

Low-cost vibration sensor promises to boost equipment up-time

Small high-bandwidth MEMS sensor can monitor shock and vibration to provide early failure warning and alert maintenance personnel

Costing just $35 in small quantities — about a third the price of typical industrial vibration sensors — the ADXL001 iMEMS high-bandwidth vibration/shock sensor lets industrial equipment designers cost-effectively incorporate high-performance vibration monitoring for the first time. Building in this capability would not only let end-users perform preventive maintenance based on continuous monitoring and early warnings of vibration problems, but also help designers detect potential design problems early, before product production and delivery.

Available in a 5 × 5-mm ceramic package small enough to fit into motor-control circuitry or mount on existing factory equipment at critical measurement points, the sensor can detect, say, motor-bearing vibration and irregularities very early — at frequencies to 22 kHz rather than the typical 5 kHz — allowing operators to identify failing equipment long before serious damage occurs.

The sensor comes in versions with full-scale dynamic ranges of ±70, ±250, or ±500 g with frequency response down to dc, and has nonlinearity of 0.2% full scale. Requiring no calibration, the rugged device is EMI/RFI resistant, can operate from 40° to 125°C, and runs from a 3.3 to 5-V supply. ($35 ea / 1,000 — samples available now, prod qty August.)

Analog Devices , Wilmington , MA
Information 800-262-5643
http://www.analog.com