A version of thie article appeared in the February 2012 issue of Test & Measurement World. See the PDF. Many industrial systems use the 4–20-mA loop to transmit measurements from sensors to displays, ...

Significant efficiency and performance improvements can be realized by improving the current loop’s power supplies, replacing linear regulators with high-efficiency buck regulators. It also increases ...

The 4- to 20-mA current loop is ubiquitous in the world of controls in manufacturing plants. Discrete logic, microprocessors, and microcontrollers easily cover the digital portions of control schemes, ...

The I/O capabilities built into most microcontrollers make it easy to measure the analog world. Say you want to build a data logger for temperature. All you need to do is get some kind of sensor that ...

Use of 4-to-20-mA current loops involves more than just a simple series connection between sensor, display, and power supply. The point where a sensor takes a measurement is, at times, many yards away ...

Open-loop current sensors have a definite price advantage over closed-loop counterparts. While you can use them in drive applications where torque accuracy isn't demanding — such as pump and fan ...