All Instrumentation
Precision measurement, monitoring, and control are essential for every industrial process, and at the heart of every such process lies not just conventional measurement but "smart" measurement (and control). Smart measurement is all about converting the physical world into a form usable by the computers that control the industrial world. In every industrial process, there are physical conditions of interest—pressure, flow, level, temperature, speed, and so on—that need to be continuously and accurately measured and reported.
Covering composition and other characteristics, the industrial measurement world is comprehensively covered by standards such as the ISA 51.1 series and the more general ANSI/ISA 57.01. Equipment used for smart measurement spans a range from individual sensors to complete measurement assemblies that might include multi-channel controllers and transmitters. Increasingly, the measurement devices themselves are "smart" in two ways: not only do they send their measurement to the computer, but the computer both measures the quality of the smart measurement and uses that information to keep the industrial process running efficiently and safely.
ABB Instrumentation
ACI Instrumentation
APG Instrumentation
API Instrumentation
Dwyer Instrumentation
Eaton Instrumentation
Fluke Instrumentation
IDEC Instrumentation
Omega Instrumentation
Tek-Trol Instrumentation
Telemecanique Instrumentation
USI Instrumentation
FAQs
What is industrial instrumentation?
Industrial instrumentation refers to the devices and systems used to measure, monitor, and control physical processes such as flow, pressure, temperature, level, and more.
What types of measurements do instrumentation devices handle?
Instrumentation covers a wide range of variables including flow, pressure, temperature, level, pH, conductivity, vibration, speed, and chemical concentration.
What is the difference between a sensor and a transmitter?
A sensor detects the physical variable, while a transmitter converts that reading into a standardized electrical signal (like 4–20 mA) that a controller or PLC can interpret.
Why is accurate instrumentation important?
Accurate measurements prevent downtime, maintain product quality, improve safety, reduce waste, and help automation systems operate at peak efficiency.
What are the most common communication protocols in instrumentation?
HART, Modbus, Profibus, Foundation Fieldbus, and Ethernet/IP are common protocols used for transmitting measurement data and diagnostics.
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).