Fittings, Valves & Actuators
For many industrial and commercial applications, Dwyer fittings and valves play an essential role. They offer precision, durability, and reliable performance in control and fluid handling systems. Dwyer's ball valves, check valves, and needle valves are used in a variety of systems to regulate the flow of gases and liquids, including those in HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning), water treatment, and process automation.
Secure, leak-proof connections among pipes, tubes, and system components are a necessity in industrial applications. Dwyer has a complete line of fittings for just that purpose. Compression fittings and quick-connect fittings, for example, are two types of Dwyer that work very well to make connections safe and reliable.
Dwyer's valves and fittings are known for their durability and reliability, whether they are being used for exact pressure control, flow regulation, or dependable connections in piping systems. They are vital to maintaining the efficiency and safety of many industrial processes, doing their jobs so well that they are used in a wide variety of applications across many, many industries.
Analog and Digital Control Signals: The Basics
Digital Signals
Digital signals are represented in either a true or false. There is no gray area with digital signals. An example of this might be a light switch. A light switch is either on or off. Another example of this might be a motor that is running or not running. Digital signals can be generated with both AC and DC circuits with varying voltages, currents and resistance. Some practical examples of using digital signals in an industrial environment might be if a pump is running or not running or a whether a valve is open or closed.
Analog Signals
Analog signals convey information in the form of a range. A light switch might be on or off as a digital signal, but a dimmer switch would be an analog signal. It can be on or off, but it can also be somewhere in between. A practical example of using analog signals in an industrial environment would be if there is a need to measure the level of a tank; whether it's full, empty or somewhere in between. Analog signals can take many different forms with some of the more common being a 4 to 20 milliamp signal or a 0 to 5 or 0 to 10 volt signal.
Communication
Communication in a device can either be sent or received. Whether that data is sent or received depends on the type of information. Is there a need to monitor the status of something? If so, an input needs to be received about that information. Is there a need to control something? If so, an output needs to be sent about what needs to occur. Receiving inputs and setting outputs are both things that can be accomplished by using both digital and analog signal types. Therefore, the signals are referred to as analog outputs (AO), analog inputs (AI), digital inputs (DI) or digital outputs (DO).