Overview

In a typical measurement system, signal conditioning is the equipment that is located between the transducer and the display. As its name suggests, this equipment conditions the transducer signal into a form that is usable by the display.

In some of the transducers described in chapter 4, the signal conditioning electronics is built into the body of the transducer. This type of transducer has the advantage of providing a high-level, low-impedance output signal that is relatively immune to noise contamination caused by radio frequency interference (RFI) or electromagnetic interference (EMI). The disadvantages of this type of transducer are the limited temperature environment, which is a result of the electronic components and the larger physical size of the transducer.

Other transducers have some or all of the signal conditioning built into an in-line unit that is located near the transducer but away from any extreme test environment. This is a compromise solution that may be advantageous in some test situations. Its disadvantages are that both the number and the adjustability of the in-line unit's signal conditioning capabilities are usually limited, and the unit may be located in a less than ideal place as far as accessibility and environment are concerned.

The most common situation is to have the transducer mounted directly on or very close to the test object. Cable runs of tens to hundreds of feet are used to carry the transducer's output signal to the signal conditioning equipment, which is located in a control room that also houses...