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Why We Use Negative Voltage in Vibration Measurement
Why We Use Negative Voltage in Vibration Measurement
Why We Use Negative Voltage in Vibration Measurement
First, the question of negative voltage. The short answer is that When Don Bently
worked on making solid-state versions of the eddy-current measurement system (it
was actually originally designed in the 1930s by GE engineers using vacuum tubes),
he had a choice between using N-P-N transistors or P-N-P transistors. At the time,
transistors were quite expensive, so he chose the least expensive of the two: P-N-P
(apparently, PNP transistors they were less expensive to manufacture 50 years ago
than their NPN counterparts).
Because the circuits used PNP transistors, a negative bias voltage was required
rather than a positive bias voltage. Don chose -18V. This was later changed to -24V
to allow more linear range from the transducer.
At that time, the industrial instrumentation community had not yet standardized on
+24 vdc, and by the time they did, there were so many Bently Nevada eddy current
vibration sensors installed that changing to +24V rather than -24V was not greeting
with enthusiasm by users. Hence, it has remained -24V to this day.
This was not a deliberate effort to “be different” or “non-conformist” on the part of
Bently Nevada. It was quite literally based on which components were the least
expensive when the technology was originally introduced 50-plus years ago.