Process Switches
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This document is part of a comprehensive tutorial on industrial Digital I/O and Counter/Timer hardware. Learn about National Instruments product offerings for digital and timing I/O, the Industrial Feature Set including watchdog timers and isolation, complementary devices like relays, solenoids and encoders, concepts like sinking and sourcing, and see how these devices can be used in your industrial application.
For more information return to the Complete Industrial Digital I/O and Counter/Timer Tutorial
Table of Contents
Introduction to Process Switches
Process switches generate an on or off output based on a change in physical phenomenon. These are very popular in the process control industry to monitor phenomemon like flow, speed, temperature and pressure.
Recommended NI Products that Connect to Process Switches
NI 6509
NI 6514
NI 6515
NI 6528
Technical Overview
Process switches can be characterized by switching technology used such as electro-mechanical or solid state. They are available in Normally Open (NO) or Normally Closed (NC) or both configurations.
A typical example is a pressure switch that detects if the pressure in a chamber has dropped below a certain value, say 50 psi. The pressure switch sends a high output when pressure is below 50 psi and a low output when pressure remains above 50 psi.
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