Charge and Capacitive Signal Conditioners

Charge and capacitive signal conditioning modules or systems amplify, attenuate, filter and/or convert a charge signal from an accelerometer, load cell, pressure transducer, displacement transducer or other type of capacitive sensor. Accelerometers are sensors and instruments for measuring, displaying and analyzing acceleration and vibration of a body. Accelerometers can be used on a stand-alone basis, or in conjunction with a data acquisition system. The most common types of accelerometers are piezoelectric, capacitance, null-balance, strain gage, resonance, piezoresistive, and magnetic induction. Charge and capacitive signal conditioning can be subdivided into two parts: charge conditioning and capacitive signal conditioning. Charge conditioning is used for piezoelectric transducers such as charge accelerometers, force transducers, impact hammers, and hydrophones. A capacitive signal conditioner provides excitation power for capacitive accelerometers and prepares their measurement signals for readout, recording, and data acquisition. A capacitive signal conditioner is available in portable, benchtop, modular, and rack-mount styles. Battery and optional dc-power supplies units of a capacitive signal conditioner are suited for in-vehicle applications or remote testing environments. High performance charge and capacitive signal conditioning has always been the foundation for recorders and data acquisition systems.