The need to measure and control machinery and process equipment dates back to the Industrial Revolution. Today, plant instrumentation serves as the nervous system and brain of modern manufacturing — regulating operations, supervising performance and enabling economic viability. Many processes would be difficult, or even impossible, to run without automation.

At the heart of every automated system is the measurement and control loop. While instrumentation has evolved from purely analog devices to today’s “smart” systems — ranging from simple potentiometers to advanced analyzers like infrared spectrophotometers — analog field measurements and the electronic signals that carry them remain essential.

Figure 1: At the heart of every automated system is the measurement and control loop. Source: Dataforth

These measurements typically fall into two categories:

• Physical measurements such as pressure, temperature, flow, force, vibration, mass and density
• Compositional measurements including conductivity, pH and chemical analysis

Ensuring the accuracy, stability and reliability of these signals is the role of proper signal conditioning. Effective signal conditioning preserves measurement quality, minimizes noise and distortion, and allows control and data acquisition systems to operate at peak performance.

Helping engineers achieve high-quality signal conditioning is the focus of Dataforth’s comprehensive guide.

Access the free handbook Industrial Signal Conditioning: A Tutorial by Dataforth.