What Does a DC Current Sensor Do?

DC current sensors, in simple terms, take electrical measurements in the same way a thermometer determines the temperature of an item or area. Like all other measuring devices, DC current sensors can function to make simple and complex measurements. In its most basic form, a current sensor detects electrical current in a wire and generates a signal proportional to it.

DC current sensor generated signals can be utilized to display the measured current in an ammeter or can be stored for further analysis in a database. Moreover, it can also be used for control purposes of electrical devices. As a measuring device, DC current sensors detects the current input and can come out with output signal for both unipolar and digital output types. For a unipolar output, it duplicates the wave shape of the sensed current. For a digital output, on the other hand, it changes when the sensed current exceeds a certain threshold.

DC current sensors, in some cases, can be connected directly to electrical instruments while it is more common that some signal conditioning is used. Some current-sense applications call for isolation between the DC current sense’s resistor and the measurement circuits. In such cases, isolation amplifiers and modulators may be used.

DC current measurement don’t just take place in laboratories anymore as many common devices like battery chargers have some form of current sense resistor in them. This is why knowing the basics of current sensors is important.