Trafag (UK) Ltd revolutionises the measuring of highly dynamic pressure curves

Robust pressure transmitter NAH 8254 with 20 kHz cut-off frequency:  Recording high-frequency pressure curves previously meant a choice between a very expensive high-end laboratory instrument or an expensive but drift-prone special transmitter. The new Trafag NAH 8254 20kHz pressure transmitter takes a new path: Based on the proven, extremely robust mobile hydraulic transmitter, the innovative combination of thin-film-on-steel sensor and self-developed ASIC formed the perfect transmitter for highly dynamic pressure measurements. In many applications, particularly the test environment, highly dynamic pressure profiles are measured to optimise systems and machines. For example, unfavourable closing behaviour of valves can produce short but very high-pressure peaks in pipes, causing considerable damage. There is also a need to analyse explosive events. For most transmitters such high-frequency signals are usually undetectable. Trafag has developed their high-speed pressure transmitter by smartly combining its own thin-film-on-steel sensor element with the proprietary Trafag ASIC TX.

Highly dynamic pressure profiles are often measured with piezoelectric or piezoresistive sensors. Piezoelectric sensors are very expensive and difficult to manufacture, while the piezoresistive sensors are susceptible to drift at elevated temperatures. The thin-film-on-steel sensor technology used by Trafag is significantly more resistant to signal drift, even under the harshest conditions. Trafag combines this sensor technology with the dedicated, proprietary ASIC TX (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), enabling thin-film on steel sensors, with their robustness and long-term stability benefits, to be used where competitive solutions reach their limits.

Based on the proven miniature industrial transmitter NAH 8254 with wrench size 19, Trafag offers versions with a cut-off frequency up to 20 kHz. The thin-film sensor element and the basic structure of the transmitter have proven themselves under extreme conditions in harsh environments, such as mobile hydraulics applications, and guarantee a reliability that is second to none. The key to using thin-film-on-steel sensors for highly dynamic measurements lies in the special design concept of the Trafag ASIC TX, which combines several hundred thousand transistors on a surface area of only 2 x 2 mm and consists of a powerful analogue amplifier and a matching digital part.