A width of just six millimetres, an extended temperature range up to 70?C, and high long-term stability, reliability and precision - this is what characterizes the signal conditioners of the new SC-System that were presented for the first time at this year's Hannover Trade Fair (April 2014).

The SC-System is a completely new development that combines the most powerful features of comparable products in a family of devices.

For example, calibration is performed by fully automated laser trimming of fixed resistors. This means: the best calibration results without production spread, and the risk of interference from trimming potentiometers due to their slider contact point is eliminated.

Electrolytic capacitors have been omitted, and alternative components used instead. The temperature-dependent reduction of the capacitance values observed with electrolytic capacitors, as well as signs of aging, is thus effectively counteracted. By replacing the electrolytic capacitors, the SC-System signal conditioners can be operated at an ambient temperature of up to 70?C.

The low-power design, which ensures low self-heating, contributes to the wide temperature range in which the products can be operated.

The SC-System uses high-quality 3-way isolation between input, output, and supply which withstands a working voltage of up to 300 V and a test voltage up to 2.5 kV. The risk of short circuits in coils within the signal conditioner is counteracted by the use of PCB transformers. In this design, the transformer coils are integrated into the PCB, so that short circuits in coils due to faulty isolation are eliminated.

Effective use of the switch cabinet space is achieved by a compact design: the housings, which are just 6 mm wide, reduce the space requirement of the signal conditioner modules to a minimum. The housing height is so low that the modules fit between the narrow-seated cable channels.

The SC-System Portfolio

Transmitter power supplies are an integral part of the SC-System. They transfer the 4 mA ... 20 mA signals from connected signal converters, and at the same time deliver the supply voltage for them. Transmitter power supplies are available with a signal splitting function and as SMART devices which, in addition to the analog signal, can transmit multiple HART variables.

Temperature converters, loop-powered current repeaters, and universal signal converters for bipolar signals are also part of the portfolio of the new SC-System.

Pepperl+Fuchs is a leading developer and manufacturer of electronic sensors and components for the global automation market. The company has two divisions - The Process Automation Division is a market leader in intrinsically safe explosion protection, which offers comprehensive, application-oriented system solutions, including customer-specific control cabinet solutions for the process industry. A large portfolio of components is available from various product lines: isolated barriers, fieldbus infrastructure solutions, remote I/O systems, HART interface solutions, level measurement devices, purge and pressurization systems, industrial monitors and HMI solutions, power supplies, separator alarm systems for oil and petrol separators, signalling equipment, lighting as well as emergency shutdown equipment and accessories.

The other division, Factory Automation, had its origins in the invention of the inductive proximity sensor in 1958, an important milestone in the development of automation technology. Under the motto "Sensing your needs", customers benefit from tailor-made sensor solutions for factory automation. The main target markets of the factory automation are machine and plant construction, the automotive industry, storage and material handling, printing and paper industry, packaging technology, process equipment, door, gate and elevator construction, mobile equipment, renewable energies. The division offers a wide product range of industrial sensors whether it's inductive, photoelectric or ultrasonic sensors, rotary encoders, identification systems, barcodes, code readers for data-matrix-codes and vision sensors.

Pepperl+Fuchs (India) Private Limited, Bangalore. Tel: 080-28378030. Fax: 91-80-28378031.
Email: fa-info@in.pepperl-fuchs.com