The MAX12900 4 mA to 20 mA sensor transmitter from Maxim Integrated Products suits applications that include industrial automation and process control, loop-powered current transmitters, remote instrumentation, and smart sensors.
System designers that develop enhanced 4 mA to 20 mA sensor transmitters have several considerations to deal with. These include improved measurement accuracy over a wide temperature range and reduced size to fit in a small enclosure. In addition, they are required to meet a tight current budget of their overall sensor transmitter system of 4 mA maximum.
The MAX12900 increases system accuracy with 10ppm/℃ voltage reference for up to 3.5x lower drift compared to traditional solutions. Measuring 5 mm x 5 mm, the device integrates 10 optimized building blocks that result in significant space savings of 20%-50% vs. traditional 4–20mA sensor transmitter implementations. The addition of an integrated high voltage LDO and power sequencing capability simplifies the power up of the 4–20mA sensor transmitter. Its reduced current consumption for low power requires just 250µA of current maximum, enabling up to 50% power savings compared to traditional solutions. The new MAX12900 solution reduces implementation complexity, generating system cost savings by converting pulse width modulation data from a microcontroller into current over a 4–20mA loop with two, three, or four wire configurations. The MAX12900 is available in a 32-pin TQFN package and operates over a wide industrial temperature range of -40℃ to +125℃.
Pricing for the MAX12900 is $2.89 each/1,000 and the MAX12900EVKIT# evaluation kit is available for $55.
For greater enlightenment, peruse a MAX12900 datasheet and the MAX12900EVKIT# evaluation kit datasheet.