ACI Instrumentation
The ACI sensors are good for working with a set of environmental parameters crucial in any mechanical design and control system. They have been working to achieve high performance in several key areas: accuracy, which means long-term and stable output over time; tight tolerances, which means consistency in performance under various manufacturing and installation conditions; and calibration stability, which means those sensors perform just as well as the day they left the shop.
They use a variety of techniques to achieve those properties, and the sensors are assembled and tested in the USA at ACI facilities. They employ five main sensing technologies: thermistors and RTDs for temperature; resistance-based technologies for humidity; and for differential pressure and gas detection, some of the most common sensing technologies in use today: the piezoelectric diaphragm and the electrochemical sensor.
FAQs
What industries use ACI instrumentation?
ACI sensors are used across HVAC, manufacturing, industrial automation, energy management, environmental monitoring, and building control systems.
What types of sensors does ACI manufacture?
ACI offers temperature, humidity, pressure, CO₂, current, air quality, and specialty sensors designed for both industrial and commercial control applications.
Are ACI sensors compatible with most control systems?
Yes, ACI instrumentation is widely compatible with major BAS, PLC, DDC, and industrial control platforms through universal analog outputs and industry-standard wiring.
How accurate and reliable are ACI sensors?
ACI is known for tight tolerances, long-term stability, NIST-traceable calibration options, and rugged construction suited for harsh industrial environments.
Can ACI sensors be used in non-HVAC industrial applications?
Yes, ACI sensors are engineered for temperature, flow, environmental, and electrical monitoring across industrial settings, including process control, robotics, and energy systems.
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).